California Biotech Insights

Dr. Chorom Pak is the founder and CEO of Lynx Biosciences, Inc. (LynxBio), where she leads the commercialization of Lynx Rufus™, a multi-omic microfluidic platform developed while earning her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. The technology was born out of an interdisciplinary collaboration between cancer biologists, physicians, biomedical engineers, physicists, and biostatisticians to generate data-driven, transformative insights into primary cancer biology. LynxBio has forged strategic partnerships with multiple pharmaceutical companies, focusing on the discovery and development of next-generation immunotherapeutics. Prior to establishing LynxBio, Dr. Pak was the clinical and R&D lead at Cellectar Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLRB), where she co-developed a targeted radiotherapeutic against hematological malignancies and successfully advanced it to Phase 2 clinical trials. Dr. Pak was awarded the Biocom Catalyst Award, holds fifteen patents, and has over 15 years of experience in oncology and multi-omic platforms.

Dr. Michael Mahler is CSO of Exagen, a biotech company dedicated to transforming the care continuum for patients suffering from debilitating chronic autoimmune diseases. Michael brings over two decades of leadership and innovation in autoimmune diagnostic research to his role at Exagen. Throughout his career, Dr. Mahler has held senior scientific and leadership positions at several diagnostic companies, where his transformative work has led to the discovery of novel autoantigens and the development of innovative diagnostic solutions. His scientific contributions have resulted in over 300 peer-reviewed publications and numerous patents, advancing the accurate diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. Prior to joining Exagen, he served as Senior Vice President of Research Development and Business Development at Werfen, where he was responsible for all development programs in the autoimmunity field, including instruments, software, and reagents. Dr. Mahler began his scientific career at the University of Heidelberg, earning his PhD. in Molecular Genetics. During his doctoral studies, he conducted research at the Scripps Research Institute under Professors Eng Tan and Michael Pollard, both internationally recognized pioneers in autoimmune disease research.

John Fair is the President and CEO of J3 Bioscience, a biotechnology company reimagining how therapies are delivered through its proprietary intravaginal ring (IVR) platform to address some of the most persistent challenges in women’s health. With more than twenty years of leadership experience in women’s health, medical device and specialty pharmaceuticals, John has driven growth and innovation through senior roles in strategy, marketing, operations, and business development. He holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, a BA from Rider University, and has completed executive education in Mergers and Acquisitions at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.