John P. Walker

Biography

Mr. Walker, age 68, has served as a member of the Company’s Board since May 2016. While serving as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Walker will continue as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Walker is currently the Executive Chairman and interim Chief Executive Officer of Vizuri Health Sciences, LLC and served as a Managing Director of Four Oaks Partners, a life sciences transaction advisory firm, which he co-founded in March 2012, until January 2015. As part of his activities with Four Oaks Partners, Mr. Walker served as the Chairman and interim Chief Executive Officer of Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, until October 2013. From February 2009 until July 2010, Mr. Walker was the Chief Executive Officer at iPierian, Inc., a company focused on the use of inducible stem cells for drug discovery. From 2006 until 2009, Mr. Walker served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Novacea, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, which merged with Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, in January 2009. Since 2001, Mr. Walker, acting as a consultant, was Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer at Kai Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company, Guava Technologies, a biotechnology company, CentaurPharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, and Bayhill Therapeutics, a biotechnology company. From 1993 until 2001, Mr. Walker was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Arris Pharmaceutical Corporation, a pharmaceutical company, and its successor, Axys Pharmaceuticals Inc. He currently serves on the board of directors of Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University. He is a graduate of the Advanced Executive Program at The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and holds a B.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo

Research Interest

drug development,bioengineering