Our Team

Mehran F. Moghaddam

PhD, MBA – CEO/CSO and Chairman

Mehran F. Moghaddam, PhD, MBA, obtained his doctorate in medicinal chemistry at Oregon State University-School of Pharmacy and completed his postdoctoral training in lipid metabolism at University of California-Davis. He received his executive MBA training at University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business.

Among other things, Dr. Moghaddam’s doctorate and post-doctorate research experience included extensive studies on arachidonic acid pathway and involvement of sEH in metabolism of epoxy-eicosanoids, which resulted in patents and several publications including one in Nature Medicine. Since 1995, he has been involved in discovery and development in DuPont, Pfizer, and Celgene organizations studying small and large molecules. In Celgene, Dr. Moghaddam was involved in nomination and progression of 19 small-molecules and 1 antibody into development. He played a role in discovery of Revlimid®, Pomalyst® and Otezla®; approved therapies for multiple myeloma and psoriatic arthritis. He was also involved in the discovery of CC-90001 which has entered clinical trial for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Recently, he formed a start-up biotechnology company, OROX BioSciences, Inc., dedicated to discovery and development of drugs for unmet medical needs in fibrosis and oncology. He is an author/coauthor on nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications and several patents, some of which reflect his experience with sEH.

Neil Raheja

PhD – Medicinal Chemistry

Dr. Raheja has over 18 years of industrial experience with extensive scientific contributions. He has been a successful project leader in multiple therapeutic areas. His achievements include the delivery of 6 development candidates as a project leader/team leader at Pfizer and 4 development candidates under his direction as a Group Leader/Associate Director at Celgene. As a medicinal chemistry consultant, Dr. Raheja has enabled 3 programs, for multiple companies and was able to move them into lead optimization and early development.

Gregory Reyes

Chief Clinical Advisor

Dr. Reyes has over 35 years of biotech/large pharma leadership experience spanning multiple therapeutic areas. His teams have nominated and progressed over 50 compounds, both small molecules and biologics, from discovery into preclinical and clinical development. Dr. Reyes’ most recent role was as Senior Vice President in charge of global Drug Discovery efforts at Celgene Corporation. Under Dr. Reyes’ leadership at Schering-Plough (now Merck), Victrelis™ (boceprevir) was discovered and later gained approval as the first novel antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis C. This seminal work in the discovery and development of the first hepatitis C virus protease inhibitor led to the 2012 Prix Galien Award shared by Victrelis™ and Vertex’s Incivek™ as the ‘best pharmaceutical agent’ in both the UK and US. In addition to the positions noted above, Dr. Reyes also was Senior VP in charge of Oncology Research and Development at Biogen Idec in San Diego. California. Dr Reyes continues to mentor early-stage organizations in the San Diego biotech arena while serving on the external advisory committee to the Cancer Research UK charitable organization.

JAMES MACKAY

PhD – Advisor to Board of Directors

Dr. James MacKay is a distinguished scientist and global leader in the life sciences industry, with an impressive track record of successfully advancing multiple drugs from development to market. A strategic thinker with exceptional communication skills, he excels in defining and executing business strategies while delivering innovative operational results. Dr. MacKay has vast experience in both large pharmaceutical organizations and small biotechnology companies, working seamlessly across international borders and cultures to drive success through diversity.

Notably, Dr. MacKay played a pivotal role in the $1.2B acquisition of Ardea Biosciences by AstraZeneca, overseeing the successful transition and integration of the company. He was instrumental in the development and FDA/EMA approval of Zurampic, the first novel mechanism of action for gout treatment in over 50 years. Additionally, he led the commercial licensing of Zurampic and Duzallo to Ironwood Pharmaceuticals and Grunenthal.

Dr. MacKay also spearheaded the transformation of the AstraZeneca/BMS Diabetes global development and commercial collaboration, establishing Onglyza, Kombiglyze XR, and Komboglyze as key growth drivers for the AstraZeneca portfolio.

His leadership, vision, and cross-functional expertise make him a valuable advisor to the Board of Directors, where he continues to shape the strategic direction and operational success of OROX BioSciences.

BRUCE D. HAMMOCK

PhD – Chairman of Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Hammock is a Distinguished Professor at the University of California-Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.  He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors.  One of the most important aspects of Dr. Hammock’s scientific contributions is his discovery of the soluble epoxide hydrolase early in his career.  Many of his over 1200 publications and patents are on the P450 branch of the arachidonic acid cascade and the role of soluble epoxide hydrolase in fatty acid metabolism.  He continues as the founding Director of the multi-million dollar NIEHS-UCD Superfund Research Program now renewed through its 35^th year.  He was Principal Investigator of the NIH Biotechnology Graduate Training Program at the University of California Davis for over 15 years.  Dr. Hammock has been the director of an analytical laboratory supporting a variety of NIH funded programs for 20 years. He is a past NIH Career and Merit Awardee; a Burroughs Wellcome Scholar; and a von Humboldt, Marcus and Fulbright Fellow.  He recently was selected for the Brodie Award in Xenobiotic Metabolism, the Lands Lecture in Biochemical Nutrition, and as the first McGiff Memorial Awardee in Lipid Biochemistry.  He founded several companies, has helped raise over $50 million in private capital and currently is CEO of EicOsis developing an orally active non-addictive drug for inflammatory and neuropathic pain in man and companion animals.  EicOsis is supported by several SBIR grants and a NIH NINDS Blueprint Development Grant.

MAMTA PARIKH

MD, MS
Medical Director, Division of Hematology & Oncology – Clinical Advisor

Dr. Mamta Parikh is currently the Medical Director of Genitourinary Malignancies at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she leads clinical research efforts focused on prostate, kidney, and bladder cancers.  She is a highly accomplished physician and medical researcher with a diverse background in both the pharmaceutical and medical fields. After beginning her career as a medicinal chemist at Merck, followed by roles in project management and product portfolio management at Genentech, Dr. Parikh transitioned to medicine.

Dr. Parikh’s primary research interest lies in translating basic science discoveries into early-phase therapeutics, with a particular emphasis on the development of novel treatments for genitourinary cancers. She is a recognized expert in her field and serves on the expert panel for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for Bladder and Penile Cancer.

Her experience in both the pharmaceutical industry and clinical research uniquely positions her to drive innovative research and therapeutic development within the oncology space.

Nicholas Kenyon

MD, MAS – Clinical Advisor

Dr. Kenyon is a Gordon Wong Professor of Medicine and Chief of Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at UC-Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Kenyon is involved in preclinical and clinical research on COPD, COVID, Asthma, influenza, IPF, and other pulmonary diseases in addition to breath biomarkers, sensors, predictive models of postoperative respiratory failure, and various forms of lung injury.  This has resulted in numerous publications in prestigious scientific and clinical journals.  Dr. Kenyon’s daily responsibilities involve working on patients with pulmonary ailments.

Dipak Panigrahy

MD – Preclinical and Clinical Advisor

Dr. Panigrahy is an Assistant Professor of Pathology, Center for Vascular Biology Research, at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. Dr. Panigrahy previously led cancer, inflammation, and angiogenesis animal tumor dormancy modeling in the Folkman laboratory where he developed extensive expertise in cancer biology and tumor models. His recognition in the field includes funding from the National Cancer Institute to study the involvement of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) metabolism of EETs in cancer and metastasis. The novelty of Dr. Panigrahy’s work is demonstrated by the 50+ awards recognizing his group’s work on lipid autacoids in cancer. His laboratory has created unique chemotherapy, surgery, and carcinogen cell death (“debris”)-stimulated cancer models designed to evaluate novel pro-resolution (“debris clearing”) lipid mediators. Dr. Panigrahy has chaired over ten symposia and given over 45 invited lectures on lipid autacoids in cancer at national and international meetings over the past five years.

Ekihiro Seki

MD, PhD – Preclinical and Clinical Advisor

Dr. Seki is currently conducting his basic and translational research focusing on matrix-mediated liver fibrosis, alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and liver malignancy at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Seki’s expertise lies in the field of liver immunology, and basic and translational gastroenterology and hepatology research. The research team has expertise in using genetically modified animals and isolation of primary cultured liver cells including hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, and hepatic stellate cells. Dr. Seki was trained as a GI-hepatobiliary surgery in Japan. After his clinical training, Dr. Seki started his research career studying liver immunology including Toll-like receptor signaling and inflammasome activation. In his postdoctoral training at Columbia University, he studied the role of TLR4 signaling in liver fibrosis.

John Imig

PhD – Eicosanoid Biology

Dr. Imig joined the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2008 and is currently Professor and Director of the Drug Discovery Center in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology. Dr. Imig has dedicated his research and drug development efforts to understanding the mechanisms by which certain fatty acids “eicosanoids” influence kidney and cardiovascular function and developing drugs that target eicosanoids to treat diseases. As an academic research scientist, Dr. Imig has authored over 200 scientific publications and has several patents for eicosanoid-based drugs. He is a past recipient of the prestigious Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association and the laboratory is currently funded by a grant from National Institutes of Health and a Falk Medical Trust Grant. He has successfully worked with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies through research and licensing agreements to move drugs forward into clinical trials. Over the past decade, he and his collaborators have developed novel eicosanoid-based drugs to treat diseases including hypertension, stroke, heart attacks, diabetes, and kidney diseases. These novel drugs have tremendous potential as a therapy for cardiovascular and kidney diseases.

Paul M. Hamrah

PharmD – Development and Market Assessment

Paul M. Hamrah, PharmD, is a pharmacist and a pharmaceutical consultant with over 25 years of experience as a pharmacy and regional director at Scripps health and Kaiser Permanente. In the past 15 years, he has consulted for major pharmaceutical companies such as Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer, and Celgene in developing and marketing their products.  Paul holds a BS of Chemistry from University of Iowa and Doctorate of Pharmacy from Oregon State University.

Bill Kachioff

Financial Affairs

Bill Kachioff is experienced in corporate finance, investor relations, capital formation, corporate governance and manufacturing accounting and systems.  He has over 25 years of life sciences industry experience, having most recently served as CFO at GenomeDx Biosciences and Biocept, two providers of novel cancer diagnostic services.  He was previously CFO at Althea Technologies, a pharmaceutical contract manufacturer.  He was also a CFO Partner with Tatum LLC, a national executive services firm focused on the office of the CFO, where he served a variety of life science industry clients in senior financial management roles.  Prior to joining Tatum LLC, Mr. Kachioff was CFO at Microlslet, a publicaly traded biotech company developing cell transplant therapies for insulin dependent diabetes.  He was Director of Finance at Cutera, where he helped prepare the company for the commercial launch of its first product and its initial public offering.  He has also served in a variety of financial management roles at Coulter Pharmaceutical, Vivus and Abbott Labs.  Mr. Kachioff has a B.S. in management from the State University of New York at Buffalo and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the association of Bioscience Financial Officers.  He began his professional career as an Auditor with Deloitte & Touche LLP.

Michael Hostetler

PhD, Esq. – Intellectual Property Counsel

Dr. Mike Hostetler received a PhD in Chemistry from UC-Berkeley in 1992 and a JD from Duke University School of Law in 2001.  He is a partner in the SOMA and San Diego offices of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he provides strategic intellectual property counseling to more than 100 growth enterprises in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology, and information technology industries. He works with both venture-backed and public companies. His expertise includes patent strategy, patent prosecution, and patent diligence (both buy and sell side) for venture financings, public offerings, and mergers and acquisitions. He has provided patent counseling in support of pharmaceutical and biotechnology, and information technology products in all stages of development, from proof of concept to regulatory approval to product launch. He leads a talented team of patent associates and patent agents that can meet virtually any technical and strategic need. Mike currently serves as a member of the firm’s Policy and Nominating Committees.