Team
Our Mission
Our Values
Management
Punit Dhillon
Chairman & Chief Executive OfficerMr. Dhillon has been the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Skye Bioscience since 2020. He has a 20-year track record as an executive and investor in the life sciences industry.
Focusing on early-stage biotechs from start-up through clinical proof-of-concept, he has raised more than $500 million in capital and established multiple pharmaceutical partnerships. At Skye he has led a strategic acquisition of a novel peripheral CB1 inhibitor for obesity and other metabolic diseases, attracted specialist life science investors, and built out an expert board and management team. Mr. Dhillon was previously the co-founder and former CEO of OncoSec Medical, a developer of cancer immunotherapies and established collaborations with Merck and Genentech. Prior to Skye he was a managing director of a private San Diego-based pharmaceutical company where he launched an Asia-focused licensing business unit evaluating opportunities in Korea, China, Japan, and the US, and completed a partnership with BMS. He was formerly a director of the Emerald group of companies with responsibility for private equity investments, operations and business development. As Vice President, Finance and Operations, at Inovio Pharmaceuticals he completed licensing deals with Merck, Wyeth (now Pfizer) and Roche. Punit holds a BA (Honors) in political science and a minor in business administration from Simon Fraser University.
Kaitlyn Arsenault,CPA
Chief Financial OfficerMs. Arsenault brings over 14 years of experience in accounting, auditing, financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, as well as business operations in the life science and technology sectors.
Prior to her appointment as CFO of Skye, she served as an independent consultant for emerging public and private companies, including Skye, for the past six years, providing expertise and addressing complex issues related to SEC reporting, technical accounting, stock-based compensation, and revenue recognition, among other subjects. She also served as Assurance Manager in Marcum’s (formerly Friedman LLP’s) SEC practice, gaining public and private audit engagement experience across multiple industries. Ms. Arsenault received her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Ramapo College of New Jersey and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Tu Diep,MSc
Chief Development OfficerMr. Tu Diep brings more than 15 years of scientific and clinical research experience to Skye. He was a founding employee of OncoSec Medical Inc., and in his last role was SVP, Head of Operations.
He led the development and initiation of the Company’s lead program, tavokinogene telsaplasmid (TAVO), an intratumoral gene therapy using DNA plasmid encoding interleukin-12, and spearheaded a clinical collaboration with Merck to evaluate the combination of TAVO plus pembrolizumab, Merck’s anti-PD-1 antibody for metastatic melanoma. Mr. Diep was previously at Protox Therapeutics Inc. (now Sophiris Bio Inc.), holding roles in preclinical research and development, clinical protocol development and design, clinical operations, and biologics manufacturing related to their cancer treatment. He was also integrally involved in solidifying a $75M partnership with a Japanese pharmaceutical company and a $35M investment from Warburg Pincus. Mr. Diep holds a Master of Science in physiology from the University of Toronto.
Puneet Arora,MD.MS, FACE
Chief Medical OfficerPuneet S. Arora is a board-certified physician in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, and has served as a physician-scientist, drug developer and executive leader.
Dr. Arora has over 15 years of experience in clinical trials, regulatory submissions, and medical affairs in biotech and pharma. As Chief Medical Officer at Lassen Therapeutics, he was instrumental in developing a strategy leading to a global Phase 2 study. Previously, as Head of Clinical Development at Principia Biopharma, a Sanofi company, he managed clinical development strategy and oversaw design and execution of clinical studies. At Genentech, he was Senior Medical Director, Early Clinical Development, and lead programs in diabetes, obesity, and NASH. Dr. Arora has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals and presented at international scientific conferences. He earned his medical degree from the All India Institute of Medical Science, completed his internal medicine residency at Southern Illinois University, and held a fellowship in endocrinology at NYU. He earned a Master’s in Clinical Research from the Mayo Clinic and held an advanced diabetes fellowship at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine.
Chris Twitty,PhD
Chief Scientific OfficerDr. Twitty brings over 25 years of life science research and drug development experience to Skye.
Dr. Twitty has over 25 years of experience leading R&D and translational efforts to expand drug pipelines and has supported multiple IND filings for novel therapeutics. He has additionally contributed to CMC, non-clinical, regulatory and clinical development efforts necessary to initiate clinical trials. He has significant experience in biomarker discovery and clinical biomarker strategies. Dr. Twitty was previously Chief Scientific Officer at Onchilles Pharma. Prior to that he was Director and Head of Clinical Sciences and then VP of R&D and CSO at Oncosec Medical. He began his career at Bayer and worked in research at Cell Genesys and Tocagen. He is a co-author of 19 publications and a named inventor on three patents. Dr. Twitty holds a PhD Molecular Microbiology and Immunology from Oregon Health Sciences University. He was a post-doctoral fellow with the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute.
Board of Directors
Punit Dhillon
ChairmanPunit Dhillon, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Skye Bioscience, and has a 20-year track record as an executive and investor in the life sciences industry.
Punit Dhillon, is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Skye Bioscience, and has a 20-year track record as an executive and investor in the life sciences industry. He is the co-founder and former CEO at OncoSec Medical (NASDAQ: ONCS), a company focused on the development of cancer immunotherapies, and raised more than $200 million in dilutive and non-dilutive capital, establishing immuno-oncology collaborations with Merck and Genentech and lead the transition to appointing his successor in 2017. Punit specializes in start-up through IND enablement and clinical proof of concept stage products and building, restructuring and operating businesses/publicly-traded companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. His experience spans leadership development, corporate finance (M&A, raising capital), operations, and business development (in/out-licensing, strategic partnerships with pharma & academic institutions). Prior to becoming CEO and Chair of Skye (August 2020), he was a Managing Director of a private San Diego based pharmaceutical company and launched an Asia-focused licensing business unit evaluating opportunities in Korea, China, Japan, and the US (completed partnership with BMS); former Director of Emerald group of companies responsible for private equity investments, operations and business development across several portfolio companies in North America and Europe; and (prior to 2011) former Vice President of Finance and Operations at Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: INO) (completed licensing deals with Merck, Wyeth (now Pfizer) and Roche).
Punit is a co-founder and director of YELL Canada a hands-on, experiential accelerator program for high school students interested in gaining knowledge and development experience in all areas of business and entrepreneurship. He is a recipient of several awards of distinction including Biocom Catalyst Award, BASS Alumni Community Impact Award and was a finalist in Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” competition. Punit holds a BA (Honors) in political science and a minor in business administration from Simon Fraser University.Deborah Charych,PhD
DirectorDeborah Charych, PhD has over 20 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry.
Dr. Deborah Charych brings extensive experience in scientific leadership to her role as a co-founder and former Chief Technology Officer of RayzeBio, an oncology company focused on targeted delivery of radionuclides. She conceived and led the scientific and operational R&D strategy for RayzeBio, which led to a successful $45M Series A financing and launch in August, 2020, and subsequent Series B, C and D rounds, with capital raised amounting to $418M. Previously, at Nektar Therapeutics Dr. Charych conceived and led the preclinical and early clinical development of an immuno-oncology pipeline, leading to a $1.8B upfront deal with Bristol Myers Squibb. She also contributed to basic research exploring GPCR receptor biology including the cannabinoid receptor system. At FivePrime Therapeutics, Deborah led a team developing biologics for oncology and autoimmune diseases. While at Chiron Corporation she initiated and led a large proteomics effort to guide oncology target discovery. At Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, she led an academic team as a tenured principal investigator, focusing on new biomaterials. Dr. Charych has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley and a B.S. in Chemistry from Carnegie-Mellon University.
Andy Schwab
DirectorAndy Schwab has an established career in the life sciences industry, bringing decades of experience to his role as a Founder and Managing Partner of 5AM Ventures.
Mr. Schwab has led investments in numerous biotech companies such as Bird Rock Bio, Camp4 Therapeutics, DVS (acquired by Fluidigm), Enliven (NASDAQ ELVN), Escient Pharmaceuticals, and Flexion Therapeutics (acquired by Pacira), among others. Before the formation of 5AM in 2002, Schwab was a Principal at Bay City Capital where he contributed to the growth of companies like Cubist, PTC Therapeutics, and Syrrx. His past roles also include Vice President of Business Development at Digital Gene Technologies and a vice president in the life science investment banking group of Montgomery Securities. In 2021, he became a board member at Pear Therapeutics. Concurrently, he has been serving as co-Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of 5:01 Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: FVAM) since its inception in August 2020. Schwab earned a BS with Honors in Genetics & Ethics from Davidson College and currently serves on its board of trustees as well as the Board of Trustees of the California Academy of Sciences.
Paul Grayson,MBA
DirectorPaul Grayson brings over 25 years’ experience in the biotech sector.
Paul Grayson, MBA, carries extensive expertise in the creation and development of start-ups, IND enablement, CMC, and clinical proof-of-concept stage products. He is a Partner at Versant Ventures. As a co-founder of Tentarix, he also presently serves as the company's President and CEO. Grayson was also President and CEO of Bird Rock Bio, a company focused on fibrotic, metabolic, and inflammatory diseases. Earlier in his career, he was the founding CEO of Fate Therapeutics (NASDAQ:FATE), a company involved in cellular immunotherapy, and served as managing director at Sanderling Ventures. Before Sanderling, Grayson was the founding Chairman and CEO of Senomyx (NASDAQ: SNMX). Mr. Grayson earned his MBA from the University of California, Irvine, and a BA in Computer Science and Biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Annalisa Jenkins,M.B.B.S., F.R.C.P.
DirectorAnnalisa Jenkins, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.P. is a biopharma thought leader whose career spans over 25 years in the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life sciences industries.
Dr. Jenkins has broad leadership experience that have resulted in the advancement of new products and cures across multiple disease areas from discovery through to clinical development, regulatory approval, commercialization as well as business exits worldwide. Dr. Jenkins currently provides board level and consulting services to organizations across the life science and healthcare industry. She previously served as President and CEO of Plaquetec Therapeutics and of Dimension Therapeutics, leading efforts to develop novel approaches in coronary vascular and rare diseases that included a significant worldwide partnership for a gene therapy approach to hemophilia A with Bayer Pharmaceuticals. She led Dimension Therapeutics through a public listing on NASDAQ and acquisition by Ultragenyx. In prior leadership roles she was Head of Global Research and Development and Executive Vice President Global Development and Medical at Merck Serono and held several senior positions at Bristol Myers-Squibb over 15 years – including serving as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Medical Affairs.
Dr. Jenkins sits on a number of boards across the public and private sectors and as a trustee of nonprofit organizations globally, including AVROBIO, COMPASS Pathways, MEREO Biopharmaceuticals, AFFIMED, The British Heart Foundation, The King’s Fund, Cancer Research Horizons, Genomics England and Faster Cures at the Milken Institute. As a pharmaceutical thought leader, Dr. Jenkins routinely contributes publicly on leadership with purpose, social entrepreneurship, diversity and innovation.
Dr. Jenkins was commissioned by the British Royal Navy as a Surgeon Sub Lieutenant prior to graduating in medicine from St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in the U.K. Dr. Jenkins served as a medical officer in the British Royal Navy for nine years, achieving the rank of Surgeon Lieutenant Commander.Karen Smith,MD, PhD, MBA, LLM
DirectorKaren Smith, MD, PhD, MBA, LLM, has served as a C-suite biotech industry consultant and pharmaceutical executive, member of the board and clinical and scientific advisor during her 20-year career.
Dr. Smith has held various roles, including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Medical Officer, and President. She is a company builder and advocate for women in science and diversity in the boardroom. She currently serves on the boards of Sangamo Therapeutics, Aurinia Pharma, Capstan Therapeutics, and Mariana Oncology. Previously, Dr. Smith served on the boards of Talaris Therapeutics, Forward Pharmaceuticals, Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Acceleron Pharma, Antares Pharma, all of which were acquired. Prior to these roles, Dr. Smith held leadership roles at Allergan, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.