The Team Transforming Protein Therapeutics with Deimmunization
ADAXION’s team is dedicated to developing treatments for immune-mediated diseases. With a growing pipeline of breakthrough biologics, we are committed to delivering first- and best-in-class therapies that address unmet medical needs and improve patient outcomes. Our collaborative, science-driven culture fuels discovery, enabling us to push the boundaries of innovation to create potentially life-changing medicines.
Brian Di Donato, MBA
Chief Executive Officer, ADAXION Therapeutics
Brian Di Donato serves as the Chief Executive Officer of ADAXION Therapeutics, where he leads the company in the development of pioneering deimmunized therapeutic proteins through antigen-specific B cell silencing. Prior to joining ADAXION Brian was the Chief Financial Officer and Head of Strategy at Immunocore, a commercial stage T-cell engaging company, where he oversaw financial operations, business development, investor relations and strategic planning for novel t-cell therapies for cancer and infectious diseases.
Brian’s track record includes successful leadership roles in both biotech and finance. As CFO of Achillion Pharmaceuticals, he helped guide the company to a $1.1 billion acquisition by Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Achillion Brian held multiple leadership roles in private equity and investment banking. Brian’s diverse experience spanning multiple sectors underscores a comprehensive understanding of the research,development, commercial and corporate finance challenges of the biotech industry.
Brian serves as Audit Committee Chair on the Board of Directors at iECURE, inc, a novel liver directed gene insertion biotech company. He holds a BS in biology from Penn State, a BS in mechanical engineering from Villanova University and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.
Tom Woiwode, PhD
Chairman of the Board, Versant Ventures
Tom Woiwode, PhD, has been working with Versant since 2002, and has served in both operational and investment roles during that time. Tom was the start-up CBO for Amira (sale), Synosia (sale) and Flexion (2014 IPO) and was the COO of Okairos where he led the process that culminated in the acquisition by GSK. Since being promoted to Managing Director in 2014, Tom has assumed the lead role in multiple investments that also have reached liquidity including Crispr (2016 IPO), Audentes (2016 IPO), Annapurna (merged to form Adverum), Gritstone (2018 IPO), Crinetics (2018 IPO), Jecure (sale), Therachon (sale), Aligos (2020 IPO), Passage (2020 IPO), Tempest (2021 reverse merger) and Vividion (sale).
Prior to joining Versant, Tom was a medicinal chemist at XenoPort, a start-up biotech company that completed an IPO in 2005. Tom earned his PhD in chemistry from Stanford University.
Sarah Hymowitz, PhD
Partner, The Column Group
Sarah Hymowitz, PhD, joined The Column Group in 2021. Previously, she spent 22 years at Genentech rising to Vice President of Protein Sciences. In this role, Sarah oversaw the large molecule drug discovery portfolio and mentored project teams on the identification and optimization of more than 35 clinical candidates. Earlier, as a member of the Genentech Small Molecule Leadership Team, she supported teams in advancing more than 25 molecules to IND-enabling studies and led a collaboration with AbbVie and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute that resulted in the discovery of Venclexta. Sarah earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Swarthmore College, followed by a PhD in Biophysics from the University of California, San Francisco prior to joining Genentech in 1999 as a postdoctoral fellow.
Priscilla Sugianto, MD MBA
Principal, Vivo Capital
Priscilla Sugianto, MD, MBA, is a Principal at Vivo Capital. Prior to Vivo, Priscilla worked at C-Bridge Capital, as an Assistant Vice President on the Investment team, where she was involved in all biopharma investment processes. In addition to equity investment, she was also involved in licensing, royalty, debt, and cross-border transactions. Priscillia also has experience in the digital health space, with companies such as Flare Capital, Doctor on Demand and Virta Health.
Priscilla received her bachelor’s of science in biochemistry, summa cum laude, from University of California Los Angeles, an MD from Stanford University School of Medicine and MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. While at Stanford and UCLA, she undertook research in drug discovery in hematology, oncology and dermatopathology under the support of NSF, NIH, and Amgen. Priscilla’s work has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals, including Cell Metabolism, Molecular Pharmacology and Developmental Cell.
Stephen Squinto, PhD
Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner
J.P. Morgan Life Sciences Private Capital
Stephen Squinto, PhD, is Chief Investment Officer of J.P. Morgan Life Science Private Capital (“LSPC”) within J.P. Morgan Prvate Capital, a division of J.P. Morgan Global Alternatives in J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
Stephen joined J.P. Morgan Private Capital in 2022. He leads the Life Sciences and Healthcare Private Capital investment platform at J.P. Morgan, which leverages the global scale, robust healthcare service ecosystem and healthcare data intelligence of J.P. Morgan to invest in life sciences and healthcare companies.
Stephen has had a 35-year career in biotechnology and drug development. He was an early team member and an early company builder of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Co-Founder of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and subsequently a highly successful investor at OrbiMed Advisors. While building Alexion, Dr. Squinto and his team were responsible for the discovery, development, approval and commercial launch of several life transforming biotechnology products worldwide serving several rare disease patient communities. During his 8 years with OrbiMed, Dr. Squinto served on as many as 20 company boards, co-founded several OrbiMed-financed companies and served as an operating executive of five. The investments led by Dr. Squinto at OrbiMed led to significant returns for the firm.
Stephen received his BA in Chemistry and PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Loyola University of Chicago. He is a recipient of numerous honors and awards from academic and professional organizations for his scientific work. Stephen previously held various joint academic positions at Tulane University and LSU Medical Schools.
