Advisory Board
We address certain technical matters by engaging advisors who are paid consultants and have demonstrated expertise in liver disease, oncology and other fields of expertise related to our proposed products. The consultants currently working with us are as follows:
Scott Friedman, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, has performed pioneering research into the underlying causes of scarring, or fibrosis associated with chronic liver disease. Dr. Friedman was the first to isolate and characterize the hepatic stellate cell, which is the key cell type responsible for scar production in the liver. Dr. Friedman is also a past President of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).
Gregory Gores, M.D., is a Ruben R. Eisenberg Endowed Professor in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Professor of Medicine, and Medical Director of the Liver Transplant Program at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Gores has published over 300 original articles, chapters, reviews, and editorials in liver disease. Dr. Gores' research is focused on the fundamental mechanisms underpinning cell death of liver cells employing models relevant to human disease. Dr. Gores has been elected into the honorific societies of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the American Association of Physicians, and is also a past President of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
Paul Pockros, M.D., a gastroenterologist, is Director of the Liver Disease Center at Scripps Clinic, San Diego, CA, one of the largest tertiary referral centers for chronic viral hepatitis in the United States, and President of the Scripps Clinic Liver Research Consortium. Dr. Pockros is a principal or co-investigator in a large number of clinical trials for treatments of chronic liver disease, especially for chronic viral hepatitis B and C. Dr. Pockros has published over 100 abstracts and journal articles in the area of liver disease and, particularly, new treatments for chronic viral hepatitis.
Mitchel Shiffman, M.D., is the Medical Director of the Liver Institute and a member of Bon Secours Medical Group in Virginia. Dr. Shiffman is recognized as one of world's leaders in the field of hepatology. Prior to joining Bon Secours, Dr. Shiffman was a professor of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA. He was the Chief of the Hepatology Section and Medical Director of the Liver Transplant Program at the VCU Medical Center from 1989 until 2009. Dr. Shiffman's particular area of interest is viral hepatitis and he has been involved and directed numerous clinical trials to develop new and better treatments for viral hepatitis B and C. Dr. Shiffman has published over 200 articles in medical journals related to the treatment of liver diseases and has edited two books on this topic.