Chris Thorton, MD, MBA
President, Chief Executive Officer & Director
Dr. Chris Thorton has 30 years of experience in biotech and pharmaceutical leadership, product development, and clinical and regulatory management. He has completed partnerships and collaborations with pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies and has raised more than $150 million to advance product development into clinical stage, regulatory approval, and commercialization. He is a former practicing physician and CEO of two public biotech companies: Migenix and GenSci Regeneration Sciences (now part of Integra LifeSciences). Dr. Chris Thorton also currently serves as Director for two biotech companies: OncoSec Medical and Induce Biologics. Prior to his CEO roles, Dr. Chris Thorton was Vice President, Medical and Regulatory Affairs at Biodynamics International (now part of RTI Surgical) and Bentley Pharmaceuticals (now part of Teva Pharmaceuticals). Dr. Chris Thorton received a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, and MD, and MBA degrees from the University of South Florida and did his medical residency at the University of North Carolina.
Alain Rolland, PharmD, PhD
Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President
Dr. Rolland brings over 30 years of international leadership experience in pharmaceutical and biotech companies. He has focused on the discovery and development of biologics and small molecules in a variety of therapeutic areas including immuno-oncology, cardiovascular and hematological disorders, dermatology, and infectious disease vaccines. Prior to joining DHP, Dr. Rolland was a co-founder and served as CEO, President and Director of CHIME BioTherapeutics, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at HUYA Bioscience International, Executive Vice President, Product Development at Vical, and Senior Vice President, Preclinical R&D, Head of The Woodlands Center of Valentis. Dr. Rolland has published over 90 scientific articles and book chapters, and is editor of three scientific books. He is a member of several scientific societies, the founding Editor-in-Chief of Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, and an editorial board member of several journals. He is also the recipient of the Fellowship Award from the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. Dr. Rolland earned his doctorate degree in Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.) from Rennes University, France.
Lisa Sanford, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Sanford has 30 years of diversified experience in finance and accounting in the life sciences, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. She has served as DHP’s CFO since April 2019 and prior to that she served as our Vice President of Finance beginning in July 2018. Prior to her employment at DHP, from April 2000 through July 2018, Ms. Sanford managed her own consulting business, providing finance and accounting services for public companies and private companies. Ms. Sanford also served as an audit senior manager at Ernst & Young LLP, where she worked for twelve years and was involved in multiple IPOs and business combinations. She received her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Lehigh University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Joachim P.H. Schupp, MD, Dr. med.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Schupp has over 30 years of international pharmaceutical industry experience in all phases of drug development and several therapeutic areas. He directed multiple Phase I – IV clinical studies and led multiple international cross-functional project teams at Ciba-Geigy and Novartis Pharmaceuticals in Switzerland, which resulted in worldwide approval of several New Drug Applications (NDAs), Biologics License Applications (BLAs) and supplemental applications for small molecule drugs, biologics and devices currently on the market. Dr. Schupp also served as Vice President, Clinical & Regulatory Affairs at HUYA Bioscience International, Chief Medical Officer at Imprimis/Transdel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Vice President, Clinical Development at Apricus Biosciences, Inc., Vice President, Medical Affairs at Adventrx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Vice President, Clinical Data Services at ProSanos, Inc. Prior to joining DHP, Dr. Schupp managed his own consulting business (MEQVal), providing services as a medical monitor and drug safety physician. Dr. Schupp received his MD and doctorate (Dr. med.) from Freie Universität Berlin in Germany and practiced medicine in Germany, South Africa, UK and Switzerland.
Eduardo Muñoz, MD, PhD,
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Muñoz is a Professor of Immunology in the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology of the University of Córdoba (Spain) and Director of the inflammation and cancer research group at the Institute Maimonides for Biomedical Research of Córdoba. Dr. Muñoz has more than 30 years of experience in biomedical research, and is the author of nearly 200 articles, patents, and book chapters with almost 5,000 citations. He is an expert in the mechanism of actions of cannabinoids and endocannabinoids as well as the development of cannabinoid-based new chemical entities. Dr. Muñoz belongs to the editorial board of several scientific journals and is a co-founder of two biotech companies, VivaCell Biotechnology (Spain) and Glactone Pharma AB (Sweden). He received a PhD in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Córdoba and was an associate researcher at Tufts University in Boston, and at the Institute Pasteur in Paris.
Nancy Coulson, MBA
Senior Vice President, Regulatory & Quality Affairs
Ms. Coulson has over 30 years of experience in providing strategic counsel for regulatory, clinical, and quality affairs. As a senior advisor for medical device and pharmaceutical companies, she manages US and international regulatory documents, briefing packages, and global regulatory dossiers across multiple product categories. Ms. Coulson has also completed several successful pre-approval inspections for new drug and device manufacturing facilities. Most recently, she was Worldwide Director, Regulatory Affairs at Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson company, where she provided strategic direction on global regulatory submissions. She also held scientific and senior regulatory positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Bausch & Lomb, GenSci, and Migenix. She received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from LeMoyne College and an MBA from Chapman University.