Brian G. Atwood

Biography

Brian G. Atwood has served as a member of our board of directors since our inception. He is President and CEO as well as a co-founder of Cell Design Labs, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing human cell engineering technology for the treatment of multiple diseases, including cancer. In 1999, he co-founded and currently serves as a Managing Director for Versant Ventures, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm. Prior to founding Versant Ventures, Mr. Atwood served as a general partner of Brentwood Associates, a venture capital firm. Mr. Atwood also serves on the boards of several pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Atreca, Inc., Immune Design Corp. (NASDAQ: IMDZ), OpGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPGN), PhaseRx, Inc., and Veracyte, Inc (NASDAQ: VCYT). Mr. Atwood also served on the boards of Five Prime Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FPRX), Helicos Biosciences (NASDAQ: HLCS), and Pharmion Corporation, and Trius Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSRX) acquired in 2013, and Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CADX) acquired in 2014. Mr. Atwood holds a B.S. in biological sciences from the University of California, Irvine, a M.S. in ecology from the University of California, Davis, and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.

Research Interest

 oncology, cell engineering technology, cancer, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, ecology