Loxigen

Asvisory Team

Dr. Igor Roninson, Ph.D.

Dr. Igor Roninson received his PhD and postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served on the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 1984-2003, where his last position was Distinguished University Professor of Molecular Genetics and Head of the Division of Molecular Oncology. From 2003-2011, he was the Director of Cancer Center at Ordway Research Institute in Albany, NY. In 2011, he joined the University of South Carolina (USC) College of Pharmacy as Endowed Chair in Translational Cancer Therapeutics. From 2014-2022, he directed NIH-funded interdisciplinary Center for Targeted Therapeutics at USC. He is also the Founder and President of Senex Biotechnology, Inc., a company that discovers and develops inhibitors of transcriptional reprogramming for the treatment of cancer and aging-associated diseases. Dr. Roninson has authored over 180 articles (H-factor 84) and is an inventor on 48 issued US patents. He was the recipient of the AACR Award for Meritorious Achievement in Cancer Research (1994), the Life Extension Prize (2000) and several other awards. Dr. Roninson’s accomplishments include the development of the in-gel DNA renaturation technique for the detection and cloning of amplified genes, isolation and characterization of the MDR1 (ABCB1) multidrug resistance gene, the discovery of chemotherapy-induced senescence in tumor cells, identification of CDK8/19 Mediator kinase as a regulator of transcriptional reprogramming, and the development of the first selective CDK8/19 inhibitors to enter clinical trials.

Campbell McInnes, Ph.D.

Campbell McInnes currently is Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of South Carolina has 30 years of experience in the fields of synthetic organic chemistry, structural biology and computational chemistry towards the discovery and development of anti-cancer therapeutics in both academia and industry. He has been at USC for 17 years, achieving Full Professor in 2017. Prior to joining the university, Dr. McInnes was head of the structure-guided medicinal chemistry group at Cyclacel Inc in the United Kingdom, a company started by Prof. Sir David Lane, co-discoverer of the p53 protein.  His current research is directed towards the discovery of small molecule protein kinase inhibitors targeting signaling and cell cycle proteins involved in tumor proliferation. Rather than blocking ATP binding, this research is focused on the development of very selective inhibitors by targeting protein-protein interactions involved in allosteric regulation of kinase activity and other non-catalytic functions of such enzymes. Furthermore, the McInnes laboratory has developed the REPLACE strategy to target PPIs more effectively in general and has validated this approach with several kinase targets. Promising compounds obtained through application of REPLACE are being developed preclinically and through Dr. McInnes’ spin-off company called PPI Pharmaceuticals, LLC created to exploit promising compounds discovered in his academic laboratory.

Tyler Tatum

Tyler Tatum has over 25 years of experience in technology focused startup ventures, including 20 years in a management/leadership role. Tyler’s core strength is his ability to turn customer needs into marketable products by facilitating communication between business leaders, current and prospective customers, and technology developers. Over the last several years, Tyler has helped clients raise over $30M in SBIR/STTR funding. He has also supported five teams as a mentor for the NSF I-Corps program. Prior to Ripple Technology, Tyler Tatum served as Brainlike’s Chief Executive Officer, where he built revenues from zero to $1 million dollars a year with no outside investment. During his tenure at Brainlike, he was able to acquire over $3 million in defense SBIR/STTR funding.

Kyle Salazar

Kyle Salazar, MPA brings more than 14 years of experience in small business growth and development and technology commercialization. He serves as a Principal at Ripple Technology, LLC focused on SBIR/STTR funded company growth, development, and commercialization and as Associate Director of Technology Commercialization for the University of South Carolina where he has successfully transitioned more than 60 technologies from the University to industry. He has served as an I-Corps at NIH mentor and led multiple accelerator and MVP development programs. Additionally, Kyle has worked nationally as an organization development and financial management consultant.