Management

Peter S. Lu, M.D.
Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Lu founded Arbor Vita Corporation in 1998 to apply discoveries of the role of PDZ proteins to the development of novel therapeutics and diagnostics. Previously, he held various positions at Stanford University School of Medicine. As a resident, Dr. Lu was honored with a Distinguished Teaching Award. As Clinical Instructor in Dermatology, he directed the Psoriasis Treatment Center. Simultaneously, he founded and directed the Stanford Papua New Guinea Medical Project, leading teams of physicians and students on medical relief efforts in the jungles of Papua New Guinea.

Dr. Lu holds both an M.D. with honors and an M.S. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Washington School of Medicine and a B.S. in Biology from the California Institute of Technology. A board-certified dermatologist, he trained at Stanford University School of Medicine and received postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Mark M. Davis, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University. Dr. Lu is an inventor on nine granted patents and numerous patent applications and has authored a number of peer-reviewed publications.

David Garman, Ph.D.
Vice President, Business Development

Dr. Garman manages the company's intellectual property portfolio and directs business development activities across corporate technologies. He also leads AVC's Neuroischemia Program, which includes a stroke therapeutic project currently in Phase II clinical trials. When he joined Arbor Vita in 1999, Dr. Garman worked on the characterization of PDZ proteins and ligands for the development of the company's proprietary PDZ platform. While working in the laboratory of Dr. David Clayton at Stanford University, Dr. Garman investigated the mechanisms of cellular homeostasis by studying human mitochondrial DNA transcription and regulation. He also completed research on biochemical assay development and characterization of cell-fate determinants in biological systems under Dr. Lucille Shapiro at Stanford University.

Dr. Garman holds a Ph.D. in Development Biology from Stanford University and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and is an inventor on 2 granted patents and over 20 patent applications.

Johannes G. Schweizer, Ph.D.
Vice President, Cervical Cancer Programs

Dr. Schweizer is responsible for managing the company's cervical cancer programs and serves as the liaison for AVC's key collaborations and alliances. He initiated PDZ cloning and development of the company's proprietary PDZ platform when he joined AVC in 1999. Dr. Schweizer completed his postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Uta Francke at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, leading a research team's investigation of mechanisms that regulate genomic imprinting and their role in genetic disorders. He participated in the International Bacillus Subtilis Genome Sequencing Program following his research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris.

Dr. Schweizer holds a Ph.D. with high honors in Genetics, Immunology, and Modern History of Biology from the Pasteur Institute and the University of Konstanz, Germany, and he received both an M.S. in Molecular Genetics and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Konstanz, Germany. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and is an inventor for 6 granted patents and over 15 patent applications.

Michael P. Belmares, Ph.D.
Director, New Projects

In this newly created position, Dr. Belmares is responsible for managing AVC's seasonal flu and avian flu projects. He also directs the company's early-phase drug discovery program. When he joined AVC in 2002, he worked on the analysis of biochemical interactions of PDZ and related molecules for the development of the company's proprietary PDZ platform. Dr. Belmares focused on MHC peptide interactions and complexes involved in autoimmune disease in his postdoctoral research at Stanford University, where he acquired expertise in kinetics of complex protein interactions. While at the California Institute of Technology, he completed research on the molecular origins of the thermophysical properties of polymers and polymer permeation by large molecules, which provided him with computational approaches and molecular modeling experience.

Dr. Belmares holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Chemistry from Sonoma State University. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and is an inventor on four granted patents and numerous published patent applications.

Krishna Ghosh, Ph.D.
Vice President of Quality

Dr. Ghosh joined AVC in early 2009 with more than 18 years of experience in quality assurance, quality control, regulatory affairs, product development, manufacturing and business management in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.  In the past eight years, Dr. Ghosh has primarily focused her attention on emerging gene expression, molecular genetics and microfluidic-based technologies. She has in-depth knowledge of diagnostic devices and the regulatory challenges associated these products and technologies. Dr. Ghosh has held leadership positions at Pelikan Technologies, Genemed Biotechnologies, Applied Biosystems and Agilent Technologies. She spearheaded strategic initiatives with the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop regulatory guidelines for new gene-expression technology and to develop scanner standards for NIST.  
 
Dr. Ghosh holds a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and an M.S. in Organic Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Experimental Biology. She did postdoctoral work in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Purdue University, and postdoctoral work in Oligonucleotide/Phosphoramidite Chemistry/Antisense at Georgetown University.