Cellceutix has brought together leading figures in the health and science arenas to work toward the goal of developing innovative small molecule therapies for areas of unmet medical need, particularly cancer and inflammatory disease. The officers and advisors of Cellceutix include pioneers in the fields of cancer and genetics, as well as people with wide experience in the pharmaceutical business and their invaluable experiences cover all areas of researching, developing, and marketing ground breaking therapies.
Officers and Board of Directors
President, Chief Scientific Officer, Board of Directors – Dr. Krishna Menon
RCM, PhD, VMD – Dr. Krishna Menon has more than 25 years in drug development for academia and industry. Originally trained as a veterinary surgeon, Menon began his career as the Senior Government Veterinarian for a major Parish in Jamaica. He segued to a two-year stint as Director of Agriculture for the Cayman Islands, in the British Caribbean and, in 1983, moved to the Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute, where he worked under the direction of Dr. Emil Frei. Two years later, he earned his PhD in Pharmacology from Kerala University in 1988. Menon’s PhD work focused on anti-folate therapy of various cancers. Menon was a Research Associate Scientist at Dana Farber (Harvard University) from 1988 to 1991 and Research Scientist, In Vivo Research (Cancer & Metabolic Diseases), at Miles Laboratories from 1991 to 1993. After a year operating his own veterinary oncology and drug development consultancy practice, Menon was tapped Group Leader, Cancer In Vivo Research and Clinical Development, for Eli Lilly (1995-2001), where he played a key role in lead selection and pre-clinical development of Gemzar and Alimta, two anti-cancer drugs which have generated billions of dollars in yearly revenues. In 1999, Lilly honored Dr. Menon with the President’s Recognition Award.
Chief Executive Officer and CFO, Board of Directors- Leo Ehrlich, CPA
A founder of Cellceutix, he has served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Director since inception in June 2007 and as CEO since November 2010. From 1999 to December 2007, Mr. Ehrlich had been a director at StatSure Diagnostic Systems, Inc. and has held different executive officer positions at that company including CEO, President and CFO . Mr. Ehrlich was also was a founder, CFO and director at Nanoviricides, Inc. from June 1, 2005. until May 2007. Mr. Ehrlich is a Certified Public Accountant and received his BBA from Bernard Baruch College of the City University of New York.
Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Emil Frei III, MD - Deceased
Dr. Frei was one of the world’s leading oncologists, a pioneer of chemotherapy and a leader in medical research, clinical practice and education. His distinguished career included 40 years in top leadership positions such as Chief of Medicine at National Cancer Institute, Associate Scientific Director at M. D. Anderson, and Director and Physician-in-Chief at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Frei had unparalleled experience in the development of new cancer drugs. He is often referred to as the “Father of the Cure for Childhood Leukemia” because of his collaborative work with Dr. Emil J. Freireich. For an interesting read on the beginnings of chemotherapy, see Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cancer_chemotherapy
Dr. Paul Marks, MD
As President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Marks led Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for 19 years, beginning in 1980. He remains a vital part of MSKCC as President Emeritus and Member of the Sloan-Kettering Institute. Dr. Marks’s research in cell biology and cancer genetics has made major contributions toward a new approach to cancer treatment and prevention, through the development of new and more potent chemotherapy and chemoprevention agents. He also helped establish the highest standards for research and patient care at MSKCC and has provided leadership in the national and international medical science community.
Dr. Samuel Danishefsky, Scientific Advisor
Dr. Samuel Danishefsky is an internationally recognized leader in chemistry, specializing in the synthesis of biologically active organic compounds. He is regarded as one of the world’s leading chemists in cancer research. Dr. Danishefsky earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard. He spent 14 years at Yale University, where he rose to the rank of Sterling Professor of Chemistry, the highest academic rank at Yale University, awarded to a tenured faculty member considered one of the best in his or her field. By 1991, he was also sharing his time with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as director of the Laboratory for Cancer Research Bioorganic Chemistry, becoming chair in 1993. He accepted an appointment as professor at Columbia University in 1993, and now conducts research at both institutions.
Dr. Paul Ginsburg, Scientific Advisor
Paul Ginsburg received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the City University of New York and his law degree from Columbia University where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at the City College of New York and to the scientific research honor society Sigma Xi at CUNY.
Dr. Ginsburg has spent most of his career in law firms and as corporate counsel representing large and small pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical and consumer products companies. He recently retired from Pfizer Inc., where he served as Head of the New York Patent Department and worked on patent matters relating to several blockbuster products, including Viagra and Chantix, and represented Pfizer on the intellectual property committees of the National Association of Manufacturers, the Chemical Manufacturers Association and the Biotechnology Industry Organization. Dr. Ginsburg has lectured widely on pharmaceutical and biotechnology patent prosecution and licensing at the Practicing Law Institute and Columbia Law School and before other groups. Prior to his twenty –year career at Pfizer, Dr. Ginsburg was a senior attorney at Schering-Plough. He was subsequently recruited by Merck and then by the highly respected IP firm Fish & Neave.
Dr. Ginsburg is perhaps most well-known as the author of the patent covering Schering- Plough’s hugely successful product Claritin. He also authored important patents covering Schering-Plough’s highly successful alpha-interferon product.
Dr. Ginsburg has authored the patent application covered the Cellceutix anticancer product Kevetrin which has been filed in the United States and other countries and has advised Cellceutix on patent and licensing matters during the past few years.
Jim Boeheim, Business Advisor
Coach Boeheim has earned icon status in the world of basketball. Coaching on the sidelines of the Carrier Dome court that is now named after him, Boeheim has an 900–304 (.747) overall record; ranking him second in wins among active Division I coaches and third all-time in college basketball. Syracuse has nine Big East regular season championships, five Big East Tournament championships and 28 trips into the NCAA Tournament, including four Final Four appearances with a NCAA championship in 2003. Boeheim has earned bronze and gold medals for his role as assistant coach in the 1990 FIBA World Championship, the 2006 FIBA World Championship, the 2008 Summer Olympics, the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey, and the 2012 Summer Olympics. In September 2005, Boeheim was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Boeheim’s list of basketball accolades are only paralleled by his philanthropic efforts in the field of cancer. Surviving his own battle with prostate cancer, Boeheim now heads the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation and has become a major advocate for Coaches vs. Cancer, the Children’s Miracle Network, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Easter Seals, the Special Olympics and more. His dedication to Coaches vs. Cancer, a non-profit collaboration between the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society, has helped raise $4.5 million for the American Cancer Society’s Central New York chapter over the past 12 year