JPM23 Special: Rare diseases, Eslie Dennis, Kyowa Kirin, Arthur Suckow, DTx, & James Mackay, Aristea

Synopsis: This special episode features a panel discussion with three biotech leaders about drug development for rare diseases. James Mackay, Ph.D., is the Founder, President and CEO of Aristea Therapeutics, an immunology-focused clinical stage biotech that is focused on inflammatory diseases. Arthur T. Suckow, Ph.D., is the Co-Founder and CEO of DTx Pharma, which is focused on developing novel technology for delivery of RNA medicines. Eslie Dennis is the SVP and CMO of Kyowa Kirin North America, a Japan-based global specialty pharmaceutical company. Our guests discuss the patient journey for those living with rare diseases, the importance of driving awareness for this patient population, important points to consider when partnering with big pharma, clinical trial design for patients with rare diseases, and best practices for driving awareness and inclusion of people of color in rare disease trials. Biography: James Mackay, Ph.D., Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, has over 25 years of development and commercialization expertise in the pharmaceutical industry, including 6 drug product approvals across multiple therapeutic areas. Prior to founding Aristea, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Ardea Biosciences, Inc., following the company’s acquisition by AstraZeneca in 2012. James was instrumental to setting up an innovative model for Ardea Biosciences that retained the biotech’s independence and accountability for the development of the gout franchise while also developing a synergistic and collaborative relationship with the parent company, AstraZeneca. Prior to Ardea, James held senior executive positions at AstraZeneca where he led the development and commercialization of drugs across a range of therapy areas. and managed significant global functional departments. James plays a pivotal role in the San Diego Ecosystem and currently sits on the Board and Executive Committee of CONNECT and sits on the Board of BIOCOM. He is a former Board member of the San Diego Economic Development Corporation (EDC). James holds a BS in Genetics and Ph.D. in Medical Genetics from Aberdeen University, Scotland. Dr. Arthur Suckow founded DTx Pharma in 2017. An innovative leader in drug discovery, he previously worked on the ophthalmology, diabetes, and NASH programs at Regulus Therapeutics, at the MedImmune arm of AstraZeneca, and in the Diabetes Drug Discovery program at Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Suckow received his BS from the University of Delaware and his PhD from University of California, San Diego. He has received numerous awards including a Beckman Fellowship, a NSF graduate research fellowship, and a BIOCOM catalyst award. Dr. Eslie Dennis joined Kyowa Kirin in May 2021 as SVP, Chief Medical Officer for Kyowa Kirin North America. Prior to joining this organization, she was Vice President and Head Global Medical Affairs at Ventana/Roche Tissue Diagnostics. She is a physician with 10 years experience in clinical practice (internal medicine and hematology/oncology) and research, and over 20 years international biopharma experience holding positions of increasing responsibility in pharmaceutical and diagnostic organizations at MSD, Novartis and Roche, including leadership of public-private consortia at the Critical Path Institute. Throughout her career, Dr. Dennis has championed innovative science and solutions to address unmet needs for patients and society, particularly addressing healthcare disparities. Dr. Dennis received her MBChB from the Godfrey Huggins School of Medicine in Harare, Zimbabwe, and was the recipient of the Winston Churchill, Margaret Low, and Prankard-Jones Scholarships, as well as the Guy Elliot Bursary. She is a Fellow of the College of Physicians of South Africa and received her internal medicine and hematology/oncology training at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.