CHI Welcomes New Member Revance Therapeutics

Revance Therapeutics Inc. is a private, late-stage specialty biopharmaceutical company developing innovative products for dermatology and consumer medicine. Revance has developed TransMTS, a peptide-based platform technology enabling controlled topical delivery of botulinum toxin proteins and other macromolecules across skin and barrier membranes. Revance's lead investigative product, RT001, has demonstrated applications in aesthetic and medical dermatology, allergic rhinitis and pain. Revance is also developing a next generation of more targeted injectable neurotoxin proteins designed to increase the duration of action while also improving the safety profile. Revance is currently manufacturing purified and complex botulinum toxin API and finished drug product at commercial scale.

Dan Browne
Co-Founder, President & CEO
Browne's career encompasses more than 25 years of operating experience with biotherapeutic and device products. He served as president and CEO of Neomend, where he guided the company through from discovery to human proof-of-concept and pivotal testing. Prior to that, he served as president and CEO of Prograft Medical, where he established the company's first steady-state manufacturing facility, supported four stent-graft and stent projects from inception into Phase III studies, all four of which were approved for use by the FDA and are now product leaders in the category. Previously, Browne served for more than 17 years at W.L. Gore and Associates, where he had direct P&L responsibility for worldwide cardiovascular and vascular products and he contributed to establishing the GORE-TEX brand as the global market leader.

CHI Welcomes New Member: Myoscience

Myoscience is a privately held, clinical stage medical device company dedicated to developing innovative treatments in whichever fields it chooses to enter. Since 2005, Myoscience has been refining its revolutionary treatment into a simple and elegant device that uses active cooling to relax tissue for a variety of indications meant to be administered by a physician. The Myoscience device is already cleared for use in general tissue ablation and treatment of peripheral pain syndromes. Myoscience is currently in clinical trials to investigate aesthetic indications.

Clint Carnell
President & CEO
Carnell brings more than 20 years of entrepreneurial, healthcare services and medical device experience to Myoscience. His background includes sales and marketing roles with Johnson & Johnson, Gambro Healthcare and Bausch & Lomb Surgical. Carnell served as vice president of the U.S. surgical division of Bausch & Lomb, was founder of Charleston Renal Care, which was sold to DaVita; and was most recently chief operating officer of Solta Medical. While with Solta Medical, Carnell led the integration of the Thermage, Fraxel and Isolaz brands and was instrumental to the success of the company's IPO in November of 2006. He holds a bachelor's degree from Duke University.

CHI Welcomes New Member Avalon Ventures

Avalon Ventures is an early stage venture capital fund focused on information technology and life sciences. Avalon's current venture fund — Avalon IX — of $200 million was launched in December 2010 and continues the tradition of great relationships, companies and results spanning 30 years and nine funds.

Kevin Kinsella
Managing Director
Kinsella founded Avalon in 1983. He has specialized in the formation, financing and/or development of more than 100 early-stage companies, including: Athena Neurosciences (acquired by Elan Corporation); Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Sequana Therapeutics (merged with Arris to form AXYS Pharmaceuticals, acquired by Celera Genomics); Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Synaptics, Inc.; Vocera Communications; and Sytera Ophthalmics Inc. (acquired by Sirion Therapeutics). Kinsella was the founding chairman of Athena Neurosciences, Aurora Biosciences Corporation, Landmark Graphics, NeoRx, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Synaptics, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, X-Ceptor and Sequana Therapeutics.

Jay Lichter, Ph.D.
Managing Director
Lichter is an experienced biotechnology and pharmaceutical business executive with 25 years of experience in management, scientific research, and business development. Lichter is the inventor on 260 patent and patent applications for six Avalon portfolio companies, including 55 issued patents. He has been either directly responsible for or participated in licensing or merger and acquisition deals valued in excess of $1 billion. Lichter led Avalon VIII's investments in Afraxis, Carolus, Otonomy, ReVision Therapeutics and Zacharon. He has served as CEO of all these companies, which has included leading both their business and scientific operations during the companies' formative periods.

CHI Welcomes New Member Regulus Therapeutics

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. is leading the development of microRNA therapeutics. microRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of gene targets involved in nearly all cellular processes. Dysregulated microRNA expression has been linked to a variety of diseases. Regulus has developed effective strategies to modulate microRNAs representing a new class of high-impact medicines to treat complex diseases.

Kleanthis Xanthopoulos, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Before joining Regulus, Xanthopoulos was a managing director of Enterprise Partners Venture Capital. Prior to that, he served as president, CEO and director of Anadys Pharmaceuticals from its inception in 2000 to 2006. He was vice president at Aurora Biosciences (acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals) from 1997 to 2000. Xanthopoulos participated in The Human Genome Project as a section head of the National Human Genome Research Institute from 1995 to 1997. Previously, he was an associate professor at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden after completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at The Rockefeller University, New York. He received his bachelor's degree with honors from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and received both his master's degree in microbiology and doctorate in molecular biology from the University of Stockholm, Sweden.

CHI Welcomes New Member SRI International

Silicon Valley-based SRI International, a nonprofit research and development organization, performs sponsored R&D for governments, businesses, and foundations. SRI brings its innovations to the marketplace through technology licensing, new products, and spin-off ventures. Commemorating its 65th anniversary in 2011, SRI is known for world-changing innovations in computing, health and pharmaceuticals, chemistry and materials, sensing, energy, education, national defense, and more.

Walter Moos, Ph.D.
Vice President, Biosciences Division
Moos leads SRI's Biosciences Division, an organization with all of the resources necessary to take research programs from " Idea to IND " — from initial discoveries to investigational new drug applications to start human clinical trials. SRI Biosciences performs basic research on disease mechanisms, drug discovery, and full-service preclinical contract R&D. During his career, Moos has made significant contributions to all stages of drug development, from basic research, through preclinical and clinical development, to the marketplace. Prior to joining SRI in 2005, he was Chairman and CEO of MitoKor (now Biowest). Previously, he was a vice president at Chiron (now Novartis) and at the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research Division of Warner-Lambert (now Pfizer).

CHI Welcomes New Member SI BONE

SI-BONE Inc. is a privately-held medical device company focused on developing a minimally invasive surgical approach to the management of sacroiliac joint disruption and dysfunction. SI-BONE developed an innovative, patented implant to treat the incompetent SI joint. The iFuse Implant System provides a much less invasive alternative to traditional sacroiliac joint fusion surgery.

Jeffrey Dunn
President and CEO
Dunn has more than 30 years of executive experience, including serving as the CEO of six companies. His medical device experience includes sacroiliac surgery, ankle replacement, and small bone extremity fusion. Dunn has taken one company public, sold all the others to larger public companies, served on numerous boards of directors and is an advisor to other CEOs. Prior to SI-BONE, Dunn was CEO of INBONE Technologies, which he built into a leading ankle replacement and small bone fusion medical device company. Dunn led the sale of INBONE to Wright Medical in April 2008.