about genphar...
management team
John Dong, M.D., Ph.D.
President and CSODanher Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President for Research and Development and Principal ScientistTom Gester, MBA, J.D.
Chief Financial OfficerTom Gester served as President and CEO of Diversified Scientific, Inc. (DSI) from 1996 to 2005. Mr. Gester secured funding for DSI, negotiated a number of Federal contracts for the company and managed company operations. Under his leadership , the company developed a number of high-tech products, including an automated process for crystallography used by the pharmaceutical industry and NASA space programs. The company was acquired by a large company in 2005. Mr. Gester has broad experience managing technology companies, negotiating contracts with the Federal government on favorable legal and financial terms, and high levels of education and experience in corporate finance and law. Prior to his work at DSI, Mr. Gester served as Vice President of the corporate division of AmSouth Bank, an $18 billion bank holding company headquartered in Alabama. He also held a one-year judicial clerkship in Alabama's 15th Judicial Circuit, was admitted to the Alabama State Bar, and is licensed to practice law in federal courts. Mr. Gester received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama School of Law, an MBA from the University of Alabama's Manderson Graduate School of Business and a Master's of Banking from the Stonier Graduate School of Business. Mr. Gester serves as a director of New South Federal Savings Bank. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham, Birmingham Venture Club, American Bankers Association, and the American Bar Association.
Jan Woraratanadharm, Ph.D.
Manager of Scientific and Medical AffairsDr. Woraratanadharm is an accomplished scientist with years of experience conducting biomedical research and obtaining and administering government grants and government sponsored research. Dr. Woraratanadharm serves as the primary liaison between the company and the government agencies with whom we work. She is in charge of both submitting and overseeing the company’s scientific publications and has published collaborative articles in Vaccine, Gene Therapy, Cancer Gene Therapy, and Journal of Virology. She is co-inventor of a prostate cancer gene therapy vector system entitled, " An Autologous Upregulation Mechanism Allowing Optimized Cell Type-Specific and Regulated Gene Expression in Eukaryotic Cells," for which she has filed a U.S. patent application. Dr. Woraratanadharm completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia, graduating with Distinction in Biology and received her Ph.D. from MUSC in the Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology with a focus on gene therapy. Dr. Woraratanadharm is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society of Gene Therapy.
David Holman, Ph.D.
Manager of OperationsDr. David Holman has extensive experience in cancer gene therapy and microbiology. His background includes laboratory management and administration, and his knowledge of FDA and USDA regulatory affairs is an asset to the company. Dr. Holman is co-inventor of a cancer gene therapy approach entitled: “Combined Novel Ceramide Modulators – Gene Therapy for Inhibition of Cancer Progression and Prolongation of Survival.” Dr. Holman has presented papers at several international conferences and has numerous publications and collaborative articles in the field of recombinant adenovirus gene therapy and vaccine development. In addition to his scientific duties at GenPhar, Dr. Holman is an Adjunct Professor of Biology at the College of Charleston. David earned his Ph.D in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).
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