Leadership
David Hirsch, MD, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Hirsch joined Alpha-9 from Longitude Capital where he currently serves as a Venture Partner. During his time at Longitude, he served on the board of more than 10 biotechnology companies. Prior to Longitude Capital, he was a Vice President at Pequot Ventures and an Engagement Manager in the pharmaceutical practice of McKinsey. Dr. Hirsch holds a PhD in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MD from Harvard Medical School, and a BA in Biology from Johns Hopkins University.
Alison Fleming, PhD
Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Fleming joined Alpha-9 as COO in October 2021, bringing 20 years of pharmaceutical experience with a focus on CMC leadership, spanning clinical trials to commercial supply. Previously, Dr. Fleming was the Chief Technology Officer at Collegium Pharmaceutical, where she oversaw commercial manufacturing, supply chain, formulation development, and quality assurance. Dr. Fleming earned her PhD from the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University, where her research focused on novel drug delivery systems, and her BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Matthias Jaffe
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Jaffé joined Alpha-9 as CFO in May 2021. In the 20 years leading to his current role, he was CFO of several private and public life science companies including LogicBio, Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Zafgen and Alantos Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he was a principal at Earlybird Venture Capital in Munich and a consultant with Boston Consulting Group. Mr. Jaffé holds an MBA from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France), an MSc in Biology from MIT, and a BS in Chemistry from Universidad Simón Bolivar in his native Venezuela.
Stephen Mitchener
Chief Business Officer
Dr. Mitchener joined Alpha-9 as CBO in December 2023, bringing over 20 years of pharmaceutical experience with a focus on Commercial, Business Development, Strategy and General Management. Dr. Mitchener’s career spans both global and US focused roles in both the Big Pharma and Biotech setting. Previous roles include Head of Strategy, Partnering, and Operations for the US Division of Novartis Oncology, Head of Novartis Oncology Franchise for Australia/New Zealand, and multiple CBO roles encompassing successful capital raises and in-licensing/out-licensing initiatives ranging from discovery to commercial stage deals. Dr. Mitchener received his PharmD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ovid Trifan, MD, PhD
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Trifan joined Alpha-9 as CMO in January 2024, bringing over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical clinical development. Prior to Alpha-9, he served as the Chief Medical Officer at Apexigen, TRexBio, and most recently Totus Medicines. Previous roles include positions in clinical development and medical affairs at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Onyx Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson, and Pharmacia. Dr. Trifan holds an MD in Medicine and a PhD in Cell Biology from Carol Davila University in Bucharest, Romania.
Jutta Wanner, PhD
SVP, Drug Discovery
Dr. Wanner joined Alpha-9 as a Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery in February 2023. She brings over 20 years of experience in drug discovery, including leading small molecule and targeted drug conjugate projects as the CSO and CTO of multiple biotechnology organizations. Previously she spent a decade at Hoffmann-La Roche in a number of drug discovery roles. Dr. Wanner received her PhD from the University of Kansas and conducted her postdoctoral training at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego.
Founders
François Bénard, MD
Dr. Bénard has more than 20 years of experience in radiopharmaceutical development and has published more than 200 papers in the field. Dr. Bénard is currently the BC Leadership Chair in Functional Cancer Imaging, based at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and Professor in the department of Radiology. Dr. Bénard is also a Distinguished Scientist at BC Cancer, and a recipient of the 2015 NSERC Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering. His research focuses on the development of novel radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and therapy, their translation towards clinical implementation, and designing/conducting clinical trials in nuclear medicine.
Dr. Bénard trained in nuclear medicine in Sherbrooke, Canada, where he became head of the Molecular Imaging Center at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, and Professor of nuclear medicine and radiobiology at the Université de Sherbrooke. He completed his early training at the University of Pennsylvania under Abass Alavi, whose team performed the first whole body FDG PET scan.
Kuo-Shyan Lin, PhD
Dr. Lin has more than 20 years of experience in radiopharmaceutical development and has published more than 100 papers in the field. He is currently the head of BC Cancer’s Radiochemistry Program, and a Senior Scientist in the Department of Molecular Oncology. Dr. Lin also is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology at UBC.
He studied nuclear engineering and health physics at the National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan and then undertook his doctoral and postdoctoral training in radiochemistry at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Lin joined BC Cancer in 2009 after working as a Research Associate at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
David Perrin, PhD
Dr. Perrin has more than 20 years of experience in medicinal chemistry and more than 120 publications in the field. A Professor of Chemistry at UBC and a leading researcher in bio-organic chemistry, he is the inventor of a one-step F-18 radiolabeling platform, which Alpha-9 has exclusively licensed and utilized in its diagnostic molecules.
Dr. Perrin was awarded the Teva and Belleau Awards of the Canadian Society for Chemistry. He received his PhD from UCLA and undergraduate degrees from UC Berkley. Prior to joining UBC in 2000, he trained for five years at a CRNS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) lab in Paris.
Board of Directors
Simon Pimstone, PhD
Dr. Pimstone has served as Chair of the Board since 2020. He previously served as the President and CEO (2003-2021) of Xenon Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: XENE). He now serves as Xenon’s Board Chair, Board Chair for Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals (TSX: EPRX) and President and CEO of XYON Health Inc. Dr. Pimstone is a Consultant Physician at the University of British Columbia Hospital, Cardiology Clinic, and holds the position of Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, Division of General Internal Medicine. He holds an MBChB from the University of Cape Town, a FRCPC from the University of British Columbia, and a PhD from the University of Amsterdam in cardiovascular genetics.
Michael Reitermann
Mr. Reitermann has more than 20 years of experience in imaging diagnostics. He served in various roles of increasing responsibility at Siemens Healthineers AG including Chief Operating Officer for Siemens Healthineers, CEO of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Inc., President of the North American commercial organization, and CEO of Siemens Healthcare’s Molecular Imaging business unit. Mr. Reitermann also was a managing board member and part of the team leading the successful IPO of Siemens Healthineers. He received a Graduate Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, and an MBA from the University of British Columbia, Canada.
Melissa McCracken, PhD
Dr. McCracken is a Partner at Nextech, which she joined in 2019. She is a scientist by training and has a passion for emerging technologies in cancer therapies. Dr. McCracken is a board member of TYRA Biosciences and Ambagon Therapeutics, board observer of IconOVir Bio, and a previous board member of ImaginAb and board observer of Silverback Therapeutics. Prior to Nextech, Dr. McCracken was at Third Rock Ventures where she helped build and launch Celsius Therapeutics, a company focused on discovering precision therapeutics for oncology and autoimmune. Dr. McCracken completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University where her research focused on immuno-oncology. She holds a PhD in molecular and medical pharmacology from University of California and a BS in biochemistry and molecular biology from University of California.
Patrick Heron
Mr. Heron is a Managing Partner of Frazier’s Life Sciences team. He joined the firm in 1999 as an associate and opened Frazier’s Menlo Park office in 2003 as a partner. Throughout his 16 years as a General and then Managing Partner, Mr. Heron has led or co-led investments across 30 companies. He has successfully partnered with entrepreneurs across a range of company types and stages, from early-stage metabolic companies to >$100M commercial-stage dermatology companies, and has led and served as director for more than fifteen successful life sciences companies. Mr. Heron earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Cory Freedland, PhD
Dr. Freedland is a Partner at Samsara, which he joined in 2017. Previously, he was a Principal at Sofinnova Ventures where he played a central role in Sofinnova’s investments in BioClin Therapeutics, Civitas (acquired by Acorda), NextCure, NuCana Biomed, Principia Biopharma, Spark Therapeutics, Ziarco (acquired by Novartis), and ZS Pharma (acquired by AstraZeneca). Before his transition to healthcare investing, Dr. Freedland was a Vice President in the healthcare investment banking practice at Morgan Stanley where he advised on more than $12B of strategic and financing transactions in the biopharmaceutical and life science tools/diagnostics sectors. He holds a PhD in Pharmacology from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and a BA in Psychology and Religious Studies from Connecticut College.
Matthew Young
Mr. Young is a Managing Director of Longitude Capital. Prior to joining Longitude Capital in 2022, Mr. Young was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of GRAIL, a developer of blood cancer tests that was acquired by Illumina for $8 billion in 2021. Prior to joining GRAIL, Mr. Young served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ), an LVP1 portfolio company. Prior to joining Jazz, Mr. Young worked in investment banking for approximately 20 years. From February 2009 to April 2013, he served as a Managing Director in global healthcare of Barclays Capital, where he served as co-head of the life sciences group. From 2007 to 2008, Mr. Young served as a Managing Director of Citigroup, and from 2003 to 2007, as a Managing Director of Lehman Brothers. Mr. Young holds an MBA and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
François Bénard, MD
Dr. Bénard has more than 20 years of experience in radiopharmaceutical development and has published more than 200 papers in the field. Dr. Bénard is currently the BC Leadership Chair in Functional Cancer Imaging, based at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and Professor in the department of Radiology. Dr. Bénard is also a Distinguished Scientist at BC Cancer, and a recipient of the 2015 NSERC Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering. His research focuses on the development of novel radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and therapy, their translation towards clinical implementation, and designing/conducting clinical trials in nuclear medicine.
Dr. Bénard trained in nuclear medicine in Sherbrooke, Canada, where he became head of the Molecular Imaging Center at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, and Professor of nuclear medicine and radiobiology at the Université de Sherbrooke. He completed his early training at the University of Pennsylvania under Abass Alavi, whose team performed the first whole body FDG PET scan.
David Hirsch, MD, PhD
Dr. Hirsch joined Alpha-9 from Longitude Capital where he currently serves as a Venture Partner. During his time at Longitude, he served on the board of more than 10 biotechnology companies. Prior to Longitude Capital, he was a Vice President at Pequot Ventures and an Engagement Manager in the pharmaceutical practice of McKinsey. Dr. Hirsch holds a PhD in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MD from Harvard Medical School, and a BA in Biology from Johns Hopkins University.
Darcy Mootz, Ph.D
Dr. Mootz currently serves as President of Architect Therapeutics. Her prior role was at Amunix, raising almost $200M in private financings and leading the sale of the company to Sanofi as Chief Business Officer and serving as the Site Head of Amunix following the acquisition. Previously, she served as the Chief Business Officer of ORIC Pharmaceuticals, where she had a broad role spanning corporate development and a variety of operational functions. Before that, she was the VP of Corporate Development at Achaogen, where she helped the company complete a successful IPO, led the project team for the company’s lead antibiotic (now launched as ZEMDRI), and helped raise over $200M in capital. She holds a BS in Biology from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from Harvard University.
Scientific Advisory Board
Jason S. Lewis, PhD
Professor Jason S. Lewis is the Emily Tow Jackson Chair at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He is the Chief Attending of the Radiochemistry & Imaging Sciences Service and serves as the Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Radiology. He also holds appointments at the Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School, New York, NY and the Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY. Professor Lewis has served as the 2015 President of the World Molecular Imaging Society and is the President of the Society for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences.
He has been awarded the SNMMI Michael J. Welch Award, the SNMMI Paul C. Aebersold Award, the ACS Bioconjugate Chemistry Lectureship Award, the Gold Medal from the World Molecular Imaging Society and in 2023 he will receive the ACS Glenn Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry.
He is a Fellow of the World Molecular Imaging Society, Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering.
Professor Lewis’ research program is a molecular imaging-based program focused on radiopharmaceutical development as well as the study of small- and biomolecule-based therapeutic and diagnostic agents and their clinical translation. He has published >300 papers and reviews in the field of radiochemistry and molecular imaging.
Tom Ruth, PhD
Thomas Ruth, PhD, is Emeritus Senior Research Scientist at TRIUMF and Emeritus Senior Scientist at the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre. Dr. Ruth holds Adjunct Professorships in Physics at the University of Victoria and Medicine at the University of British Columbia. He is a leader in the production and application of radioisotopes for research in the physical and biological sciences. He has served on a multitude of national and international committees (USDOE, NAS, IAEA).
He served as Director for the UBC/TRIUMF PET Program (1989-2006) during which time he oversaw the installation of the TR13 (TRIUMF) and a TR19 (BC Cancer Agency) cyclotrons plus 5 PET scanners at UBC.
Dr. Ruth received a Master of Arts in Nuclear Chemistry from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and his Ph.D. in nuclear spectroscopy from Clark University in Massachusetts. He was a Staff Chemist within the Chemistry Department at Brookhaven National Lab working with Drs. Al Wolf and Joanna Fowler from 1976 to 1980. He has published more than 300 peer reviewed papers and book chapters (>15,000 citations).
He is the 2011 recipient of the Michael J. Welch Award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine for his contributions to Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry. In 2015, along with 5 of his colleagues he received NSERC’s Brockhowuse Award for their innovative work in producing 99mTc using medical cyclotrons. In June 2019, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In June 2021, he received the Georg de Hevesy Award for his pioneering work in the field of nuclear medicine from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging and made a Fellow in the Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences.
Investors
