About Us

Evecxia Therapeutics was founded by the late professor Marc Caron, PhD and Jacob Jacobsen, PhD, two neuropharmacologists from Duke University. Dr. Jacobsen’s unique insight was that brain serotonin synthesis amplification by 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) had shown intriguing evidence of clinical efficacy in a range of brain disorders - despite no appropriate 5-HTP drug product being available, and despite 5-HTP being too short-acting and poorly absorbed in the human body to be a practical drug treatment. Dr. Jacobsen hypothesized that 5-HTP’s drug properties would be markedly improved if 5-HTP's duration of action was prolonged and 5-HTP’s absorption improved. Subsequent translational studies in Dr. Caron’s laboratory provided compelling evidence for this hypothesis. The resultant intellectual property and know-how formed the foundation for Evecxia.

 

Evecxia Therapeutics is the first company dedicated to realizing the therapeutic potential of serotonin synthesis amplification to enable people with mental illness lead fuller, more meaningful lives.

Our Values

Serving Patients

Substantial evidence suggests that appropriate 5-HTP-based Rx drugs could improve the lives of millions of patients with mental disorders not helped by current treatments. Working tirelessly to advance our drug candidates to the market is what drive us.

Capital Efficiency

We best serve our stakeholders and mental healthcare by maximizing the funds going towards drug development and by optimizing the value produced per dollar. To that end, we maintain a lean organization, right-size R&D activities, and use diligence in contracting with vendors and partners.

Opportunity

There can be multiple paths to the goal of helping patients and ensuring success for our company and stakeholders. We remain adaptable in meeting the challenges of changing contingencies and vigilant in seeking value-adding opportunities.

Who We Are

Evecxia Therapeutics' leadership team, Board of Directors, Scientific Advisory Board, and its compliment of independent advisors and consultants have unsurpassed CNS drug development experience.

Team

Jacob Jacobsen, PhD

Co-Founder

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Jacobsen is the inventor of the 5-hydroxytryptophan sustained-release (5-HTP SR) concept. Prior to joining Evecxia as Chief Scientific Officer, he was a scientist at Duke University and Duke-National University Singapore, where he was the driver of a cross-disciplinary team executing seminal research on the 5-HTP SR therapeutic concept. He was also intimately involved in establishing the intellectual property estate.

Previously, Dr. Jacobsen spent 8 years in pharma-biotech, NeuroSearch and Lundbeck, where he executed various drug discovery and target validation projects. He is well-published, including in the highest ranking journals in the field of Psychiatry, and is an inventor on all 5-HTP SR issued and pending patents.

Dr. Jacobsen received his PhD in Neuropharmacology from the University of Copenhagen.

John Kaiser

Board of Directors

Executive Chairman

Before joining Evecxia, Mr. Kaiser led Cerecor, Inc., a public, CNS-focused biopharmaceutical company, where he was the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Business Officer. His responsibilities included corporate strategy, strategic marketing, and business development, where he directed the acquisitions of multiple product CNS candidates from Merck and Lilly and led the sale of CERC-501 (aticaprant) to Johnson & Johnson.

Earlier leadership roles also included:
• Vice President of Commercial and Business Development at ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. where Mr. Kaiser played the lead role in defining the commercial and life-cycle strategies for pimavanserin (Nuplazid®), a novel treatment for Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis.
• Serving on the Boards of Directors for NH Therapeutics and numerous nonprofit organizations.

Mr. Kaiser came into these leadership positions after holding various positions of increasing responsibility in CNS for more than 25 years at Eli Lilly and Company. Company experience includes leading the global commercialization efforts of many of Lilly’s multi-billion dollar CNS brands including Prozac®, the global strategic marketing efforts for Cymbalta®, and the commercial success of Zyprexa® internationally. Additionally, he co-led the development and execution of the company’s CNS strategy and was responsible for the commercial efforts associated with the CNS pipeline.

Mr. Kaiser received his BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati.

Karen Adams

Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Adams is a financial professional with more than 35 years of experience growing companies across a broad range of industries with a focus on life sciences and technology. Her areas of expertise include sophisticated financial forecasting used for fund raising and to manage internal operations, working with business owners to develop and track key business indicators which lead to improved performance, and the design and implementation of accounting systems, budgets, and other management reporting tools.  

Ms. Adams heads KJA Associates, LLC, a firm she established in 1993 to provide senior financial counsel and financial expertise in the areas of accounting, finance, and operations to early stage companies or companies in a high growth or transitional mode. She has previously served as the CFO for Aerial (asset acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2014), Neuronex (acquired by Accorda Therapeutics in 2012) and Addrenex (acquired by Shionogi Pharma in 2009). She was the Assistant Controller at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. during its merger with COR Therapeutics – among the largest mergers in the biotech industry at the time.  

Ms. Adams graduated from Boston College earning a B.S. in Management, majoring in Finance.

David Carpenter

PharmD, Executive Director, Clinical Development

Dr. David Carpenter brings more than 35 years of pharmaceutical research and development experience to his role as Executive Director of Clinical Research at Evecxia Therapeutics. The majority of his career has been devoted to the development of new and novel therapies to treat psychiatric and neurologic disorders, including both early and late phase drug development efforts and marketed product support.

Prior to joining Evecxia, Dr. Carpenter held senior leadership positions at GSK, Sanofi, Dart Neuroscience, and Roivant Sciences.

Dr. Carpenter is a Registered Pharmacist, with a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from the Albany (NY) College of Pharmacy, an M.S. degree in Neuroscience from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY, and a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.

Dr. Carpenter has served as lead author/co-author on numerous clinical research publications/scientific abstracts and is an active member of the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP), the American Society for Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP), and the International Society for CNS Clinical Trials Methodology (ISCTM).

Jennifer Hart, MS

Executive Director, Operations

Ms. Hart serves as Evecxia’s Executive Director of Operations. Prior to Evecxia, she was VP of Cohortias, a Latin American CRO (Clinical Research Organization) where she helped build the quality, sales, training, and operations divisions for phase I-III clinical trials. Ms. Hart previously held the title of Senior Director Business Development for Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) with responsibilities for growth in the CNS space for early phase clinical research through CNS device studies, creation of an EEG coordinating center for global phase III trials, managing CNS projects, and providing the strategic marketing vision for DCRI in the CNS space.

Prior to joining DCRI, Ms. Hart held increasing responsibilities as a HPLC analytical chemist, in quality assurance leading audits for GLP, GCP, GMP regulations, and business development/marketing for various organizations including RTI (Research Triangle Institute), AAI (Applied Analytical), and Clinsys International.

Ms. Hart’s activities in the nonprofit sector include founding in 2008 Women in Science Tomorrow as a nonprofit organization to close the gender gap for girls in scientific careers. In addition to being a member for several years, Ms. Hart has taken on the role of Southeast fundraising lead for the RTP chapter of HBA (HealthCare Businesswomen’s Association).

Ms. Hart received her B.S. in Microbiology and B.A. in Chemistry from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.

Board of Directors

John Kaiser

Board of Directors

Executive Chairman

Before joining Evecxia, Mr. Kaiser led Cerecor, Inc., a public, CNS-focused biopharmaceutical company, where he was the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Business Officer. His responsibilities included corporate strategy, strategic marketing, and business development, where he directed the acquisitions of multiple product CNS candidates from Merck and Lilly and led the sale of CERC-501 (aticaprant) to Johnson & Johnson.

Earlier leadership roles also included:
• Vice President of Commercial and Business Development at ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. where Mr. Kaiser played the lead role in defining the commercial and life-cycle strategies for pimavanserin (Nuplazid®), a novel treatment for Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis.
• Serving on the Boards of Directors for NH Therapeutics and numerous nonprofit organizations.

Mr. Kaiser came into these leadership positions after holding various positions of increasing responsibility in CNS for more than 25 years at Eli Lilly and Company. Company experience includes leading the global commercialization efforts of many of Lilly’s multi-billion dollar CNS brands including Prozac®, the global strategic marketing efforts for Cymbalta®, and the commercial success of Zyprexa® internationally. Additionally, he co-led the development and execution of the company’s CNS strategy and was responsible for the commercial efforts associated with the CNS pipeline.

Mr. Kaiser received his BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati.

Allan L. Shaw

Board Member

Allan L. Shaw brings over 20 years of leadership experience managing public companies from a financial, operational, and strategic perspective. He has served on seven public boards which included chairing four audit committees and three compensation committees and is currently involved with a portfolio of healthcare activities, including serving as Chief Financial Officer for Portage Biotech. He is also a five-time public company Chief Financial Officer and an experienced deal executive, who has structured, negotiated, and closed over $4 billion in public private financing, including several IPOs.  Mr. Shaw has been involved with the sourcing, development, and commercialization of various drug products in numerous therapeutic areas. Previously, Mr. Shaw was the Chief Financial Officer of Syndax Pharmaceuticals public and was Managing Director of Alvarez & Marsal, a global professional services firm, leading their biopharmaceutical consulting practice. Mr. Shaw's prior experience includes serving as the Chief Financial Officer of Serono S.A., NewLead Holdings Ltd. and Viatel, Inc. Mr. Shaw is the founder of Shaw Strategic Capital LLC, an international financial advisory firm focused on providing strategic financial counsel on a wide variety of issues such as general corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital structuring, licensing, and capital markets. Mr. Shaw is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, New York Society of Certified Public Accountants and American College of Corporate Directors’ Group. Mr. Shaw received a B.S. from the State University of New York (Oswego College) and is a certified public accountant in the State of New York as well as a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).

Elliot Ehrich, MD

Board Member

Dr. Ehrich is a Pharma/Biotech R&D leader with 8 FDA approved medicines.  Currently he is Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at LifeMine Therapeutics.  Prior to LifeMine, Elliot was President of Skyhawk Therapeutics and a Venture Partner at 5AM Ventures.

Dr. Ehrich previously served as CMO & Executive Vice President, R&D at Alkermes, Inc. During his 18+ year tenure at Alkermes he was responsible for all research and development functions, yielding a series of late clinical stage and FDA approved products.  His work encompassed both small molecules and biologics for indications in neurology, psychiatry, and oncology.  Prior to Alkermes, Elliot spent 7 years at Merck Research Labs working in clinical pharmacology and clinical development.

Dr. Ehrich has also served on the advisory boards of numerous companies including Praxis Precision Medicines, Verge Genomics, Heptares Therapeutics, Aileron Therapeutics, and Trialnetworks.com.

Elliot received a B.A. at Princeton University and an M.D. from Columbia University. He completed a residency in internal medicine and immunology-rheumatology fellowship at Stanford University.  Elliot was a predoctoral fellow at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and a Cancer Research Institute sponsored post-doc at Stanford.

Jacob Jacobsen, PhD

Co-Founder

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Jacobsen is the inventor of the 5-hydroxytryptophan sustained-release (5-HTP SR) concept. Prior to joining Evecxia as Chief Scientific Officer, he was a scientist at Duke University and Duke-National University Singapore, where he was the driver of a cross-disciplinary team executing seminal research on the 5-HTP SR therapeutic concept. He was also intimately involved in establishing the intellectual property estate.

Previously, Dr. Jacobsen spent 8 years in pharma-biotech, NeuroSearch and Lundbeck, where he executed various drug discovery and target validation projects. He is well-published, including in the highest ranking journals in the field of Psychiatry, and is an inventor on all 5-HTP SR issued and pending patents.

Dr. Jacobsen received his PhD in Neuropharmacology from the University of Copenhagen.

Scientific Advisory Board

Maurizio Fava, MD

• Director, Division of Clinical Research of the Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Executive Vice Chair, Department of Psychiatry
• Executive Director, Massachusetts General Hospital Clinical Trials Network & Institute (CTNI)
• Associate Dean for Clinical & Translational Research, Slater Family Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Andrew Krystal, MS, MD

• Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco
• Director of the Dolby Family Center for Mood Disorders
• Director of the UCSF Interventional Psychiatry Program and Co-Director of the TMS & Neuromodulation Clinic

John Rush, MD

• Professor Emeritus, Duke-NUS
• Adjunctive Professor, Duke University Medical School & Texas Tech University

Richard Shelton, MD

• Professor, Vice Chair for Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama

Partnerships

Duke University

In December 2015, Evecxia Therapeutics and Duke University School of Medicine entered into a worldwide license agreement granting Evecxia the exclusive right to develop and commercialize certain issued patents and pending patent applications involving 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). In April 2018, the above-mentioned license agreement was expanded to include pending patent applications involving 5-HTP in combination with other pharmacological agents.

Tempus

In June 2020, Evecxia Therapeutics announced that it is working with Tempus, a technology company advancing precision medicine through the practical application of artificial intelligence in healthcare, to integrate genetic, metabolomics, biochemical, and clinical data for deeper analysis. Tempus and Evecxia share a mission to improve the lives of patients suffering from mental illness. Given discreet pharmacology and the availability of serotonin-related biomarkers across multiple clinical dimensions, Evecxia’s 5-HTP-based drug candidates are ideally suited for precision medicine approaches. The collaboration will apply a data-driven approach to Evecxia’s upcoming clinical trials, with the goal of matching the right patient to the right treatment.

New Partnerships

With Evecxia Therapeutics’ unsurpassed knowledge and experience with 5-HTP, serving as a hub for additional scientific exploration and development into multiple complimentary areas of unmet need, we seek value-added partnerships and collaborations with academic and corporate partners across therapeutic areas. We want you to work with us to help people with mental illness lead fuller and more meaningful lives.