Archives: Speakers

Abhijit Ramachandran, Director of Clinical Operations at Corcept Therapeutics Inc. is an established versatile leader with deep experience in clinical trial operations management. Expertise in conducting and coordinating multi-center international clinical trials and managing cross-functional project teams. Highly skilled in liaising with Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and other suppliers to achieve program and company goals. Adept at managing the progress of clinical studies and ensuring adherence to study protocols, regulatory/internal SOPs, intended timelines, and budget. Solid experience with early and late-phase clinical studies, including orphan disease indications.

With over 30 years of experience in healthcare technology, I currently serve as a patient advocate and board member for organizations committed to driving positive change in healthcare and supporting those impacted by cancer. Previously, I held the position of marketing leader at Vocera Communications, a public company based in Silicon Valley. Following Vocera’s acquisition by Stryker in February 2022, I provided advisory support during the transition throughout 2023.

I dedicate my time and energy to enhancing the lives of cancer patients and the front-line caregivers who support them.

‘An experienced and passionate patient and caregiver advocate, helping improve the lives of those that have followed in her path on a cancer journey.  Motivational leader with record of success creating, executing, and managing programs that lead to immediate and long-term results. Experience building marketing divisions from the ground up, leading turnarounds for under-performing areas, and building consensus to advance adoption of services and technologies.’

Clinical research professional with a pharmacy and nursing background experienced in managing clinical development studies in multiple therapeutic areas specializing in oncology in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

Senior Executive with extensive knowledge and experience in oncology drug development. Over 20 years in oncology care and drug development across a broad platform of solid tumor and hematologic indications and drug types. Strategic thinker coupled with tactical experience across the oncology drug development landscape. Experience in small biotech and large pharma industry domains, with knowledge of asset valuation, global drug development, risk management and organizational efficiency.

Silicon Valley entrepreneur, board member, and private investor. Extensive experience in founding and financing new companies and improving performance of existing companies.

Have previously served as CEO, Chairman, COO and/or CFO of four successful start-up companies that achieved an exit for investors, either through M&A or IPO. Functional areas of expertise include: general management, product development, fundraising, licensing, finance, marketing strategy, and governance.

Specialties: Managing the start-up and high growth process, research and product development strategy, team-building, and M&A / IPO preparation and implementation.

The  last 50 years I have worked to  address cancer disparities, advocacy -personally and nationally- for patient care, research, and to develop programs to save lives and improve outcomes for cancer patients and families. My work career in journalism and community relations was fulfilling, but after my diagnosis of breast cancer in 1974 and lymphoma in 2004, I have worked with thousands of patients as a volunteer, advocating for individuals and leading efforts to address compassionate care, access to services, prevention, treatment and research in the cancer space.

Physician life sciences and drug development strategist providing clinical insight and direct oversight of multi country clinical trials, expanded access protocols, diagnostics, and therapeutic collaborations in the oncology sector.

Notable Therapeutics:
SD-101,  Toll-like receptor 9 agonist, inducing inflammatory antitumor immune responses and has demonstrated clinical synergy with anti-PD-1 antibodies in PD-1 Ab-naïve and PD-1 Ab-refractory melanoma and in patients with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 naïve, recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

LUMAKRAS (soratasib), first in class KRAS G12C inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with KRAS G12C-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Notable Diagnostics:
Therascreen Qiagen RGQ PCR (an FDA-approved companion diagnostic (CDx) test to identify NSCLC patients harboring specific KRAS mutations in tumor DNA isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) NSCLC tumor tissue and that may be eligible for treatment with LUMAKRAS (soratasib).

Highly motivated Ph.D. research scientist with 9+ years of pre-clinical and translation research in the field of Hematology/Oncology, especially Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

Expert in normal/ malignant stem cells, signal transduction, biomarkers and drug discovery/drug development using small molecules or cancer immunotherapy both in vitro and in vivo. Strong ability to plan, develop, and execute pre-clinical studies for oncology drugs with excellent communication skills, presentation abilities and work ethic.
Success driven team player able to work under pressure in order meet deadlines. Established collaborations with both academic and pharmaceutical companies.

With an ambitious personality, my goal is to develop selective therapeutic strategies for targeting AML/cancer stem cells in order to start clinical trials and improve patients’ outcome. As a proof, one of my preclinical study led to a phase I/II clinical trial combining dasatinib with conventional chemotherapy aimed at improving outcomes in poor-risk AML patients that otherwise have low remission rates and high relapse rates (NCT01876953).

Specialties: Hematological malignancies, especially AML, CML and MDS.
Normal hematopoietic and leukemic stem cells isolation/characterization, signaling pathways, AML/MDS patient-derived xenograft model and syngeneic/GEMM AML mouse model.
Pre-clinical, clinical and translational research.

Katsura Kasahara is currently serving as an Executive Professional in the Global Business Development Division at EPS Corporation since 2021. In this role, Katsu strengthens the bridge between Japan and  international pharmaceutical development projects. This role leverages over 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and licensing within the industry.

Katsu’s extensive career spans numerous countries and regions, working with both Japanese pharmaceutical companies, Ono Pharmaceutical and Shionogi, as well as global mega-pharma, Eli Lilly. From the Japan base, Katsu managed pharmaceutical development not only in Japan but also in East Asia and Singapore. Additionally, Katsu has spent approximately 15 years stationed in the UK and the US, leading European expansion from the UK and overseeing US operations, including successful FDA approvals.

Katsu’s knowledge and experience in pharmaceutical development and business are underpinned by a strong foundation in medicinal chemistry. Katsu holds a Master’s degree in Pharmacy and is a licensed pharmacist.