BOARD & MANAGEMENT
Cancure’s Directors are supported by current investors, independent advisors, and Executive Managers under contract with Bio-Link Australia Pty Ltd.
Dr Ian Nisbet, PhD
Ian has over 30 years of drug development, business development and general management experience in the local and international biotechnology sector. He is a co-founder and partner in the biotechnology consulting company Afandin Pty Ltd and a co-founder and Executive Director of the oncology drug development company Senz Oncology Pty Ltd. He has previously been CEO/MD of Xenome Ltd and Meditech Research Ltd and held senior management positions at Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc, ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd and CSL Ltd. Ian has a part-time appointment as Deputy Director (Commercialisation) at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at the University of Queensland. He currently serves as Chairman of vivoPharm Pty Ltd and is a non-Executive Director of Solagran Ltd, ACYTE Biotech Pty Ltd, Cerulean Pharma Australia Pty Ltd, Tunitas Therapeutics Australia Pty Ltd and MyoKardia Australia Pty Ltd.
Ian has led teams that have developed (so far) two FDA-approved drugs; restructured, repositioned and revitalised two companies as CEO; co-founded two companies; negotiated multiple in- or out-licensing transactions; and played a leadership role in several M&A transactions involving biotechnology companies.
Selected highlights at different companies include
1.Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Cambridge, MA) (1998 – 2004)
2.ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (2006 – 2008)
3.Meditech Research Ltd. (2004 – 2006)
4.Xenome Ltd. (2008 – 2010)
5.vivoPharm Pty. Ltd. (2011 – )
Associate Professor Stephen Ralph
Dr Stephen Ralph is Associate Professor at Griffith University, heading Vaccine Development at the Gold Coast Campus. Internationally recognised in cancer immunology and vaccines, Dr Ralph has devoted over two decades to research and development.
Dr Ralph has authored extensive peer-reviewed publications, and has frequently been awarded grant funding by the National Health and Medical Research Council and Cancer Council Australia. He holds a BSc in Biochemistry and Physiology from the University of Otago, New Zealand; an MSc in Cell Biology (Honours) from the University of Auckland, New Zealand; and an MBA from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
As Cancure’s Chief Scientist, Dr Ralph brings a valuable network of oncologists and cancer researchers to advance Cancure’s drug development programs and candidates for the benefit of cancer patients.
Mr Sydney Evans, B.Com, LLB
Mr Sydney Evans is a commercial lawyer with degrees in Commerce and Law from the University of New South Wales, and a Bachelor of Arts with First-Class Honours from the University of Sydney.
Mr Evans gained valuable intellectual property law experience as a lawyer for Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons). He also worked in mergers and acquisitions with the merchant banking department of Pittsburgh National Bank’s Australian division.
Now semi-retired, Mr Evans devotes significant time to providing Cancure with legal and accounting expertise.
Mr Craig Miles
Mr Craig Miles has over 19 years’ project management experience, specialising in funds management, property development and construction.
Mr Miles gained sales, leasing, development and project management experience at Mirvac, with major projects including Quay Grand, the Renzo Piano Apartments, and the Olympic Village. Craig further enhanced his industry knowledge at MTM Funds Management, overseeing Entertainment Trust Properties’ asset management, development delivery and property management.
After several residential developments, Mr Miles founded The Property Lab (TPL) with John Wills, focusing on sustainable projects. TPL launched a sustainable property fund with Orchard Funds Management in 2006, which grew to $120m in assets.
Dr Christian Toouli, PhD GAICD
Dr Toouli is a motivated and resourceful Commercialisation Executive, dedicated to identifying, developing and generating value from biotechnology intellectual property. Accessing a large network of contacts throughout the global biopharmaceutical industry, and with broad business development, project management and scientific expertise, Dr Toouli has facilitated numerous technology evaluations and IP licensing and partnering deals with international life sciences and biopharmaceutical companies.
Dr Toouli is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Bio-Link Australia, working with many of the company’s Australian and international drug discovery and development clients. He was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Discovery Research Department of Schering-Plough Biopharma/DNAX Research Institute, the Schering-Plough Corporation’s biotechnology arm. In this capacity, Dr Toouli investigated novel targets for oncology therapeutics and undertook competitive intelligence analyses for senior management. During this time, he also served as the United States National and San Francisco Regional Life Sciences Co-Chair for Advance, the Australian expatriate professional network in the United States.
Dr Toouli received his PhD for his research into cellular immortalisation and telomere maintenance at the University of Sydney’s Children’s Medical Research Institute. He was awarded a Certificate in Biotechnology Management with Honours from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and First-Class Honours in Biotechnology from Flinders University, Adelaide. He is a graduate and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.