Management team
Richard Ding, CEO
Richard Ding has over 15 years of research and management experience in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industry. As a member of the team at Myriad Genetics that cloned BRCA1 gene, Richard Ding made a significant contribution to the development of one of the first molecular genetic tests. Prior to becoming CEO of bioTheranostics, Richard Ding was Vice President for Strategy and Business Development at bioMérieux and had taken various cross-functional positions at Eli Lilly and Company. In addition to his current role at bioTheranostics, Ding serves on the Executive Committee at bioMérieux. Ding holds an MBA from the University of Utah and received his undergraduate education and scientific training at Fudan University, China.
Mark Erlander, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Mark Erlander has more than 18 years of experience directing and leading research and development for gene discovery as it relates to drug discovery and molecular diagnostics. Prior to joining bioTheranostics, Dr. Erlander was a group leader and subsequently a research fellow at the R.W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute (Johnson & Johnson). He was also an assistant member and postdoctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute in the Department of Molecular Biology. Dr. Erlander holds a BS degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Davis; an MS degree in Biochemistry from Iowa State University; and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is an accomplished researcher with 32 issued U.S. patents and 34 U.S. patent applications, and is author of 55 scientific papers.
Xiao-Jun Ma, Ph.D., VP R&D / Biostatistics
Dr. Xiao-Jun Ma is a leader in translational medical research, applying molecular biology, computational biology, and statistics. His expertise has been critical in discovering novel therapeutic drug targets and diagnostic gene signatures for the past 12 years. He has more than 20 years of experience in life sciences, and pharmaceutical and molecular diagnostic-related research. Prior to joining bioTheranostics, Dr. Ma held senior bioinformatics positions at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute and Monsanto/Searle. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at Wuhan University, China and received his doctorate training in Biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University and the University of Iowa. He received post-doctoral training in Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Ma is an accomplished researcher with more than 20 U.S. patent applications, and has authored 22 scientific papers.
Larry Hansen, VP Commercial Operations
Larry Hansen has been a strong leader in sales management for over 20 years, working for such companies as Proctor & Gamble and Novartis Nutrition. As a graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Parkside, Hansen earned his BS degree in Business Management, with a double-emphasis in Sales and Marketing and Human Resources. Before joining bioTheranostics, Hansen spent 11 years at Prometheus, leading the company through significant growth as the Director of Sales Force Development and most recently, the Executive Director of National Sales.
Board of directors
Stéphane Bancel, Chairman, bioTheranostics Inc. | Chief Executive Officer, bioMérieux
From 2000 to 2006, Stéphane Bancel worked in the United States, Great Britain and Belgium for Eli Lilly laboratories, where he successively held the positions of Managing Director, Executive Director for Global Manufacturing Strategy, Global Supply Chain & U.S. Distribution, and Manager of Supply Chain. From 1995 to 1998, Bancel worked at bioMérieux in Japan where he was in charge of the industrial microbiology business for the Asia-Pacific region. He is a graduate of the Ecole Centrale Paris Engineering School, and holds an MS in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Peter Kaspar, Ph.D., VP Research & Development, bioMérieux
Dr. Peter Kaspar joined bioMérieux in 2005 as head of the Molecular Biology Business Unit. From 2004 to 2005, he was the Business Development and Technology Manager at the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), a Swiss non-profit organization dedicated to the development of diagnostic tests for infectious diseases affecting the developing world. From 1980 to 2004, he was in charge of scientific research at Boehringer Mannheim GmbH, then at Roche Diagnostics in Germany, Latin America and the United States. From 1986 to 1989, Dr. Kasper worked as a professor and expert at Asuncion University (Paraguay), where he set up a development and production center for tropical disease diagnostic products. Dr. Kasper is a Doctor of Biochemistry and studied at the Universities of Münster and Berlin in Germany, as well as the University of Lille, France.
Christian Bréchot, Ph.D., VP Medical and Scientific Affairs, Mérieux Alliance
From 2001 to 2007, Dr. Christian Bréchot was the General Director of INSERM, the French National Agency for biomedical research. Prior to that, he headed the Clinical Department of Liver Diseases at the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital. Dr. Bréchot is the author of more than 350 articles published in medical and scientific journals. His research activities have led him to obtain 13 patents, which have contributed to the creation of two biotech companies. Dr. Bréchot began his studies in molecular biology, virology, and cellular biology at the laboratory of Pierre Tiollais at the Pasteur Institute, and at the Necker Faculty of Medicine in 1981. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Paris VII in 1985.
