Board of Directors

Antoni Ribas M.D, Ph.D , Chairman and Founder

Dr. Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Medicine, Professor of Surgery, and Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Director of the Tumor Immunology Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) and the Chair of the Melanoma Committee at SWOG. Dr. Ribas has been instrumental in the clinical development of several anti-cancer agents approved by the FDA, including pembrolizumab (Keytruda), vemurafenib (Zelboraf), cobimetinib (Cotellic), dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist). He is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI), the recipient of the AACR Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award and a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Outstanding Investigator Award.

Mori Arkin

Founder and Chairman Moshe “Mori” Arkin is one of Israel’s most successful life sciences and pharmaceutical entrepreneurs. A renowned industrialist and generic drug specialist, he founded Arkin Holdings in 2009. Today the company owns a healthcare portfolio of $1 billion through four investment arms, with holdings in some 20 Israeli companies developing pharmaceutical drugs and equipment. Previously Mr. Arkin headed Agis, which he took over at age 19 from his late father, Ziama Arkin. Mori grew Agis into a leading dermatological company in the US until its acquisition by Perrigo in 2005 for $818 million. He has extensive experience in developing and commercializing pharmaceutical drug products, and has held leadership roles in several companies with significant ties to innovative and generic drug companies.  Mr. Arkin holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and philosophy from Tel Aviv University, and has studied for several years at the university’s Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas. An aficionado of Renaissance art, he has studied Michelangelo and published an essay on the artist’s Florentine Pietá. Together with his wife Doris, Mr. Arkin has been involved in a broad range of social and cultural philanthropic ventures in Israel. In 2011 they formed the Arkin Family Foundation, which supports organizations and projects in education, arts and culture, welfare, healthcare, civil rights, and Jewish-Arab coexistence.

Ran Nussbaum

Ran Nussbaum is a managing partner and co-founder of The Pontifax Group. The fund runs more than 50 portfolio companies, private and public, all around the Globe. Mr. Nussbaum’s work revolves around constant and active involvement in companies, providing them with strategic and business development oversight. In the past Ran served on Kite pharma BOD (Acquired by Gilead) and cCAM Therapeutics (Acquired by Merck). He also chaired Ocon Medical, Nasvax, Spearhead and Biomedix. Biomedix. Currently, Mr. Nussbaum serves on many of Pontifax’s portfolio companies BOD including Eloxx Therapeutics (ELOX), UroGen(URGN), ArQule (ARQL), Prevail Therapeutics and Ocon Medical, and as the chairman of Keros board.

Yair Shamir

Mr. Yair Shamir is the Founding and Managing Partner of Catalyst Investments. Mr. Shamir has formerly served as chairman of four government companies: Metropolitan Mass Transit System (NTA), Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), EL-AL Israel Airways and the National Roads Company.  Mr. Shamir has served as a member of numerous company boards within Catalyst’s investment portfolio – currently he serves as a board member of Tufin (NYSE: TUFN), Satixfy, and is chairman of the board of Xjet.  From 2003-2007, Mr. Shamir was the Chairman of Shamir Optical Industry Ltd (NASDAQ: SHMR). From 1997-2006, Mr. Shamir served as the CEO and Chairman of VCON Telecommunications Ltd. From 2005-2013, he served as a board member of DSP Group Corporation (NASDAQ: DSPG). Mr Shamir was the CEO of Elite Food Industries, Ltd between the years of 1994 and 1995. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. Shamir served as Executive Vice President of the Challenge Fund L.P. Prior to this he was Executive VP of Scitex Corporation and General Manager of Scitex Israel from 1988 until 1993.

John Doux M.D, MBA

John Doux is a board certified dermatologist and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. He currently serves as a board director for Kamari Pharma; he served previously as board chair of ValenzaBio (acquired by ACELYRIN) and as a board director of Ceptaris Therapeutics (acquired by Actelion Pharmaceuticals) and Palvella Therapeutics. He received his B.S. and M.D. from Stanford University, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. David Woodley, and completed his training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Stanford Medical Center. He subsequently earned an M.B.A. at the Wharton School of Business, where he was a Palmer Scholar. He has been an analyst at Palo Alto Investors since 2004. He was also a co-founder and prior board member of the Dermatology Summit and Dermatology Innovation Forum.

Noa Shelach Ph.D, MBA

Dr. Noa Shelach is a senior biopharmaceutical executive with over 20 years of experience in drug development as well in VC investments. Prior to Lutris-Pharma, Dr. Shelach held CEO positions in leading private and public biopharmaceutical companies: NextGen Healthcare, Integra Holdings, Campus Bio (Held by: Clal Biotechnology Industries TASE: CBI) and Braintact. In all her roles Dr. Shelach managed all aspects of drug development: technology assessment, pre-clinical and clinical stage development and commercialization. Prior to that, Dr. Shelach held VP R&D position in Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KRX), managing the entire company portfolio. Dr Shelach serves as a director member in several biopharmaceutical companies and is a member of NGT incubator investment committee.