About Odyssey
Led by a team with a strong track record of success, our purpose is to create extraordinary leaps in patient outcomes by delivering life-enhancing precision medicines to those living with inflammatory diseases and cancer. Together, we work with dedication and urgency, employing an integrated suite of cutting-edge technologies directed at molecular targets that hold the greatest promise to benefit the greatest number of patients.
Our team of drug hunters and academic founders are leaders in the pathophysiology of inflammatory diseases and cancer. Odyssey is leveraging this in-house expertise not only to select targets, but also to define the therapeutic profile with the greatest clinical benefit. We quickly identify relevant targets, devise pharmacological mechanisms of intervention to correct the disease, and optimize our candidates for efficient clinical development and real-world patient benefit.
Our expertise, dedication, collaborative spirit, and teamwork have led us to this pivotal moment: coming together to disrupt drug discovery and development and go beyond the limitations of current medicine to fulfill the promise of precision medicine.
Our Team
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Gary D. Glick, Ph.D.
Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
Gary D. Glick, Ph.D.Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Glick is a chemist and serial biotech entrepreneur with over 15 years’ experience in the biotech industry. He has founded several successful companies, including IFM Therapeutics. While Dr. Glick was CEO of IFM, the company progressed three programs from ideation to clinical development and executed several major transactions, including the sale of oncology assets to Bristol-Myers Squibb in a transaction valued at more than $2.3 billion, and the sale of an NLRP3 inhibitor program to Novartis for $1.6 billion. Prior to Odyssey in 2020, he co-founded and launched Scorpion Therapeutics, where he played an instrumental role in the conception and building of the company. During his tenure as CEO, Scorpion grew to nearly 50 employees and raised $270 million across two financings. Dr. Glick received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Columbia University and completed an NIH postdoctoral fellowship in organic chemistry at Harvard University. He is the author of more than 100 papers, the inventor on 54 issued U.S. patents, and the recipient of numerous awards recognizing his scientific contributions and accomplishments as a life sciences executive.
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Christopher Butler, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Chemistry and Head of Early Discovery
Christopher Butler, Ph.D.Senior Vice President, Chemistry and Head of Early Discovery
Dr. Butler is a distinguished medicinal chemist with over 20 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Odyssey, he held various leadership positions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer, with additional experience at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development. Dr. Butler earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has published numerous papers and received several awards for his research efforts related to synthetic and medicinal chemistry.
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Julie Clauss
Chief Operating Officer
Julie ClaussChief Operating Officer
Ms. Clauss is an accomplished business leader in the biopharmaceutical industry with a history of driving revenue growth strategies and guiding organizations to realize their vision. Previously, Ms. Clauss served as the vice president and lead for the Gene Therapy Platform at Ultragenyx, aligning functions across programs and driving operational efficiency, as well as the vice president and head of Research and Development (R&D) Operations at Ipsen Bioscience, establishing the strategic portfolio management group and developing data-driven global R&D strategies. Her career also includes leadership positions at Sanofi Pasteur and Sanofi. Ms. Clauss received a Master of Business Administration through the Sloan Fellows program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She holds a Master of Engineering degree from Ecole Centrale Mediterranee and a Master of Science degree in Chemistry and Physical Sciences from Joseph Fourier University.
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Natalie Dales, Ph.D.
Chief of Research Operations and Portfolio Strategy
Natalie Dales, Ph.D.Chief of Research Operations and Portfolio Strategy
Dr. Dales is an accomplished scientist with over 20 years’ small molecule drug discovery experience leading and mentoring teams in pharma and biotech. Prior to Odyssey, Dr. Dales was an Executive Director and the Head of Portfolio and Strategy for the Global Discovery Chemistry Group at Novartis. She was also a senior advisor for the Novartis Genesis Labs, an internal innovation incubator which fostered and funded disruptive concepts to accelerate drug discovery. Prior to Novartis, Natalie worked at Millennium Pharmaceuticals on oncology, cardiovascular, and metabolism programs. Dr. Dales received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin.
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Luigi Franchi, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Head of Immunology
Luigi Franchi, M.D., Ph.D.Senior Vice President, Head of Immunology
Dr. Franchi is a distinguished physician-scientist with over 20 years’ experience focused on innate immunology. He is particularly known for his work in the areas of mucosal immunology and inflammasome biology, leading him to be included in Clarivate Analytics’ annual Highly Cited Researchers list from 2014 to 2018. Dr. Franchi started his career at Lycera Corp., where he led target identification and validation along with biomarker discovery. He then moved to the University of Michigan Medical School as an assistant professor of pediatric hematology/oncology and director of the immunology oncology program. During his time at Michigan, Dr. Franchi co-founded IFM Therapeutics and FirstWave Bio. Dr. Franchi earned a medical degree in medicine and surgery with honors from University of Rome La Sapienza and a Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
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Jeffrey Hermes, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, Enabling Sciences
Jeffrey Hermes, Ph.D.Executive Vice President, Enabling Sciences
Dr. Hermes is a seasoned professional with more than 30 years’ experience in biochemistry, pharmacology, and in vitro sciences in the biopharmaceutical industry. Most recently, Dr. Hermes served as the Vice President of In Vitro Pharmacology at Kallyope, where he led in vitro pharmacology, screening, and enzymology efforts to create transformational small molecule therapeutics that act on the gut-brain axis. Previously, he was Head of Screening and Translational Enzymology at Roche, where he was responsible for guiding early-stage efforts from discovery through development candidate nomination. Prior to Roche, Dr. Hermes spent over 25 years at Merck and ultimately served as Executive Director and Head of Screening and Protein Sciences, where he oversaw hit finding, lead identification, and translational science efforts across diverse therapeutic areas. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard University.
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Joseph McDonald, Ph.D.
Chief Data Officer
Joseph McDonald, Ph.D.Chief Data Officer
Dr. McDonald is a distinguished scientist and executive bringing more than 30 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to Odyssey, Dr. McDonald served as executive director of machine-learning and physics-based simulation at Bristol Myers Squibb and Celgene. In previous roles at Celgene, Avila, and Pfizer, he held increasing roles of responsibility in computational chemistry, patent science, and chemical sample management. Dr. McDonald is also a co-author and inventor of more than 140 papers and applications. Dr. McDonald received his Ph.D. in biophysics from Roswell Park Memorial Institute and completed postdoctoral studies in computational chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University.
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Anthony Opipari, M.D., Ph.D.
Interim Chief Medical Officer
Anthony Opipari, M.D., Ph.D.Interim Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Opipari is a physician scientist with experience in academic medicine and leading translational and clinical research in the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to Odyssey, Dr. Opipari co-founded Lycera, Firstwave Bio, and IFM Therapeutics. In each company, he led research in translational medicine and directed early clinical development. Prior to this, Dr. Opipari was a member of the faculty of the University of Michigan Medical School with an appointment in the Division of Gynecological Oncology. Dr. Opipari received his M.D., Ph.D. and completed post-graduate medical training at the University of Michigan.
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Darryl Patrick, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, NonClinical Development
Darryl Patrick, D.V.M., Ph.D.Executive Vice President, NonClinical Development
Dr. Patrick is a seasoned professional with more than 30 years’ experience in nonclinical development in the biopharma industry. Dr. Patrick joins Odyssey from LionsKeep Associates LLC, where he developed drug candidate selection strategies, prepared and reviewed regulatory submissions in both the US and EU, and served as partner and Head of Nonclinical Development, and also as Chair of multiple Scientific Advisory Boards. Dr. Patrick also held leadership roles at Vertex as Vice President, Nonclinical Development, and Vice President, Exploratory Development, and at Merck Research Laboratories in various roles of increasing responsibility, culminating in his position as Vice President of Safety Assessment. Dr. Patrick earned his D.V.M. in veterinary medicine from Michigan State University and his Ph.D. in veterinary pathology from Iowa State University, and is a Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Pathologists.
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William Roush, Ph.D.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, HEAD OF SMALL MOLECULE RESEARCH
William Roush, Ph.D.EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, HEAD OF SMALL MOLECULE RESEARCH
Dr. Roush is a preeminent chemist whose research interests focus on organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry and methods development. He completed his Ph.D. degree in chemistry at Harvard University under the direction of Nobel Laureate R. B. Woodward. Dr. Roush held academic positions at MIT, Indiana University, the University of Michigan and most recently, the Scripps Research Institute where he is Emeritus Professor of Chemistry. He is the author of 380 peer-reviewed publications spanning organic and medicinal chemistry. Prior to joining Odyssey, Dr. Roush was the executive vice president of chemistry at IFM Therapeutics and oversaw the discovery of several product candidates for cancer and inflammation that are now in clinical development.
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Kira M. Schwartz, J.D.
Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
Kira M. Schwartz, J.D.Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
Ms. Schwartz is an accomplished general counsel and transaction attorney with over 20 years’ experience in corporate governance and dispute resolution. Prior to Odyssey, Ms. Schwartz was General Counsel and Secretary, and a member of the executive team at Prevail Therapeutics. Prior to joining Prevail, Ms. Schwartz was Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel of M&A, Licensing, Alliance Management and Corporate Affairs at Allergan, where she advanced through increasingly significant legal roles, including at its predecessors Actavis and Forest Laboratories, where she joined as Associate General Counsel. Ms. Schwartz earned her B.A. in economics from Tufts University and her J.D. from Yale Law School.
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Will Smiley
Senior Vice President, Head of Human Resources
Will SmileySenior Vice President, Head of Human Resources
Will Smiley brings over 15 years’ experience in human resources (HR) for the life sciences industry to the Odyssey team, specializing in the innovation of people practices as well as the optimization of employee experiences. Prior to Odyssey, Mr. Smiley was Vice President, HR, of Spark Therapeutics, where he headed a team of HR professionals to lead the significant growth of the employee base, workforce plan development, and the DEI talent attraction strategy. He also served as Senior Director, Talent Management and Employee Engagement at Adamas Pharmaceuticals, and Director of HR at Genentech for 11 years, where he was responsible for a global team of 30+ HR professionals focused on Genentech’s talent management across all functions. Mr. Smiley earned his M.Sc. in organizational management at the School for International Training and his B.A. in psychology from Humboldt State University.
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Steve Soisson, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, Structural Biology and Protein Therapeutics
Steve Soisson, Ph.D.Executive Vice President, Structural Biology and Protein Therapeutics
Dr. Soisson is a leading structural biologist with more than 20 years’ drug discovery experience. Prior to Odyssey, Dr. Soisson served as the Executive Director and Global Head of Structural Chemistry and Structural Protein Sciences at Merck Research Laboratories (MRL), where he architected and oversaw Merck’s network-wide efforts to structurally enable all programs with three-dimensional molecular structures. During his tenure, the structure group contributed to the discovery of virtually all clinical candidates at MRL, including KEYTRUDA®, BELSOMRA®, and ISENTRESS®. Dr. Soisson received his Ph.D. in biophysics from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed post-doctoral studies as a Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Research fellow at Rockefeller University.
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David St. Jean, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Chemistry and Head of Late Discovery
David St. Jean, Ph.D.Senior Vice President, Chemistry and Head of Late Discovery
Dr. St. Jean is an organic chemist with more than 20 years of experience in drug discovery across multiple therapeutic areas, including metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, pain and oncology. Before Odyssey, he was vice president at Scorpion Therapeutics and led the discovery effort for the company’s best-in-class mutant selective PI3Kα inhibitor, STX-478. During his 15-year tenure at Amgen, he was most recently director of Medicinal Chemistry, managing their small molecule cardiovascular and neuropathic pain portfolios which resulted in the discovery of several clinical candidates. He is also coauthor on nearly 70 peer-reviewed publications and published patent applications. Dr. St. Jean earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania after completing a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Goucher College in Maryland.
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Collin Todd
Vice President, Strategy and Business Development
Collin ToddVice President, Strategy and Business Development
Collin Todd brings strategy and business development experience to the Odyssey team with a career spanning multiple early-stage biotech companies, venture capital, and investment banking. Prior to Odyssey, Mr. Todd was Senior Director of Strategy and Business Development at SpringWorks Therapeutics, where he helped build the company and corporate strategy following founding with two programs into a public company with 17 active programs and trials across oncology and rare disease. He also served in strategy roles at Moderna Therapeutics focused on the cardiovascular and rare disease portfolio. Previously, he worked in venture capital at OrbiMed Advisors and in healthcare investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Mr. Todd earned his B.A. in economics at the University of California, Los Angeles.
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Jeffrey M. Leiden, M.D., Ph.D.Executive Chairman, Vertex
Pharmaceuticals (Board Chair) -
Charles Baum, M.D., Ph.D.Chief Executive Officer, Terremoto Biosciences
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Jill CarrollPartner, SR One Capital Management
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Gary D. Glick, Ph.D.Odyssey Therapeutics
President and CEO -
Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D., CFAManaging Partner, Orbimed Advisors
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Lorence Kim, M.D.Co-Founder & Managing Partner,
Ascenta Capital -
Valerie Odegard, Ph.D.Former President and Chief Scientific Officer, Silverback Therapeutics
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Ian F. SmithSenior Advisor at Bain Capital Life Sciences and former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals
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Timothy P. WalbertFormer Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Therapeutics
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Eicke Latz, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, German Center for Rheumatology Research (DRFZ ‑ Deutsches Rheuma Forschungszentrum)
Eicke Latz, M.D., Ph.D.Director, German Center for Rheumatology Research (DRFZ ‑ Deutsches Rheuma Forschungszentrum)
Dr. Latz is an expert in innate immunity and inflammasome biology with decades of experience. In addition to his role at Odyssey, Dr. Latz is Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Molecular Inflammation Research at the Norwegian Technical University in Trondheim. He also heads a research group at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn. He has co-founded several biotech companies, including IFM Therapeutics and DiosCure. He also founded the Institute of Innate Immunity at the University of Bonn in 2010. Dr. Latz earned his M.D. at Göttingen and Berlin, and completed his postdoctoral training at UMass Medical School, where he eventually became a faculty member.
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Kim Lewis, Ph.D.
University Distinguished Professor, Northeastern University
Kim Lewis, Ph.D.University Distinguished Professor, Northeastern University
Dr. Lewis is a leading expert in natural products discovery with several decades of experience. In addition to his role at Odyssey, he is a University Distinguished Professor and Director of the Antimicrobial Discovery Center at Northeastern University. Prior to that, he was a faculty member at MIT, University of Maryland, and Tufts University. Dr. Lewis has also authored over 100 papers and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, a Clarivate Analytics highly-cited researcher, and a recipient of the NIH Director’s Transformative Award. Dr. Lewis received his Ph.D. from Moscow University.
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Felix Meissner, Ph.D.
Professor, University of Bonn, Germany
Felix Meissner, Ph.D.Professor, University of Bonn, Germany
Dr. Meissner is a biochemist with 20 years’ experience in innate immunity and mass spectrometry-based proteomics. Besides consulting for Odyssey, he is a Professor for Systems Immunology and Proteomics at the Institute of Innate Immunity in Bonn and the Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsried/Munich. Dr. Meissner received his Ph.D. in immunology from the Max-Planck Institute of Infection Biology and completed his postdoctoral studies in mass spectrometry-based proteomics and systems biology at the Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry and the UCSF.
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Florian Schmidt, Ph.D.
Professor, University of Bonn, Germany
Florian Schmidt, Ph.D.Professor, University of Bonn, Germany
Dr. Schmidt is a biochemist and immunologist with more than 10 years’ experience. Besides consulting for Odyssey, Dr. Schmidt leads a research group at the University of Bonn, where he has established the nanobody technology and a core facility for systematic nanobody generation. His research group employs nanobodies and other molecular probes to reveal mechanistic aspects of innate immune signaling and recognition of viral infections. More recently, he led the discovery and the development of SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing nanobodies for application by inhalation. Dr. Schmidt received his Ph.D. in molecular life sciences from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and completed postdoctoral studies in immunology at MIT.