At Tocagen, we are driven by our founding vision: “No One Should Die Of Cancer.” We exist because we are determined to make a difference in the lives of people fighting cancer. With our passionate team and world-class science we believe we can redefine cancer therapy.

– MARTY J. DUVALL
Chief Executive Officer

Our Story

No One Should Die of Cancer^TM

We are driven by a vision to end cancer mortality. Our company was founded on this vision in 2007.

Our Guiding Principles

We put patients first, with the goal of extending and improving quality of life
We are driven to achieve cancer treatment breakthroughs
We are committed to quality and excellence in all that we do
We are creating an environment where highly motivated people feel invested and rewarded
We have a firm belief that no one should die of cancer

Tocagen is developing first-in-class, broadly applicable product candidates for the treatment of cancer using our cancer-selective gene therapy platform built on retroviral replicating vectors, or RRVs, initially for patients with recurrent high grade glioma, or HGG.

Our broadly applicable product candidates are designed to activate a patient’s immune system against their own cancer from within.

At the core of our approach is a gene therapy platform that utilizes RRVs, which are designed to selectively deliver therapeutic genes into the DNA of cancer cells. Our proprietary platform is designed to fight cancer through a combination of mechanisms without the autoimmune toxicities that patients commonly experience with other treatments. In other words, our technology is designed to combat cancer with fewer side effects, keeping patients’ healthy tissue intact while the tumor is destroyed.

Tocagen exists for the patients. Our hope is that even the most aggressive forms of cancer can be safely and effectively controlled, and each day we strive to turn our bold vision into reality.

Tocagen has received grant support from leading brain cancer foundations, including:

Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2)
National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS)
American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA)
Musella Foundation
Voices Against Brain Cancer (VABC)

Management

Marty J. Duvall

Chief Executive Officer

Harry E. Gruber, MD

President, Science and Innovation

Mark G. Foletta

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Douglas J. Jolly, PhD

Executive Vice President, Research and Pharmaceutical Development

Fairooz Kabbinavar, MD, FACP

Senior Vice President, Clinical Development

John F. Wood

Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance

Nicholas A. Boyle, PhD

Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Business Development

Carlos E. Ibañez, PhD

Vice President, Product Development and Manufacturing

Thian Kheoh, PhD

Vice President, Biometrics

Sophie Visonneau, PhD

Vice President, Clinical Operations

Mohamed H. Ladha

Vice President, Head of Commercial and Medical Affairs

Board of Directors

Franklin Berger

Founder and Managing Director of FMB Research

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Franklin M. Berger has served as a member of our board of directors since October 2014. Mr. Berger is a biotechnology industry analyst with over 25 years of experience in capital markets and financial analysis. Since 2008, Mr. Berger has served as an independent consultant to biopharmaceutical companies rendering strategic and financial advice as the managing director of FMB Research. Mr. Berger worked at Sectoral Asset Management as a founder of the small-cap focused NEMO Fund from January 2007 through June 2008. From May 1998 to March 2003, he served at J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., most recently as managing director, equity research and senior biotechnology analyst. In this role he was involved in Genentech’s IPO and the first financings for Celgene Corporation and Gilead Sciences. Previously, Mr. Berger served in similar capacities at Salomon Smith Barney and Josephthal & Co. Mr. Berger also serves on the boards of directors of Immune Design Corp., BELLUS Health, Inc., ESSA Pharma Inc., Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc. and Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc., each of which is a publicly held biotechnology company. Mr. Berger previously served as a member of the board of directors of Seattle Genetics, Inc., Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. and Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, Inc., publicly held biopharmaceutical companies, as well as Emisphere Technologies, Inc., BioTime, Inc. and VaxGen, Inc., each of which were publicly held biopharmaceutical companies during Mr. Berger’s service as a director. Mr. Berger received a bachelor’s degree in international relations and master’s degree in international economics from Johns Hopkins University and received a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School. He is a founding fellow of the Biotechnology Study Center at NYU School of Medicine.

Thomas E. Darcy

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Thomas E. Darcy is a co-founder of Tocagen and has served as a member of our board of directors since August 2007, our chief financial officer from August 2007 to February 2017 and our executive vice president from August 2007 to May 2017. Mr. Darcy holds more than 45 years of experience in finance and accounting. Prior to joining us, Mr. Darcy served for over five years as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Science Applications International Corporation, or SAIC, a publicly held, NYSE Fortune 500 science and technology company. Mr. Darcy also served as a director and chairman of the audit committee of McAfee, Inc., a publicly held technology company, for more than three years until its sale to Intel Corporation in February 2011. Mr. Darcy also currently serves as a director and chairman of the audit committee of Lytx, Inc., a privately held technology company. Prior to SAIC, he was a partner in the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), where he served as the managing partner of both the West and Southwest Region Audit and Business Advisory Service Technology practices, as well as the managing partner of the San Diego office. During his 27-year career with PwC he served numerous biotech and high technology clients such as Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Synbiotics, Canji, SIBIA, Telios, Qualcomm, Compaq Computer and The Walt Disney Company, and assisted his clients with venture capital, public offering and acquisition transactions. He also developed the firm’s first course on initial public offerings, and co-authored the firm’s companion handbook entitled “Taking Your Company Public.” Mr. Darcy is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in the state of California and graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Faheem Hasnain

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Faheem Hasnain has served as the chairman of Tocagen’s board of directors since October 2014 and is a distinguished industry leader with over thirty years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Mr. Hasnain co-founded Gossamer Bio and serves as executive chairman. Previously, Mr. Hasnain served as president, chief executive officer and as a member of the board of directors of Receptos, Inc., or, Receptos, a publicly held biopharmaceutical company, from November 2010 until the company’s acquisition by Celgene Corporation in August 2015. Prior to joining Receptos, Mr. Hasnain was the president and chief executive officer and a director of Facet Biotech Corporation, or Facet Biotech, a publicly held biology driven antibody company with a focus in multiple sclerosis and oncology. He held that position from December 2008 until the company’s acquisition by Abbott Laboratories in April 2010. Prior to joining Facet Biotech, Mr. Hasnain was president, chief executive officer and a director of PDL BioPharma, Inc. from October 2008 until Facet Biotech was spun off from PDL BioPharma, Inc. in December 2008. From October 2004 to September 2008, Mr. Hasnain served at Biogen Idec Inc., a publicly held biotechnology company specializing in neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and cancer, most recently as executive vice president in charge of the oncology/rheumatology strategic business unit. Prior to Biogen Idec Inc., Mr. Hasnain held roles with Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he was president of the Oncology Therapeutics Network, and for 14 years at GlaxoSmithKline and its predecessor organizations. Mr. Hasnain serves on the board of directors of Mirati Therapeutics, Inc., Kura Oncology, Inc., Sente, Inc. and Vital Therapies, Inc. and previously served as a member of the board of directors of Ambit Biosciences Corporation, acquired by Daiichi Sankyo; Seragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., acquired by Roche; Tercica, Inc., acquired by Ipsen; Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., acquired by Johnson & Johnson; Pernix Sleep, Inc.; and Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., acquired by Pernix Sleep, Inc. Mr. Hasnain received a B.H.K. and B.Ed. from the University of Windsor Ontario in Canada.

Martin J. Duvall

Chief Executive Officer

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Martin J. Duvall has served as Tocagen’s chief executive officer and as a member of our board of directors since November 2016. He holds over 30 years of oncology drug development and commercialization experience, including building successful oncology teams in both large pharma organizations and biotech companies. Prior to joining Tocagen, Mr. Duvall served as executive vice president, chief commercial officer of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly held biotechnology company, from September 2011 to June 2016, where he led the company’s growth and transformation into a fully integrated, global biotechnology company. From December 2010 to September 2011, he served as senior vice president and general manager for the oncology franchise at Merck & Co., Inc., a publicly held healthcare company. Prior to that, he served in similar capacities at Abraxis Bioscience, Inc., a publicly held biotechnology company now acquired by Celgene; MGI Pharma, Inc., a publicly held biopharmaceutical company now acquired by Eisai Co., Ltd.; and in positions of increasing responsibility at Sanofi US, a publicly held biotechnology company, and its predecessor companies. Mr. Duvall received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Muhlenberg College, master’s degree in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University and master’s degree in business administration from the University of Kansas.

Paul Schimmel, PhD

Hahn Professor of Molecular Biology and Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute

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Paul Schimmel, Ph.D., has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2015. Dr. Schimmel is the Hahn professor of molecular biology and chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute, a position he has held since 2001. He is an industry and academic leader with deep experience developing new treatments for unmet medical needs, serving on corporate boards and building successful companies. Dr. Schimmel co-founded Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a publicly held biopharmaceutical company, and currently serves as a member of the company’s board of directors. He also serves as a member of the board of directors of aTyr Pharma, Inc., a publicly held biopharmaceutical company. In addition to Alnylam, Dr. Schimmel co-founded and served as a founding director of Cubist Pharmaceuticals, a publicly held biopharmaceutical company acquired by Merck and Co. He previously served as a member of the board of directors of Alkermes plc; Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, acquired by GlaxoSmithKline; RepliGen Corporation; and Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which are all publicly held biopharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining The Scripps Research Institute, Dr. Schimmel was the MacArthur professor of biophysics and biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also served as chairman for the division of biological chemistry at the American Chemical Society and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Schimmel is an author or coauthor of more than 450 scientific papers, co-author of a three-volume textbook on biophysical chemistry, and has received numerous awards for his contributions to the field. Dr. Schimmel received a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University. He conducted his post-doctoral work at Stanford University.

David R. Parkinson, MD

President and Chief Executive Officer at ESSA Pharma, Inc.

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David Parkinson, M.D., 67, has served as a member of our board since April 2015. Since January 2016, Dr. Parkinson has served as the president and chief executive officer of ESSA Pharma, Inc., a publicly-held biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining ESSA Pharma, Inc., Dr. Parkinson served as a venture advisor at New Enterprise Associates, a venture capital fund, a company he had been with since June 2012. From 2007 to 2012, Dr. Parkinson served as president and chief executive officer of Nodality, Inc., a biotechnology company. Until October 2007, he was senior vice-president, oncology research and development at Biogen Idec, Inc., where he oversaw all oncology discovery research efforts and the development of the oncology pipeline. Dr. Parkinson has more than twenty years of experience in oncology clinical development, including leading clinical activities at Amgen and Novartis for the cancer therapeutics Gleevec, Femara, Zometa, Kepivance and Vectibix. Dr. Parkinson presently serves on the board of directors of 3SBio, Inc. and CTI Biopharma, Inc., each a biopharmaceutical company, and previously served on the board of directors of Threshold Pharmaceuticals and Cerulean Pharmaceuticals, each a biopharmaceutical company, Facet Biotech Corporation (“Facet Biotech”), a publicly-held biology driven antibody company acquired by Abbott Pharmaceuticals, and Ambit Biosciences Corporation, a publicly-held biopharmaceutical company acquired by Daiichi Sankyo. Among other prior roles, Dr. Parkinson was vice president of oncology development at Amgen, vice president of global clinical oncology development at Novartis and senior vice president at Biogen Idec, leading oncology research and development. Previously, Dr. Parkinson worked at the National Cancer Institute for almost a decade, including serving as chief of the Investigational Drug Branch and acting associate director of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program. He has also served as the chairman of the FDA Biologics Advisory Committee. He previously served as a member of the board of directors of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, and currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. He served as chairperson of the American Association of Cancer Research (“AACR”) Finance and Audit Committee for 15 years and is a previously elected member of the board of directors of AACR. Dr. Parkinson received his M.D. from University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and has held academic positions both at Tufts and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Harry E. Gruber, MD

President, Science and Innovation

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Harry E. Gruber, M.D., one of the pioneers in gene therapy, co-founded Tocagen and led the company as chief executive officer before assuming the role of president, research and development in November 2016 and president, science and innovation in October 2017. He has been a member of the board of directors since August 2007. Dr. Gruber served as our chief executive officer from August 2007 to November 2016 and served as chairman of our board of directors from August 2007 to October 2014. Dr. Gruber is a co-founder of Tocagen and has been the co-founder and/or co-inventor of key technology for the following publicly held companies: Viagene Inc., a gene therapy company acquired by Novartis Pharmaceuticals; Gensia Inc., a biopharmaceutical company acquired by Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries, Ltd.; INTERVU Inc., a technology company acquired by Akamai Technologies, Inc.; Kintera, Inc., a technology company acquired by Blackbaud. He is the author of more than 100 original scientific articles and an inventor on more than 100 issued and pending patents. Dr. Gruber holds a medical degree and bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and trained in Internal Medicine, Biochemical Genetics and Rheumatology/Immunology at the University of California, San Diego, where he subsequently joined the medical school faculty until founding Gensia Inc.

Lori Kunkel, MD

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Lori Kunkel, M.D. holds more than twenty years of experience in oncology and immunology drug development and commercialization. From October 2013 to October 2014 she was the acting chief medical officer of Loxo Oncology, Inc. Prior to that role she was the chief medical officer of Pharmacyclics LLC, acquired by AbbVie; the chief medical officer of Proteolix, Inc., acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals; and the vice president of Clinical Development at Xencor, Inc. Prior to these positions she was a clinical scientist at Genentech, a biopharmaceutical company, where she worked on the development of RITUXAN^®. Additionally, as a clinical drug development specialist, Dr. Kunkel has advised multiple clients including Chiron, Genentech/Roche, Salmedics, and currently is an advisor to Amphivena Therapeutics, Inc., Atreca, Inc., Oryzon Genomics, S.A., Oncopeptides, Rain and Verastem, Inc. Prior to joining the biotechnology industry, Dr. Kunkel spent ten years in academic medicine and served as a faculty member at the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Kunkel serves on the board of directors of Loxo Oncology, Inc., Curis, Inc., and Maverick Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Kunkel received her medical degree from University of Southern California and her bachelor’s degree in biology from University of California, San Diego. She is board certified in internal medicine and held board certifications in hematology and oncology.

Dr. Kunkel temporarily served as acting chief medical officer from November 2018 through April 2019.

Scientific and Clinical Advisors

Nori Kasahara, MD, PhD

Pioneering Scientist

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Dr. Kasahara is the lead inventor of Tocagen’s core technology and an internationally recognized pioneer in gene therapy. As of March 1, 2013 he has received approximately $12.8 million in gene therapy-related grant funding from the NIH, the Department of Defense, and other public and private funding agencies. In addition, he has received a multi-million dollar grant awards from the NIH and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), and certain Tocagen employees may be paid as consultants under this grant. Dr. Kasahara currently serves as a professor of cell biology at the University of Miami (UM) and is a co-leader of the viral oncology program at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at UM. Previously, he was professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with a joint appointment as professor of molecular & medical pharmacology. He also served as the director of the molecular Vector Core facility for the UCLA CURE research center and the Vector Shared Resource for the UCLA Jonsson comprehensive cancer center. Prior to joining UM, he served on the faculty of the University of Southern California (USC) for seven years, where he was the director of USC’s Vector Core facility for the USC Institute of Genetic Medicine and Norris Comprehensive cancer center. Dr. Kasahara is highly published and sought after as a lecturer in the field of cancer gene therapy. He served two terms as a member of the scientific committee on viral gene transfer vectors for the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT), is the immediate past president of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy of Cancer (ISCGT), and is currently a member of the board of councilors for the Japan Society of Gene Therapy. He is also a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, Japan Society of Gene Therapy, Japan Society for Cancer Chemotherapy, and the British Society of Gene Therapy, and is a visiting professor in the Department of Oncology / Division of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Oxford. Dr. Kasahara received a medical degree and doctorate from Tokyo Medical and Dental University, completed his residency in laboratory medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and is board certified in clinical pathology. He also received a doctorate in endocrinology/physiology from UCSF, where he trained under Dr. Y.W. Kan, a recipient of the Lasker Award.

Joseph Sodroski, MD

Scientific Advisory Board

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Joseph Sodroski, M.D., is currently professor of pathology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School as well as professor of immunology and infectious diseases, Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Sodroski is also currently associate director of the Harvard Medical School Center of AIDS Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Sodroski is an expert in retrovirology, especially viral tropism specificity. Dr. Sodroski received a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College and received postdoctoral training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the laboratory of Dr. William Haseltine. Dr. Sodroski also was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Viagene Inc.

Stephen J. Russell, MD, PhD

Scientific Advisory Board

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Stephen J. Russell, M.D., Ph.D., is currently chair of the Department of Molecular Medicine program at the Mayo Clinic. His research interests include engineering viral tropisms, evading antiviral immune responses and the development of new methods for non-invasive in vivo monitoring of gene expression. His long-term research aim is to develop injectable gene transfer vectors for the treatment of disseminated malignancies, particularly multiple myeloma, and demonstrate their efficacy in clinical trials. Dr. Stephen Russell graduated in medicine from Edinburgh University, Scotland, with distinctions in microbiology and surgery. He earned his doctorate at the University of London after researching the retroviral/parvoviral transfer of interleukin genes to cancer cells as a novel approach to immunotherapy.

John Coffin, PhD

Scientific Advisory Board

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John Coffin, Ph.D., is currently an American Cancer Society professor at the Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University. He is also special advisor to director, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute for the HIV Drug Resistance Program. Dr. Coffin is an expert in retrovirology, especially understanding the interaction of retroviruses with their host cells and organisms. Dr. Coffin has served on several national committees to review and create policy regarding retroviruses and disease. Dr. Coffin has more than 150 scientific publications and has contributed chapters to, and been editor of, several standard textbooks on retroviruses. In 1999, Dr. Coffin was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Coffin received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin in the laboratory of Dr. Howard Temin (a Nobel Laureate for his work in retrovirology) and was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Charles Weissmann at the University of Zurich. Dr. Coffin also was a member of the scientific advisory board of Viagene Inc.

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Patients and their families are an endless source of inspiration and motivation for Tocagen as we drive toward our goals. We’re interested in their stories, and seek to share those stories here.

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Disclaimer

No One Should Die of CancerTM

Our Guiding Principles

Management

Marty J. Duvall

Harry E. Gruber, MD

Mark G. Foletta

Douglas J. Jolly, PhD

Fairooz Kabbinavar, MD, FACP

John F. Wood

Nicholas A. Boyle, PhD

Carlos E. Ibañez, PhD

Thian Kheoh, PhD

Sophie Visonneau, PhD

Mohamed H. Ladha

Board of Directors

Franklin Berger

Thomas E. Darcy

Faheem Hasnain

Martin J. Duvall

Paul Schimmel, PhD

David R. Parkinson, MD

Harry E. Gruber, MD

Lori Kunkel, MD

Scientific and Clinical Advisors

Nori Kasahara, MD, PhD

Joseph Sodroski, MD

Stephen J. Russell, MD, PhD

John Coffin, PhD

Powered by the Patients

No One Should Die of Cancer^TM