OUR TEAM

Michael Shleifer, Ph.D.
Interim Chief Executive Officer and Founder

  • Founder and Managing Partner of SPRIM with 20 year experience in the healthcare sector
  • Co-founder of SPRIM Ventures, which formed TKS1 in partnership with Tikehau Capital, a healthcare and life science focused venture fund
  • Board member in multiple startups
  • Long experience in Pharmaceuticals and Medtech
  • Doctorate from Université Rene Descartes Paris V and a Master Political Science from Sciences Po Paris

Laurent Benissan
Chief Financial Officer and Founder

  • Founder of Silhouette Lift, an innovative medical device company in the aesthetic field. Started the company in 2007 and developed a cutting edge technology used for minimally invasive facial rejuvenation. In 2014, Silhouette Lift was sold to Sinclair IS Pharma, a public company in the UK
  • Spent the first 15 years of his career in investment banking, working for Merrill Lynch and other international firms
  • Master in management from HEC business school in France

Douglas C. Hicks
Chief Business Officer

  • 20+ years of operational, business development, and corporate strategy leadership in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry
  • Experience with start-up, midsize, and large companies – iBio, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IBIO); Clearview Projects, Inc; Bristol-Myers Squibb
  • Led or advised on the execution of over 50 transactions with an overall deal value exceeding $700M
  • MBA with a focus on finance and strategy from Pennsylvania State University

Prof David L. Silver
Scientific Founder and Advisor

  • Professor and Deputy Director of the Signature Research Program in Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disorders at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
  • Research focus on molecular nutrition and role of lipids in brain and eye function and health. Discoverer of the Mfsd2a-LPC pathway.
  • Doctorate in Genetics from University of Michigan and postdoctoral training in cardiovascular and lipid research at Columbia University. Held tenure-track faculty appointments at Columbia University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA.