Dr. Shaw joined VaxInnate from the Merck Vaccine Research Division where he was Executive Director of MVD's Public Policy, Public Health and Medical Affairs Department. Prior to this, he was the Executive Director of Virus & Cell Biology at Merck Research Laboratories, responsible for all the aspects of live virus vaccine research, as well as technical aspects of development and production. His responsibilities covered research and early development of recombinant protein-based vaccines. Dr. Shaw was instrumental in the development of a combination measles-mumps-rubella-varicell vaccine (ProQuad^®), a live oral rotavirus vaccine, (RotaTeq^®), human papillomavirus vaccine (Gardasil^®), and zoster vaccine (Zostavax^®) as well as numerous early-stage experimental vaccines. He has over 15 years of experience in the development, testing manufacturing, and implementation of vaccines in the United States, Europe and in international programs. Prior to joining Merck, Dr. Shaw worked on vaccines for hepatitis B and Plasmodium falciparum as well as cytokines, cell trafficking and natural inhibitors of inteleukin-1 at Biogen, SA in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

Prior to joining VaxInnate, Dr. Hofstaetter spent more than 30 years in leadership positions at research-based pharmaceutical companies. He held executive roles in research and development, as well as strategy and business development, during postings around the world, including the United States, Japan, France and his native Germany. During his service at Wyeth from 2004 until the firm’s acquisition by Pfizer in 2009, Dr. Hofstaetter was Senior Vice President of Corporate Business Development and a member of both the Wyeth Management Committee, and the Pharmaceuticals Management Team. A biochemist by training, Dr. Hofstaetter holds a PhD in Molecular Biology, magna cum laude, and a Master of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Tuebingen in Germany. Dr. Hofstaetter began his pharmaceutical industry career in 1978, when he joined Behringwerke AG in Marburg, Germany, as a research scientist, rising to become Head of Research and later General Manager of the Business Unit for Immunology and Oncology. From 1991 through 1994 he served as General Manager of the Pharmaceuticals Unit of Hoechst Japan in Tokyo. He moved to the United States in 1995 to become Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for Hoechst Marion Roussel. From 1999 to 2004, Dr. Hofstaetter was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Aventis.

 

Andrew Drechsler joined VaxInnate in June 2007, from Valera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he served as Chief Financial Officer. During his tenure at Valera, he was responsible for the company's initial public offering and the sale of the company to Indevus Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Drechsler served as Controller for a variety of tech companies, including i-STAT Corporation, HydraWEB Technologies, and BioMatrix. Prior to his corporate biotechnology experience, Mr. Drechsler worked for the accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand LLP. Mr. Drechsler graduated magna cum laude from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. Mr. Drechsler also obtained his qualification as a certified pubic accountant in the state of New Jersey.

 

Dr. Taylor Chief Medical Officer, joined VaxInnate in March 2007 from Salix Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Chief Medical Officer and VP, Medical Affairs. Prior to his role at Salix Pharmaceuticals, he served as Research Professor in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Dr. Taylor also brings to VaxInnate extensive vaccine research and infectious disease expertise gained through his 22 years of distinguished service with the U.S. military. During his career with the U.S. Public Health Service and U.S. Army, he served in a number of positions in the Division of Communicable Diseases and Immunology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), including acting Division Director, Clinical Director, Department of Enteric Infections, as well as founder and first Chief of the Department of Clinical Trials. Dr. Taylor also served at the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences in Bangkok, Thailand, and was Director of the Cholera Vaccine Project at the Naval Medical Research Institute detachment in Lima, Peru. He currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Preventative Medicine/Biometrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Adjunct Professor in International Health at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. He is a Diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners and American Board of Internal Medicine, a Fellow with the American College of Physicians and Infectious Diseases Society of America, and a member of the American Society of Microbiology. Dr. Taylor has authored more than 200 publications and received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School.

 

Dr. Becker joined VaxInnate in December 2005 with 15 years of vaccine development and industry experience at Sanofi Pasteur, leaving as a Vice President of Corporate Development. With eight years of business development experience, he has expertise in identifying, assessing, negotiating and managing collaborative product development relationships with large pharmaceuticals, biotechnology companies, academic institutions and government agencies, having secured over 30 technologies and products. Prior to his business responsibilities, Dr. Becker headed the immunology section and a vaccine development project at Sanofi Pasteur. His academic experience included junior facility positions at Loyola University Chicago and University of Illinois Chicago in the field of Immunology. Dr. Becker received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Kansas and his MBA from Columbia University.

 

Dr. Tussey joined VaxInnate in 2004 from Purdue Pharma where, as Program Leader of Immunotherapeutics , she led the overall development of Purdue Pharma's cancer vaccine program. Prior to Purdue, Dr. Tussey was a Senior Research Fellow in Viral Vaccines at Merck Research Labs where she oversaw the development of novel immune based assays for assessing T cell function and was responsible for the evaluation of human T cell responses to Merck's HIV-1 vaccines. Prior to Merck, Dr. Tussey served as Program Leader at GlaxoWellcome, where she designed and executed the overall strategy for immunotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of chronic HCV infection. Dr. Tussey received her B.S. from the University of North Carolina, and her Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of California, Berkeley. Her awards and honors include a GlaxoWellcome QRCC Award for Collaborative Research, a Wellcome Trust Hitchings-Elion Foundation Fellowship for study at the University of Oxford and a NRSA Individual Research Fellow Award for study at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Dr. Tussey has authored over 25 publications in the fields of Genetics and Immunology.