Jeffrey Wager

Biography

Jeffrey Wager has 23 years of senior operating experience in the life sciences, beginning his career with a unit of the Bank of Tokyo, advising Japanese pharma companies on the design and conduct of international clinical trials and strategic alliances. In 2000, he formed Apeiron Partners LLC, focusing on corporate spin-outs and VC funds, where he was intimately involved in the design, launch and investment of Z-Cube (€60 million fund created by the Zambon Group in Italy) and the design/execution of six corporate spin-outs - including Targacept, Inc. (NASD:TRGT) and Artisan Pharma, Inc., the latter also as its founding CEO between 2006-2010, raising $50 million, building the entire team and implementing a 750 patient, 17 country Phase 2b/3 study ultimately leading to Artisan’s acquisition by Asahi in 2011. Dr. Wager is a co-founder and chairman of Proterris, Inc., a therapeutic medical gases company, and an observer to the board of Biotoscana, SL, the largest private equity-backed specialty pharma company in Latin America (2014 revenues - $200 million), which he was instrumental in forming by advising United Medical, Ltda. of Sao Paulo, Brazil on its sale to Biotoscana.

Research Interest

 Product-focused bioengineering company, systems and synthetic biology platforms, antibiotic classes, global rise of drug-resistant bacterial infections, acute and chronic infections