Ann Arvin, M.D.
Dr. Arvin is the Lucile Salter Packard Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine. She is the Chief of the Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Pediatrics and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford and Associate Dean of Research, Stanford University.
Dr. Arvin is a graduate of Brown University (A.B., magna cum laude), earned an M.A. degree in philosophy at Brandeis and received her M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972. She completed her pediatrics residency at the University of California-San Francisco and subspecialty training in infectious diseases at UCSF and Stanford.
Her principal research interests are the human herpesviruses and childhood viral diseases and vaccines. Her basic laboratory research focuses on varicella zoster virus (VZV), a herpesvirus that causes chicken pox and herpes zoster (shingles). She has done extensive basic work on the molecular mechanisms of VZV pathogenesis and how the host immune system controls VZV infections, and did early studies of the varicella vaccine that is now licensed for the prevention of chickenpox. Her clinical research uses new laboratory methods to better understand the developing immune system in infants and young children and how maturation of the immune system affects responses to viral infections and vaccines.
Dr. Arvin has received the E. Mead Johnson Award for Research in Pediatrics, the John Enders Award in Medical Virology, the Albion Walter Hewlett Award, Stanford University School of Medicine and other awards.
In recognition of her contributions to basic and clinical research, she has been named a fellow of the American Pediatric Society, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Association of American Physicians. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in 2003.
Dino Dina, M.D.
Dr. Dina has been President and a member of Dynavax’s Board of Directors since May 1997 and Dynavax’s Chief Executive Officer since May 1998. From 1982 until he joined Dynavax in 1997, Dr. Dina was an employee of Chiron Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company. At Chiron, Dr. Dina held a series of positions with increasing responsibility, ultimately serving as president of Chiron Vaccines (formerly Biocine Company), which he directed from its inception in 1987. Under Dr. Dina's direction, Chiron Vaccines received the first-ever approval of an adjuvanted influenza vaccine in Italy, successfully completed development of the first genetically engineered pertussis vaccine, and conducted clinical trials for vaccines to prevent HIV, herpes simplex type II, cytomegalovirus, and hepatitis B infections. The virology group he directed was responsible for several key scientific findings, including the discovery, cloning, and sequencing of the hepatitis C virus, and the cloning and sequencing of the viral genomes for HIV and hepatitis A viruses. Prior to joining Chiron, Dr. Dina was employed at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York, as an assistant professor of genetics from 1977 to 1982. He received his M.D. from the University of Genova Medical School in Italy.
Mark Kessel
Mr. Kessel co-founded Symphony in 2002 and is widely recognized as the leader in structuring product development investments for the biopharmaceutical industry. Mr. Kessel was formerly the Managing Partner of Shearman & Sterling, with day-to-day operating responsibility for this large international law firm. He received a B.A. with honors in Economics from the City College of New York and a J.D. magna cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law. Mr. Kessel is a director and Chairman of Symphony Icon, Inc., a director of Symphony Dynamo, Inc. and a member of the Development Committee of Symphony Evolution, Inc., all Symphony portfolio companies. In addition, Mr. Kessel is a director and Vice Chairman of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, a director of Fondation Santé and is a member of the Emerging Companies Section of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. Mr. Kessel has written on financing for the biotech industry for Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Nature Biotechnology and other publications, and on issues related to governance and audit committees for such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Deal and Euromoney.
Lewis L. Lanier, PhD
Dr. Lanier is an American Cancer Society Research Professor, a Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Professor of the Cancer Research Institute at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. He heads the Cancer and Immunity Program of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Lanier graduated from Virginia Tech (B.S. Microbiology, High Honors) in 1975 and received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in 1978. After postdoctoral studies (first at the Lineberg Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and then as a Damon Runyon – Walter Winchell Cancer Research Fellow at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine), in 1981 Dr. Lanier joined the Research & Development Department at the Becton Dickinson Monoclonal Center in Mountain View, California, advancing to Associate Director of Research and was a Becton Dickinson Corporation Research Fellow. In 1990, he joined the DNAX Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (a division of Schering Plough Corporation) in Palo Alto, California, where we was Director of Immunobiology until 1999 when he joined the faculty of the University of California San Francisco. Dr. Lanier serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of several biotechnology companies and is an editor for several scientific journals in the field of immunology.
Dr. Lanier’s research focuses on how the immune system responds to viral infection and cancer. His research group studies a population of white blood cells, known as Natural Killer (NK) cells, that recognize and eliminate cells that have become transformed or infected by viruses. His team has developed monoclonal antibodies against human NK cells that are currently used for diagnostic purposes and has identified receptors express on NK cells and T cells that are involved in immune protection against viruses and cancer, as well as implicated in autoimmune diseases and transplantation rejection.
In recognition of his scientific contributions, Dr. Lanier was awarded the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic Tumor Immunology from the Cancer Research Institute in New York in 2002, and in 2005 was given the Rose Payne Award for contributions to the field of immunogenetics by the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. He was awarded the 2001 Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Immunologists and served as President of the American Association of Immunologists (2006-2007).
Harri V. Taranto
Mr. Taranto co-founded Symphony in 2002 and has more than 25 years of experience advising investors and management teams of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and related healthcare companies. Prior to joining Symphony, he was a Managing Director and co-founder of Wilkerson Partners, a healthcare and life sciences strategy consulting firm. Previously, Mr. Taranto was a co-founder and partner, for 17 years, with The Wilkerson Group and its successor, TWG/IBM Healthcare Consulting, where he was head of the Global Pharmaceutical practice. Throughout his TWG/IBM career, he was instrumental in shaping strategy and investment opportunities for leading biopharmaceutical companies and private equity investors. His clients have included industry leaders and emerging growth-stage companies, as well as private equity investment firms. Prior to joining TWG, Mr. Taranto was a consultant with McKinsey & Company from 1980 to 1983. He earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia University and received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Yale University. Mr. Taranto is a director and Chairman of Symphony Evolution, Inc. and Symphony Dynamo, Inc., and a director of Symphony Allegro, Inc., all Symphony portfolio companies. In addition, Mr. Taranto serves on the Business Council of Solera Capital LLC, the Board of Directors of MIQS, Inc. and the Advisory Board of Doctors of the World-USA.
