Dr. Sherin S. Abdel-Meguid - President

Dr. Abdel-Meguid has extensive experience in drug discovery. From 2000 to 2004, he was Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Suntory Pharmaceutical Research Laboratories (SPRL), a company dedicated to the development of drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular and immune disorders. Prior to SPRL, he was Transnational Director of Structural Biology and Director of Macromolecular Sciences at SmithKline Beecham (SB), now Glaxo SmithKline (GSK). He joined SB from Monsanto where he was head of Biophysical Sciences and Protein Engineering. Dr. Abdel-Meguid obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Nebraska and postdoctoral training from Purdue and Yale Universities. He is the author of over 100 papers and was named inventor on 7 issued US patents.

Dr. Nabil A. Elshourbagy - Vice President

Dr. Elshourbagy has more than 25 years of drug discovery experience. From 2000 to 2006, he was a Transnational Associate Director of Genomics at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) where he supported the identification and validation of novel therapeutic targets. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Director of Molecular Biology at SmithKline Beecham (SB) where he successfully directed an international team resulting in the identification and validation of novel G-protein coupled receptors.  He received several awards including the Prix Galien Award for Excellence and Innovation in Research. Dr. Elshourbagy obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology/Pharmacology from Cornell University, and postdoctoral training at the Medical Center of Virginia and the University of California, San Francisco. He is the author of over 100 papers and is an inventor on 22 issued US patents.

Dr. Harold V. Meyers - Vice President

Dr. Meyers has over 25 years of drug discovery experience at several highly successful startup companies. He was most recently the Director of Chemistry at Suntory Pharmaceutical Research Laboratories (SPRL), where he led a team of chemists in the protein structure guided design of serine protease and kinase inhibitors. Prior to that, he was a Chemistry Director at New Chemical Entities (NCE), a natural products drug discovery company subsequently acquired by Albany Molecular. As Head at Sphinx Pharmaceuticals, he lead the development of combinatorial chemistries and enabling technologies that contributed to the acquisition of Sphinx by Eli Lilly. Prior to joining Sphinx, he was one of the first scientists at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where he worked on the rational design of small molecule inhibitors. Dr. Meyers received a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Yale University, and completed his postdoctoral studies at Columbia University.

Advisory Team

Dr. Shaker A. Mousa

Dr. Mousa is Professor of Pharmacology at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Executive Vice President and Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research Institute (PRI).  Dr. Mousa holds academic appointments at a number of institutions.  Prior to moving to Albany, he was Research Fellow at DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company for over 17 years.  Among Dr. Mousa’s professional achievements are over 1,000 peer reviewed publications and 350 US and international patents. Furthermore, Dr. Mousa contributed to the discovery and development of a number of marketed products.  Dr. Mousa received a PhD in Pharmacology from Ohio State University, postdoctoral Cardiovascular Pharmacology, University of Kentucky, and earned his MBA from Widener University. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), and Fellow of National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (FACB).

Dr. Robert J. Fletterick

Dr. Fletterick is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he has served as Chair and Vice Chair.  He is also jointly appointed with the Departments of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at UCSF.  He is a world-renowned researcher in the area of structural biology.  His laboratory has determined high-resolution structures of a number of proteins, and solved the first structure of a nuclear receptor bound to its hormone and the first structure of the molecular motor kinesin found in nerve cells, showing it related to the well known myosin motor protein of muscle.  Dr. Fletterick received his Ph.D. from Cornell University and did his postdoctoral research in molecular biophysics at Yale University.  Dr. Fletterick was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, April 2010.

Dr. James E. Foley

​Dr. Foley has over 30 years pharmaceutical industry experience spanning R&D, corporate development and licensing.  He served as Head of Business Development and Licensing of pharmaceuticals for Japan and Asia/Pacific regions at Bristol Myers Squibb, SmithKline Beecham and GlaxoSmithKline.  Extensive longstanding relationships with Japanese and Korean pharmaceutical industry.  Former member of Board of Directors of Sosei & Co. in Tokyo.  Responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of transactions in anti-infectives, inflammation, cardiovascular and cancer areas.  Dr. Foley specialties is in business development, asset management strategy, licensing, partnering, R&D collaborations, in the US, Europe and Japan/Asia.  He received a Ph.D. in Physiology and Pharmacology from Thomas Jefferson University and a BA in Biology and Chemistry from Rutgers University.