Our Team
Our team is comprised of experienced pharmacologists, chemists, and biologists who leverage their years of industry experience to advance small molecule inhibitors into the clinic.
Dr. Timothy Haystead, PhD
President & Founder
Dr. Haystead has extensive experience in all aspects of small molecule discovery and development. In 2000, he founded the biotechnology company Serenex, Inc. (Serenex) which discovered and developed the first orally bioavailable inhibitor of Hsp90, SNX5422. This compound has completed several Phase I and II clinical trials, and is currently progressing through Phase III studies for cancer. Serenex was subsequently acquired by Pfizer in 2008. Thereafter, his laboratory at Duke discovered and developed HS-196 and HS-201, two novel tethered Hsp90 inhibitors which entered Phase I clinical trials in 2019. He has also patented several metabolic and protein kinase inhibitors with potential utility in a number of disease indications. Dr. Haystead has multiple composition of matter patents issued and filed throughout his academic career, and therefore possesses the necessary experience to advance lead molecules along the developmental continuum. Recent discovery of the highly selective TAK1 inhibitor, takinib, and its subsequent analogs (e.g., EYD-001) led to the creation of EydisBio, Inc. Dr. Haystead is currently a Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University. He received his BS in biochemistry from University College Cardiff and his PhD from the University of Dundee.
Dr. Philip Hughes, PhD
Vice President of Chemistry
Dr. Hughes is a medicinal chemist with over 38 years of experience in both industry (e.g., Eli Lilly, Sphinx, Wyeth) and academia, and has developed numerous chemical entities (including rapamycin and SNX5422) which have advanced into clinical trials for various disease indications including cancer, transplant, and pain. At Wyeth, Dr. Hughes contributed to the preclinical development of the marketed drugs etodolac and sirolimus, and at Lilly he led technical development of their parallel synthesis technology (partnered for $70M). More recently, Dr. Hughes has worked with Dr. Haystead to develop an Hsp90 targeted delivery strategy for imaging and therapy. Under the guidance of Dr. Hughes, EydisBio has synthesized 50+ TAK1 inhibitor analogs to date, including our orally bioavailable lead candidate molecule, EYD-001. Dr. Hughes currently acts as Vice President of Chemistry at EydisBio, leading process and analog development for further exploration of the kinase space surrounding EYD-001, and as a Senior Scientist at Duke University working in Dr. Haystead’s laboratory. Dr. Hughes obtained his BS in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his PhD in organic chemistry from Cornell University.
Dr. Scott Scarneo, MBA, PhD
Director of Research and Discovery
Dr. Scarneo is a formally trained pharmacologist with experience in small molecule immunomodulating therapies. He has published many research articles describing the role of TAK1 in various inflammatory diseases, and his work has advanced the therapeutic understanding of TAK1 and provided critical data to support this target in preclinical studies. Dr. Scarneo currently serves as Director of Research & Discovery at EydisBio, where he directs in vitro kinase testing of novel analogs, immune cytokine profiling in response to TAK1 inhibition, and coordinates with our CRO collaborators to design and execute preclinical efficacy and safety studies. Dr. Scarneo, has additionally submitted three provisional patents through Duke’s Office of Licensing & Ventures describing novel intellectual property surrounding use of TAK1 inhibitors in various disease indications. Dr. Scarneo received his BS in biology and chemistry from Roger Williams University, his MS in Biology from the University of New England, his MBA from Eastern New Mexico University, and his PhD in pharmacology from Duke University School of Medicine.
Robert Freeze, MBA
Vice President of Business Development & Operations
Mr. Freeze has held a number of roles in life science and early-stage drug R&D over his 18-year career. He is currently the Founder & President of Scytheros, LLC, a drug development consulting firm focused on early-stage R&D and commercialization strategy, and has helped small biopharma companies secure over $65 million in grant and private equity funding to date. He also currently serves as the Director of Business Insights at a Top 5 CRO, and previously as Director of Business Insights at the CRO FHI Clinical. Prior to these, Mr. Freeze held various roles in business development, strategy and insights at the industry leading metabolomics company, Metabolon, where he helped build out their contract research service offerings and launch the company’s biomarker business into the clinical market. Earlier in his career, he served as an equity research analyst for a leading life science investment bank, LifeSci Capital, covering small- to mid-size biopharmaceutical companies. Robert has a robust network of industry experts and investors, and strong experience in building and executing CRO service offerings. He obtained a BS in microbiology, a BS in biology, and an MBA in finance and entrepreneurship, all from North Carolina State University.