Bert Liang, M.D., Ph.D

Chief Executive Officer

Bert Liang is a clinician and biotech entrepreneur who has founded several companies based on cutting-edge technologies focusing on unmet medical needs. Previously, he was at Biogen Idec (now Biogen), the venture capital firm Forward Medical Sciences, Amgen and has also held academic positions at the National Cancer Institute, University of Colorado, and University of Vermont.

Bert is an alumnus of Boston University, the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University, the Institute for Materials Research and Innovation at the University of Bolton, Regis University, the MIT Sloan School of Management and the University of London.  His postgraduate work was at Brown University, University of Michigan, the National Center for Human Genome Sciences, and the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Liang has authored more than 75 peer-reviewed publications, edited a number of volumes in the fields of neurology and oncology and is the author of two management books, The Pragmatic MBA for the Scientific and Technical Executives and Managing and Leading for Science Professionals (What I Wished I’d Known While Moving Up the Management Ladder).

Bert Liang, M.D., Ph.D

Chief Executive Officer
Abcentra

Bert Liang is a clinician and biotech entrepreneur who has founded several companies based on cutting-edge technologies focusing on unmet medical needs. Previously, he was at Biogen Idec (now Biogen), the venture capital firm Forward Medical Sciences, Amgen and has also held academic positions at the National Cancer Institute, University of Colorado, and University of Vermont.

Bert is an alumnus of Boston University, the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University, the Institute for Materials Research and Innovation at the University of Bolton, Regis University, the MIT Sloan School of Management and the University of London.  His postgraduate work was at Brown University, University of Michigan, the National Center for Human Genome Sciences, and the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Liang has authored more than 75 peer-reviewed publications, edited a number of volumes in the fields of neurology and oncology and is the author of two management books, The Pragmatic MBA for the Scientific and Technical Executives and Managing and Leading for Science Professionals (What I Wished I’d Known While Moving Up the Management Ladder).

Phil Perera, M.D.

Clinical Development Lead

Phil Perera is a hands-on senior clinical consultant with extensive experience in pharmaceutical clinical development. Over the last 20 years he has been responsible for the clinical leadership of several pharmaceutical development organizations, including experience at Pfizer, Pharmacia/Upjohn, GlaxoSmithKline (where he was Global Clinical Development VP), as well as Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Dart Neuroscience (where he was Chief Medical Officer). He has guided multidisciplinary development teams towards the approval of global filings for a variety of disorders. Dr. Perera is a graduate of Harvard Medical School, and holds an MBA from Arizona State University, and is a former Boardmember of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics.

Prediman K. Shah, M.D.

Chief Scientist

PK Shah is Chief Scientist at Abcentra and a renowned clinician and investigator of immunotherapies for cardiovascular disease. He joined Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 1976 and is the founder and director of its Oppenheimer Atherosclerosis Research Center, where he leads several studies on heart disease prevention and treatment. He is also the Director of Atherosclerosis Prevention and Treatment Center and the Apheresis Center at the Cedars Sinai Heart Institute. He also holds the Shapell and Webb Family Endowed Chair in Clinical Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai and has been a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) since 1992. 

Previously at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Shah served as the Director of the Division of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Director of the Coronary Care Unit, and Director of the Cardiovascular Fellowship Training Program. He has edited three books on heart disease and published more than 650 scientific papers, reviews, book chapters, and abstracts. 

Dr. Shah received his medical degree from Medical College in Srinagar and completed an internship at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, internships at Mount Sinai Hospital in Milwaukee and Montefiore Hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, a fellowship in cardiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine–Montefiore Medical Center and a research fellowship in Cardiology at Cedars Sinai Medical center.

Prediman K. Shah, M.D.

Director and Founder
Oppenheimer Atherosclerosis Research Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

PK Shah is Chief Scientist at Abcentra and a renowned clinician and investigator of immunotherapies for cardiovascular disease. He joined Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 1976 and is the founder and director of its Oppenheimer Atherosclerosis Research Center, where he leads several studies on heart disease prevention and treatment. He is also the Director of Atherosclerosis Prevention and Treatment Center and the Apheresis Center at the Cedars Sinai Heart Institute. He also holds the Shapell and Webb Family Endowed Chair in Clinical Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai and has been a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) since 1992. 

Previously at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Shah served as the Director of the Division of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Director of the Coronary Care Unit, and Director of the Cardiovascular Fellowship Training Program. He has edited three books on heart disease and published more than 650 scientific papers, reviews, book chapters, and abstracts. 

Dr. Shah received his medical degree from Medical College in Srinagar and completed an internship at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, internships at Mount Sinai Hospital in Milwaukee and Montefiore Hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, a fellowship in cardiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine–Montefiore Medical Center and a research fellowship in Cardiology at Cedars Sinai Medical center.

Jan Nilsson, M.D., PhD

Head of Scientific Advisory Board

Jan Nilsson has been a professor of medicine at Lund University in Sweden since 1998 and served as dean of medicine from 2001 to 2005. He currently holds the positions of chairman of the Clinical Research Center at Lund University, director of the experimental cardiovascular research unit at Lund University Hospital, director of the Malmö University Hospital Clinical Trial Unit, and member of the editorial boards for atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology. He is presently also deputy chairman of the Swedish Research Council and medical director of the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation.

Dr. Nilsson previously held positions at the Karolinska Institute, including associate professor of cell biology, professor of medicine, and deputy chairman of the Department of Medicine. He served as chairman of the European Society of Cardiology’s working group for the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, a board member of the Scandinavian Society for Atherosclerosis Research, and the deputy general secretary of the Swedish Medical Research Council.

Throughout his career, Dr. Nilsson has focused on the regulation of smooth muscle cell proliferation and the inflammatory response of the vascular wall to oxidized lipoprotein and mechanical injury. In recent years, his main research focus has been the role of immune responses against oxidized LDL antigens in atherosclerosis. He has published more than 300 papers in vascular cell biology and atherosclerotic research.

Dr. Nilsson received his medical degree and a Ph.D. in histology from the Karolinska Institute.

Jan Nilsson, M.D., PhD

Chairman, Clinical Research Center
Lund University

Jan Nilsson has been a professor of medicine at Lund University in Sweden since 1998 and served as dean of medicine from 2001 to 2005. He currently holds the positions of chairman of the Clinical Research Center at Lund University, director of the experimental cardiovascular research unit at Lund University Hospital, director of the Malmö University Hospital Clinical Trial Unit, and member of the editorial boards for atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology. He is presently also deputy chairman of the Swedish Research Council and medical director of the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation.

Dr. Nilsson previously held positions at the Karolinska Institute, including associate professor of cell biology, professor of medicine, and deputy chairman of the Department of Medicine. He served as chairman of the European Society of Cardiology’s working group for the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, a board member of the Scandinavian Society for Atherosclerosis Research, and the deputy general secretary of the Swedish Medical Research Council.

Throughout his career, Dr. Nilsson has focused on the regulation of smooth muscle cell proliferation and the inflammatory response of the vascular wall to oxidized lipoprotein and mechanical injury. In recent years, his main research focus has been the role of immune responses against oxidized LDL antigens in atherosclerosis. He has published more than 300 papers in vascular cell biology and atherosclerotic research.

Dr. Nilsson received his medical degree and a Ph.D. in histology from the Karolinska Institute.

Michael Hamill

Chief Financial Officer

Michael Hamill is the Chief Financial Officer at Abcentra. Prior to joining Abcentra, Mr. Hamill served as Managing Director of Grandview National, a lower middle-market investment bank for 12 years specializing in mergers and acquisitions, corporate financing as well as corporate restructuring. Additionally, Mr. Hamill has served as a mid- and small-cap CFO with both public and private companies and has extensive operating knowledge including CFO for a group of companies controlled by Knowledge Universe, where he restructured and prepared them for divestiture. Mr. Hamill has a broad range of industry experience.

Mr. Hamill graduated with honors from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Accounting. He began his career in public accounting with Arthur Andersen, and earned his CPA in both Arizona and California. He has served on the executive committee of the American Electronics Association of Los Angeles, was an original member of the Board of Governors of The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and is a member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

John Farina

Managing Director
Glenbarr Partners

John Farina is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Abcentra and the Managing Director of Glenbarr Partners, a venture capital fund that invests in early-stage technology and biotech companies. Farina has more than 30 years of experience as a senior executive at public and privately-owned technology and professional services companies and served as president and/or CEO of Vidyah, IXL, Quintar, and the Quintar Division of Bell and Howell. After leading a venture-backed buyout of the Quintar Division, he merged the company with Splash Technology, helping to build a computer graphics powerhouse with $80 million in annual revenues in less than one year.

Farina was a senior partner and managing director at iXL Ventures, a $300 million venture capital fund with a portfolio of 29 companies, where he led strategic relations with major venture capital firms including Chase Capital Partners, Flatiron, GE Capital, and Intel Capital. He has also served on the boards of Quintar, IXL, Splash Technology, Vidyah, and the Digital Coast Round Table.

Farina received a B.S. in education and mathematics from Villanova University and an M.A. in communications management from the University of Southern California.

Willem Mesdag

Managing Director
Red Mountain Capital

Willem Mesdag is the founder and managing director of Red Mountain Capital Partners. He was previously a senior advisor at The Davis Companies, where he managed the firm’s investments and evaluated new ventures. For 20 years, he was a partner and managing director at Goldman Sachs, working in New York, London, Frankfurt, and Los Angeles. He co-founded the firm’s Capital Markets, Asset Securitization, and European Financial Institutions groups. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs in 1981, he was a securities lawyer with Ballard, Spahr, Andrews & Ingersoll in Philadelphia. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University in 1974 and his J.D. from the Cornell Law School in 1978.

Mr. Mesdag serves on the boards of Destination XL Group and Heidrick & Struggles International He previously served on the boards of Encore Capital Group), 3i Group, Cost Plus Nature’s Sunshine Products and Skandia Group AB. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Aspen Music Festival and School.

Edward M. Prunchunas

Chief Financial Officer
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Edward Prunchunas has served as senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center since 1998. Earlier in his career, he was an associate director of finance and the director of finance at Cedars-Sinai. He has served as CFO of Northridge Hospital Medical Center in California and worked as a consultant at Ernst & Ernst (now Capgemini Ernst & Young). Prunchunas is a fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and a past president of the HFMA Southern California chapter, and he has held regional and national positions with HFMA. He earned a B.S. in accounting from the University of Illinois, with an emphasis on mathematics and computer science.

D.A. Wallach

D.A. Wallach is a recording artist, songwriter, and investor who Kanye West and Pharrell Williams discovered while he was an undergraduate at Harvard College. He has been featured in GQ, Rolling Stone, Vogue, and numerous other publications, and has toured with N*E*R*D, Lady Gaga, and Weezer. D.A. has also performed on TV Shows including Jimmy Kimmel Live and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

As one half of Chester French, D.A. has released three full-length albums, and has written and performed on records with Janelle Monae, Rick Ross, Diddy, and many others. His solo debut for Capitol Records, Time Machine, is available on Spotify and Apple Music.

Beyond music, D.A. invests in and advises several start-up technology companies, including SpaceX, Doctor On Demand, Ripple, Glympse, Beam, and Spotify, where he was the official Artist in Residence. Forbes selected D.A. as one of its 30 Under 30 and Fast Company named him one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. In 2015, he launched Inevitable Ventures, an investment partnership with multibillionaire Ron Burkle that supports radical entrepreneurs in areas including health care, the life sciences, and financial technologies. He is also an advisor to The Dreamers Fund, a partnership with actor Will Smith.

In 2016, D.A. made his feature film debut in La La Land, which won a record number of Golden Globe Awards and received 14 Academy Award nominations, making it one of the 3 most nominated films in history. He publishes essays on media, technology, and philosophy at www.dawallach.com and www.medium.com/@dawallach.

Karan Bilimoria

Karan Bilimoria is the founder of Cobra Beer, Chairman of the Cobra Beer Partnership Limited, a Joint Venture with Molson Coors, and Chairman of Molson Coors Cobra India. In the Monde Selection, one of the most prestigious quality awards in the world for beer, the Cobra range have collectively been awarded a total of 101 Gold medals since 2001, making it one of the most awarded beers in the world.

Lord Bilimoria is the Founding Chairman of the UK India Business Council, a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, a former Chancellor of Thames Valley University (now the University of West London); he was the youngest University Chancellor in the UK when appointed. Karan was a former Senior Non-Executive Director of the Booker Group PLC (2007-2016); he is one of the first two visiting entrepreneurs at the University of Cambridge; he is a founding member of the Prime Minister of India’s Global Advisory Council. In 2006, Karan Bilimoria was appointed the Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, making him the first ever Zoroastrian Parsi to sit in the House of Lords.  In 2008 he was awarded the Pravasi Bharti Samman by the President of India. He is an honorary fellow of Sidney Sussex College Cambridge and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Judge Business School, Cambridge University.  He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and graduated in law from the University of Cambridge. He is also an alumnus through executive education of the Cranfield School of Management, the London Business School and the Harvard Business School. In July 2014, he was installed as the seventh Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, making him the first Indian-born Chancellor of a Russell Group University in Great Britain, and he is the President of the UK Council for International Students Affairs (UKCISA). Lord Bilimoria was the Bynum Tudor Fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, for the 2017-18 academic year.