Accelerating the pace of drug discovery

Paraza Pharma, Inc. is an innovative company with an aim to significantly improve the efficiency of the drug discovery process. Our experienced drug discovery team will help you design, define, execute, and meet your program milestones from lead identification through lead optimization and development candidate selection.

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“You have assembled a truly remarkable team who not only knows how to present science but also knows the science of drug discovery in depth.”
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Management

Arshad Siddiqui, Ph.D.
President & CEO

Dr. Siddiqui founded Paraza Pharma in 2011 after twenty-two years of a successful career in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in Canada and USA. Dr. Siddiqui has held senior level positions in companies such as Shire-BioChem Pharma (Montreal, Canada), Neogenesis Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA), Schering-Plough Corporation (Cambridge, MA) and Merck & Co. (Cambridge, MA).

Dr. Siddiqui completed a Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry at the University of Waterloo (Canada). As a drug discovery scientist and an entrepreneur, Dr. Siddiqui has been a co-recipient of the Prix-Galien (Canada, 1996) for the co-discovery of Epivir, Prix Genesis (Canada, 2013) and University of Waterloo Distinguished Alumni Award (2015). Dr. Siddiqui is an inventor on eighty-one patents and co-authored seventy-six research papers.

Chudi Ndubaku, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Ndubaku joined Paraza Pharma in 2022 as Chief Scientific Officer. Prior to Paraza, Dr. Ndubaku held senior scientific leadership positions at ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Aduro Biotech and Genentech.

Dr. Ndubaku has extensive drug discovery experience in advancing multiple projects from hit identification to development candidate and through IND/CTA filing. He has comprehensive knowledge in structure-based drug design and optimization in several therapeutic areas.

Dr. Ndubaku completed his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and has a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. He has co-authored thirty (30) peer-reviewed publications and is a co-inventor on twenty-three (23) issued or pending patent applications.

Edward W. Marple, MBA
Executive Vice-President, Development

Ted Marple, A.B. (Harvard), MBA (Virginia) is a seasoned life science executive with over 20 years in leadership roles in biotech, pharma and life science contract services. Ted joined Paraza in 2023. Ted has worked in venture and private equity backed companies Beyond Genomics, Xcellerex and Blue Sky BioServices, as well as, leading business development at Point Therapeutics, a public company. Ted started his life science career at Biogen and Eli Lilly. Most recently he co-founded Acworth Pharmaceuticals to develop a novel technology to treat cancers.

Ted collaborates with scientists, business partners and works on teams to help companies succeed with their innovative technologies. Ted has an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and an A.B. from Harvard University.

Jean-Marc Lachance, CA, CPA, MBA
Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Lachance joined Paraza Pharma as Executive Director of Finance and Administration in 2016. Mr. Lachance is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants and has a MBA (Finance) from Hautes Études Commerciales, Université de Montréal.

Mr. Lachance has over twenty years of experience as a senior member of the executive team in the healthcare, biotechnology and banking industries. His responsibilities included CFO and Head of Finance in both private and public companies.

Sultan Ahmad, Ph.D.
Chief Business Officer

Dr. Ahmad has a successful career in pharmaceutical R&D sector with more than 30 years of experience. He has held positions of increasing responsibilities at Astrazeneca, Neomed Institute and Purdue Pharma, Canada. Dr. Ahmad is uniquely qualified as a drug discovery researcher and business development professional to bring Paraza to the next level of growth.

Dr. Ahmad completed his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University, Ontario, Canada. He has co-authored over forty (40) peer-reviewed publications and is a co-inventor on seven (7) patents.

Aazer Siddiqui, BPhil
Chief Strategy & Corporate Development Officer

Aazer holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Chicago and has broad experience working with diverse companies, most recently as a law associate at Leydig, Voit and Mayer, a leading IP law firm.

Serge Lamothe, Ph.D.
Vice-President, Alliance Management

Dr. Lamothe began his career as a Medicinal Chemist and has since held various senior level positions in research for various pharmaceutical companies including Shire-Biochem Pharma, Innodia and Bellus Health prior to joining Paraza Pharma in 2016. He obtained a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Université de Sherbrooke, Canada followed by a postdoctoral training at McGill University, Canada. He is a co-author on twenty-eight publications and an inventor on ten patents. In addition to his scientific background, Dr. Lamothe also holds a BAA in Accounting Sciences from Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada.

Brigitte MacKay, CRHA
Vice-President, Human Resources & Talent Management

Ms. MacKay has over twenty years of experience in the field of human resources. Prior to joining Paraza Pharma in 2019, she was Lead, Learning & Development, for Nestlé Skin Health (Canada). Over the years, Ms. MacKay has developed and implemented innovative HR solutions to drive business strategy for companies such as Bombardier Aerospace and Merck Frosst Canada. She has a B.Sc. from Université de Montréal in Economics and Human Resources and is a member of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec.

Alexandre Larivée, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Chemical Sciences

Dr. Larivée joined Paraza Pharma in 2011. Prior to joining Paraza Pharma, Dr. Larivée worked at Merck Frosst Canada as Senior Research Scientist.

Dr. Larivée has eleven years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has successfully managed several drug discovery programs in the areas of oncology, inflammation, CNS and infectious diseases leading to identification of two clinical candidates. Additionally, Dr. Larivée has extensive experience in state-of-the-art chemistry including asymmetric synthesis, flow, photocatalysis and electrochemistry.

Dr. Larivée completed his Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry from Université de Montréal, Canada and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Max-Planck Institute für Kohlenforschung, Germany with Professor A. Fürstner. Dr. Larivée has co-authored nine publications and is a co-inventor on three patents.

Bill Brown, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Chemical Sciences

Dr. Brown joined Paraza Pharma as Senior Director, Chemical Sciences, in 2019. Prior to joining Paraza Pharma, he held several senior level positions in companies including BioChem Pharma, Astra Zeneca and Neomed Institute.

Dr. Brown has thirty years of experience in the discovery and development of small molecule drugs. He is an accomplished drug discovery scientist and has led multiple projects in the field of virology and CNS, with an emphasis on pain. Dr. Brown’s efforts have led to the advancement of six compounds into Phase II studies.

Dr. Brown received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Ottawa and postdoctoral fellowships at Stanford and Duke Universities. He has co-authored 37 peer-reviewed scientific publications and is an inventor on 33 patents.

Jean-François Fournier, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Chemical Sciences

Dr. Fournier joined Paraza Pharma as Senior Director, Chemical Sciences in 2022. Prior to joining Paraza Pharma, he held several medicinal chemistry positions at Merck Frosst Canada, Wyeth, Galderma, Neomed Institute, NuChem Sciences and Galapagos.

Dr. Fournier has sixteen years of experience in the discovery of small molecule drugs in therapeutic areas such as inflammation, obesity, dermatology, oncology and fibrosis where his efforts led to the evaluation of two compounds in clinical studies. Moreover, he has extensive experience in digital transformation and the application of cheminformatics and data science in medicinal chemistry.

Dr. Fournier received his Ph.D. degree from the Université de Montréal and postdoctoral fellowship with Professor Corey at Harvard University. He has co-authored 21 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 1 book chapter and is an inventor on 16 patents.

Clint James, Ph.D.
Director, Chemical Sciences

Dr. James joined Paraza Pharma in 2017. Prior to joining Paraza Pharma, he worked at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at the Université de Montréal, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Canada.

Dr. James has twenty years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry working on numerous projects in oncology, neuroscience, and virology. He also contributed to the discovery of the hepatitis C drug, Daclatasvir.

Dr. James completed his PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of Waterloo, Canada and then did postdoctoral work in Medicinal/Organic Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA. He has co-authored fifteen publications and is an inventor on twenty-nine patents.

Robin Larouche-Gauthier, Ph.D
Director, Chemical Sciences

Dr. Larouche-Gauthier joined Paraza Pharma in 2011. Dr. Larouche-Gauthier has nine years of experience in the pharma industry, during which he successfully managed several drug discovery programs in the areas of oncology, inflammation and CNS diseases, leading to the identification of one clinical candidate. During his industrial career, he had the opportunity to work on numerous classes of biological targets, including kinases, ion channels and ligases.

Dr. Larouche-Gauthier completed his Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry in 2009 at the Université de Sherbrooke, Canada and a postdoctoral fellowship in 2011 at University of Bristol, United Kingdom. Dr. Larouche-Gauthier has co-authored ten publications and is a co-inventor on six patents.

Patrick DeRoy, M.Sc.
Director, Chemical Sciences

Mr. DeRoy joined Paraza Pharma in 2013. Prior to joining Paraza Pharma, Mr. DeRoy worked at Boehringer Ingelheim, Canada for ten years.

Mr. DeRoy has seventeen years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has successfully managed the process development of several development candidates and was closely involved in the technology transfer with external collaborators for the GMP plant production of an investigational new drug currently in clinical development. Additionally, Patrick has extensive experience in state-of-the-art chemistry including asymmetric synthesis, and synthetic organic electrochemistry.

Mr. DeRoy completed his B.Sc. degree in Chemistry at Université of Sherbrooke, Canada and obtained his M.Sc. degree in Organic Chemistry from Université de Montreal, Canada under the supervision of Professor Andre B. Charette. He has co-authored thirteen publications and he is co-inventor on ten patents.

Peter White, Ph.D.
Senior Vice-President, Biological Sciences

Dr. White joined Paraza Pharma in 2015 as Executive Director of Biological Sciences.  Prior to joining Paraza Pharma, Dr. White held senior level positions at pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (Emeryville, CA) and Boehringer Ingelheim, Canada.

Dr. White has twenty-five years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and contributed to the development of multiple programs in the fields of virology and oncology. He has extensive experience in the development of novel biochemical and cellular screening assays, as well as the determination of inhibitor mechanisms of action. He has been a key contributor to the development of the HCV protease inhibitor, faldaprevir.

Dr. White completed a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Columbia University, USA  and a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Enzymology at the University of California at Berkeley, USA.  Dr. White has co-authored forty-one publications and is an inventor on six patents.

Anthony Régina, Ph.D.
Director, Biological Sciences

Dr Régina joined Paraza Pharma in 2015 as Associate Director of Biological Sciences. Prior to joining Paraza Pharma, Dr Régina worked at Angiochem Inc, a biotechnology company as Associate Director of In vivo Pharmacology.

Dr Régina has over fifteen years of experience in the area of in vivo pharmacology where he has been involved in the development and optimization of in vivo models in various therapeutic areas, such as oncology, pain, obesity, inflammation and lysosomal diseases to study preclinical drug candidates.

Dr Régina completed a Ph.D. in Physiology and Physiopathology from Université Paris VII, France and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada with Professor Richard Béliveau. Dr Régina co-authored twenty-three publications and is a co-inventor on eight patents.

Limei Tao, Ph.D.
Associate Director, DMPK

Dr. Tao joined Paraza Pharma in 2015. Prior to joining Paraza Pharma, Dr. Tao held positions at the National Research Council of Canada, Charles River, Canada and Bellus Health.

Dr. Tao has over fifteen years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry with specialization in DMPK and mass spectrometry. Additionally, Dr. Tao has been a key contributor to projects involving proteomics.

Dr. Tao completed her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Concordia University, Canada. She has co-authored ten publications.

Danièle DesChênes, LLB, MBA
Chief Legal Counsel

Ms. Danièle DesChênes is a business and intellectual property lawyer with more than twenty-five years of experience as a legal counsel for companies in the life sciences industry. Ms. DesChênes has a law degree from the Université de Montréal, a MBA (Finance) from Hautes études Commerciales, Université de Montréal, a Certificate on European business law and issues dealing with market access.

Terry Grassetti
Manager, Office Operations

Ms. Grassetti joined Paraza Pharma in 2019 and has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Paraza Pharma, Terry held administrative positions at the Merck Frosst Research Centre, Astra Zeneca and NEOMED Institute.

Scientific Advisory Board

W. Robert Bishop
Ph.D

Dr. Bishop received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of Connecticut Health Center, followed by five years of post-doctoral research at Duke University Medical Center. He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications and several comprehensive reviews, primarily in the area of signal transduction in cancer cells. He has over 25 years of experience in oncology drug discovery and early development from target validation through clinical proof of concept at Schering-Plough Research Institute and Merck Research Labs. He possesses an in-depth knowledge of signal transduction pathways in cancer cells.

William (Bill) J. Greenlee, Ph.D.

Dr. Greenlee received his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University with Professor Robert Woodward. Dr. Greenlee has worked at Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ, and at the Schering-Plough Research Institute, Kenilworth, NJ, Dr. Greenlee has been in senior leadership positions in these companies heading up large medicinal chemistry groups. His career spans over 35 years, and includes contributions to the discovery of enalapril (Vasotec™) and lisinopril (Prinivil™), as well as other drug candidates that are currently in clinical trials. Dr. Greenlee has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards including the Alfred Burger Award in Medicinal Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2004. He was inducted into the ACS Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame in 2006 and was elected a Fellow of the ACS in 2009. Dr. Greenlee is also a Perspectives Editor for the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters. Dr. Greenlee is co-author of over 200 research papers, and an inventor of over 70 issued U.S. patents.

Timothy F. Jamison, Ph.D.

Dr. Jamison, Full Professor in the Department of Chemistry of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and Ph.D. from Harvard University. Professor Jamison has received numerous honors and awards in recognition of his research contributions, including the Royal Society of Chemistry Merck Award, American Chemical Society Cope Scholar Award, Sloan Research Fellowship, GlaxoSmithKline Scholar Award, Amgen Young Investigator Award, Boehringer Ingelheim New Investigator Award, National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 3M Innovation Award. Professor Jamison’s research program focuses on the development of new methods and continuous flow technologies for the synthesis of organic molecules. Professor Jamison has published over 100 research articles and 15 patents.

Peter Winocour, Ph.D.

Dr. Winocour has over 12 years in academia and 15 years of in-depth multidisciplinary experience in the pharmaceutical industry in areas of discovery and preclinical development of small molecule drugs, including pharmacokinetics, toxicology, efficacy models, project management and preparation and submission of IND/CTA/IMPD packages to regulatory authorities. He was Head of the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department at Shire-Biochem Pharma and Director of Preclinical Development at Aegera Therapeutics. Previously, Dr. Winocour was an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at McMaster University and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pathology at McGill University. Dr. Winocour holds a Ph.D. from the University of Southampton, UK, and has published over 76 research papers and has 34 invited lectures.

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Paraza Pharma, Inc. is a rapidly growing drug discovery research organization which offers a dynamic and collaborative work environment where scientific excellence, innovation and creativity are at the forefront.

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