About - Starton Therapeutics

Determined to address unmet medical needs

The FDA defines unmet medical need for cancer as a serious condition that is not adequately treated by current therapies. This could include conditions that are rare, have few treatment options, significant tolerability issues, or have poor survival rates. We focus on expanding into indications where there is a clear unmet medical need.

Replace and expand standard of care products through superiority

Using proprietary algorithms, we identify active ingredients from well understood, standard-of-care medicines. With our continuous delivery technology, we intend to expand the utilization of these medicines with superior options for patients by improving efficacy and tolerability.

Proprietary delivery platform

The objective of controlled drug delivery is to reduce the area under the curve (AUC) and maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) to improve toxicity and avoid periods of subtherapeutic dosing for enhanced efficacy. Our proprietary delivery platform may increase efficacy of approved therapies by maintaining optimal levels of a drug for 24hrs a day, enabling them to be ultimately superior and more tolerable, potentially translating to superior patient outcomes.

Board of Directors and Management

At Starton, we aim to improve cancer patient outcomes by developing products that build on current treatment paradigms safely and effectively. Our world-class team of industry experts is dedicated to addressing unmet medical needs with bold solutions, delivering quality and speed for patients.

Management

Pedro Lichtinger

Chairman & CEO

Pedro Lichtinger

Chairman & CEO

Mr. Lichtinger is an industry executive with a career that spans more than 40 years in biotechnology. He has a proven track record of managing and developing business, executing strategic alliances, and building commercial and R&D capabilities.

He is the former President of Global Primary Care and former President of Europe at Pfizer Inc with 16 years of experience. He’s the former President and CEO of Asterias Biotherapeutics, and the former President and CEO of Optimer Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Lichtinger holds an MBA degree from Wharton School of Business and an engineering degree from the National University of Mexico.

Saleem Elmasri

Chief Financial Officer

Saleem Elmasri

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Elmasri brings 20 years of specialized finance, accounting, capital markets, and management consulting experience to the team, primarily focused on guiding life sciences and technology enterprises through key corporate milestones including initial public offerings (IPOs), complex transaction advisory, SEC compliance, and financial governance restructurings. Mr. Elmasri has served as a private and public company CFO, Audit Committee Chair, and strategic advisor. His public markets experience includes working with Jupiter Neurosciences (JUNS), Drugs Made in America Acquisition Corp. I and II (DMAA and DMII), and Bright Green Corporation (BGXX) to bring each company public and subsequently serving as CFO during their public-company phase. Mr. Elmasri holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting and Finance from Rutgers University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Jamie Oliver

Chief Medical Officer

Jamie Oliver

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Oliver’s experience spans more than 40 years in both the public and private sectors of the life sciences industry and contract research organizations, including academia.

He served in numerous clinical development operations roles including Chief Operating Officer, SVP Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs, Chief Science Officer, and Medical Officer. Throughout his career he successfully managed large cross-functional project teams with internal staff and oversaw CRO vendors. Dr. Oliver has significant FDA experience with both the Drug and Biologic divisions, having prepared more than 50 INDs and participated in 7 successful NDA submissions for U.S./Global pharmaceutical companies. In his tenure with public and private biotechnology companies, he participated in several series of successful fundraising. In addition, Dr. Oliver has served in licensing negotiations and out-licensing of several oncology assets.

Dr. Oliver holds a Pharm.D. and a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy, both from Mercer University School of Pharmacy.

Rod Hartwig

VP Research and Development/Manufacturing

Rod Hartwig

VP Research and Development/Manufacturing

Mr. Hartwig is Vice President of Research, Development and Manufacturing at Starton Therapeutics, Inc., where he leads formulation, process development, manufacturing, analytical operations, scale-up and technology transfer for innovative continuous-delivery therapies. He brings nearly three decades of pharmaceutical experience across transdermal, parenteral and oral controlled-release drug delivery, CMC, quality systems, regulatory compliance and intellectual property. Before joining Starton in 2019, he held senior operations roles at ProSolus and Azopharma and began his career at Noven Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Hartwig is a named inventor on numerous U.S. and international patents and holds a B.S. in Chemistry, with a Mathematics minor, from Austin Peay State University.

Board of Directors

Pedro Lichtinger

Chairman & CEO

Pedro Lichtinger

Chairman & CEO

Mr. Lichtinger holds an MBA degree from Wharton School of Business and an engineering degree from the National University of Mexico.

Eric Baum

Managing Director, Acquis Consulting and Solidea Capital

Eric Baum

Managing Director, Acquis Consulting and Solidea Capital

Mr. Baum has over 20 years of experience in advising Executive leadership teams for both well-established Fortune 50 companies and emerging ventures, across a spectrum of industries including life sciences, education, travel, real estate and technology.

Mr. Baum has served as Managing Director of Acquis Consulting Group LLC, and Managing Director / Co-Founder of its affiliate, Solidea Capital. Mr. Baum leverages his extensive management and operational consulting expertise to guide companies in areas such as business and corporate strategy, market positioning, growth and scale strategies, trajectory management, partnering frameworks, risk evaluation, and more. He also serves on the Board of Directors of ESGAI Technologies Inc., Diagen AI Life Sciences and BigRentz, Inc. Mr. Baum is also actively involved in the venture capital arena as an angel investor and participant in several investment-focused groups, such as the Charlotte Angel Fund.

Mr. Baum received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University where he graduated as valedictorian from the Goizueta Business School.

Moses Dodo

Director

Moses Dodo

Director

Mr. Dodo has over 35 years of experience building strong relationships with regulators, media, government, corporate and industry leaders. He is the founder and Managing Partner of MD5 Consulting and serves on the Board of Advisors for Pager Inc. Previously, Mr. Dodo held several executive roles at Bupa Global LATAM (BGLA), including Chairman and General Manager. During his tenure, he drove corporate development and inorganic growth, particularly in Brazil, and oversaw one of the region’s largest international private medical insurance portfolios. He is the former CEO and Chairman of Amedex Bermuda and as a Board member of HtH GeoBlue. Mr Dodo was previously Senior Managing Director and member of the Board at Haitong Bank (formerly Espírito Santo Investment Bank), leading North American operations.

Mr. Dodo holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Finance from Fundacao Armando Alvares Penteado, Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Nitin Kaushal

Director

Nitin Kaushal

Director

Mr. Kaushal has over 35 years of financial and investment experience with a focus on the life sciences industry. Mr. Kaushal is a retired Managing Director of PWC Corporate Finance Inc. and currently sits on the boards of several private and publicly listed companies. Mr. Kaushal has held senior roles in the investment banking, venture capital and consulting industry with a focus on the healthcare industry. He has performed several mergers/acquisitions, strategic advisory, and licensing assignments for a number of global pharma companies. Mr. Kaushal is a regular speaker at biotechnology conferences including BIO and Biofinance. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Toronto Scarborough and his CA, CPA and CF Corporate Finance Qualification from Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada).

Roy F Waldron

Senior VP Associate General Counsil and Chief Intellectual Property Council, Pfizer Inc (Retired)

Roy F Waldron

Senior VP Associate General Counsil and Chief Intellectual Property Council, Pfizer Inc (Retired)

Dr. Roy Waldron, Ph.D., J.D, served as the Senior Vice President‚ Associate General Counsel and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel at Pfizer. There, he led global teams of Pfizer attorneys and professionals in procuring patents‚ and worked closely with R&D‚ Business Development and Pfizer Business Units to develop and strengthen intellectual property strategies for development and acquisition targets. Dr. Waldron has been published numerous times and often serves as a panelist and keynote speaker at events. He has participated in many industry related committees including the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA)‚ Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures of America (PhRMA)‚ INTERPAT, Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), Hoover IP 2, Association of Corporate Counsel (ACPC) and Gibbons Institute of Law Science and Technology.

Dr. Waldron holds a Juris Doctorate from New York University Law School‚ a Ph.D. from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College.

Shannon Wisniewski

Board Secretary

Shannon Wisniewski

Board Secretary

Ms. Wisniewski is an accomplished biopharmaceutical executive with over 15 years of experience spanning research, clinical development, program management, and business development. She currently serves as Executive Director of Business Development & Program Management at Starton Therapeutics, where she drives strategic growth initiatives. Prior to Starton, Ms. Wisniewski held key positions at Clinical Genomics and Eli Lilly and Company where she led global oncology product launches and contributed to early-stage research and development. She began her career at Sanofi Pasteur in vaccine development. Beyond her professional achievements, Ms. Wisniewski is deeply committed to community service and environmental sustainability. She currently serves as Chair of her local Shade Tree Commission and as a BioNJ Inspiring STEM Conference Committee Member. Ms. Wisniewski holds a Bachelor of Science from York College.

Scientific Advisory Board

Mohamad Hussein, MD

Corporate Vice President: Global lead, Multiple Myeloma, Celgene (Retired), Former Director, Multiple Myeloma Program, Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center and Moffitt Cancer Center

Mohamad Hussein, MD

Corporate Vice President: Global lead, Multiple Myeloma, Celgene (Retired), Former Director, Multiple Myeloma Program, Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center and Moffitt Cancer Center

With over 30 years of combined experience in academia and the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Hussein is a globally recognized leader in hematologic malignancies, cell therapy, hematology, and oncology. He has authored over 100 publications and held prestigious editorial roles, including Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Surgical Oncology and review member for leading journals such as The Lancet, Medical Science Monitor, and International Medical Journal for Experimental and Clinical Research. Additionally, he has contributed as a consultant and reviewer for organizations like the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Panasonic Laptop Development team. His extensive involvement in clinical trials and funded research has had a nationwide impact.

Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Hussein served on numerous committees and advisory boards, including six committees at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute (2006–2008) and five committees at Cleveland Clinic (1991–2006). He also contributed to 22 external committees and advisory boards. From 2008 until his retirement in July 2019, Dr. Hussein held leadership roles at Celgene Corporation, a leading biopharmaceutical company, including Vice President of Global Medical Affairs and Corporate Vice President of the Multiple Myeloma Franchise. During his tenure, he made significant contributions, such as building a robust Medical Affairs division, establishing a Global Hematology physician group, driving pipeline strategy for multiple myeloma, and overseeing life cycle management initiatives.

Dr. Hussein earned his medical degree from Ain Shams University School of Medicine in Egypt. He currently serves as a Professor of Medicine and Oncology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, where he continues to share his clinical, research expertise and mentor the next generation of medical professionals.

Kenneth Anderson, MD

Harvard Medical School, Lebow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics and Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Kenneth Anderson, MD

Harvard Medical School, Lebow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics and Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dr. Anderson is the Kraft Family Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School as well as Director of the Lebow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics and Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for the past 40 years. He has over four decades of experience researching multiple myeloma in both laboratory and clinical settings. Dr. Anderson is the recipient of several awards including the International Myeloma Foundation Robert A. Kyle Lifetime Achievement Award; the American Association for Cancer Research Joseph H. Burchenal Award, the American Society of Hematology William Dameshek Prize, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology David A. Karnofsky Award. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and has served as President of the International Myeloma Society and the American Society of Hematology.

After graduating from Johns Hopkins Medical School, Dr. Anderson trained in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and then completed hematology, medical oncology, and tumor immunology training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Asher Chanan-Khan, M.B.B.S., MD

Professor of Medicine and Chairman Hematologic Malignancies Program, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Jacksonville

Asher Chanan-Khan, M.B.B.S., MD

Professor of Medicine and Chairman Hematologic Malignancies Program, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Jacksonville

Dr. Chanan-Khan, M.B.B.S., MD. is a Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he has held leadership roles on several committees including serving as the Chair of the Hematology & Oncology Department from 2011 to 2018, and as part of the executive committee at the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. He served as member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines committee for MM from 2002 to 2011 and for CLL from 2002 to 2022. Dr. Chanan-Khan has also served on committees at the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology. Dr. Chanan-Khan is a translational researcher who has actively contributed to the development of immunomodulating drugs (thalidomide and its analogs) in both CLL and MM. In CLL, he is credited for introducing lenalidomide and defining its potential as a new therapeutic.

Dr. Chanan-Khan received his medical degree from Allama Iqbal Medical College in Pakistan.