Leadership
Executive Leadership
Olav Bergheim
Founder, CEO & Executive Chairman
Olav Bergheim has over 30 years’ experience in creating and managing life science companies. He is a founder of Medley Therapeutics, Inc., in addition to several other life science companies including 3F Therapeutics (acq. by Medtronic), Adagio Medical (ADGM), Anaxiom Corporation, Glaukos Corporation (GKOS), Prelude Corporation, Sonendo (SONX), Vessix Vascular, Inc. (acq. by Boston Scientific) and Volcano Corporation (VOLC, acq. by Philips). Mr. Bergheim has served as Director or Chairman of numerous life science companies in addition to his various roles as founder, executive and investor. He is also the founder of Fjord Ventures, a life science accelerator located in Laguna Hills, California, where Medley Therapeutics was founded in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Heart Institute. Prior to starting Fjord Ventures, Mr. Bergheim spent 10 years at Domain Associates as a company creator and general partner. Prior to Domain, Mr. Bergheim spent 18 years with Baxter Healthcare at US and international locations, where he held various executive leadership and operating roles. Mr. Bergheim was a Corporate VP of Baxter as well as President of Baxter’s Cardiovascular Group (now Edwards Life Sciences), President of Baxter Germany, and General Manager of the Nordic area.
Tyler Kibbee
Chief Operating Officer
Tyler brings significant leadership experience developing innovative and disruptive medical technologies through his collaborations with global thought leaders. Prior to his role at Medley Therapeutics, Tyler led PreludeDx from concept to commercial launch and was responsible for building the commercial executive team before his departure to Medley Therapeutics. His contributions include setting corporate strategy, driving product development, managing strategic transactions and licensing, executing clinical trials and cultivating relationships with thought leaders. Tyler has been involved in the formation of multiple start-up companies in the cardiovascular, ophthalmic, diabetes and oncology fields through his positions at Fjord Ventures, a California based technology accelerator and venture group. Tyler holds a B.S. from Vanderbilt University in Biomedical Engineering and minor in Financial Economics. Tyler trained as an intern at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Research. He also holds an M.B.S. in Business and Bioprocessing from Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Lifesciences, a Claremont College.
James Martin, MD, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Martin is a physician-scientist internationally recognized for his contributions to fundamental understanding of signaling pathways and genetic determinates of cardiac and organ development, disease, and regenerative biology. Dr. Martin obtained his MD and PhD degrees, as well as surgical residency training at University of Texas Medical School in Houston. He has a BS in Chemistry from Fordham University. Dr. Martin is known for his expertise in mammalian Hippo pathway modulation and organ renewal and is responsible for guiding R&D efforts at Medley Therapeutics. The company’s lead asset, YAP101, was developed in a close collaboration between Medley Therapeutics and his laboratories. Through this collaboration, proof-of-concept mouse studies totaling over 300 mice and nearly 40 pigs were successfully completed leading to publications in both Nature and Science Translational Medicine. Dr. Martin holds numerous patents, has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed papers in top journals, and is a frequent speaker at international conferences. He was recently inducted into the National Academy of Inventors, the American Association of Physicians, and was awarded the Debakey Award for Excellence in Scientific Research. In addition to his role at Medley Therapeutics, he directs basic research labs at Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Heart Institute. Dr. Martin is a tenured Professor and Vice Chair in the department of Integrative Physiology as well as the Vivian L. Smith Chair in Regenerative Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the Fertitta Chair at Texas Heart Institute. Dr. Martin has multiple federal and foundation grants.
Emerson C. Perin, MD, PhD
Medical Director
Dr. Perin is an interventional cardiologist with a career spanning advanced clinical care, translational research, and institutional leadership. Early in his career, he achieved national recognition for his work in interventional cardiology, managing complex cases and contributing to evolving procedural standards. This clinical foundation fueled his unwavering interest in research, particularly in the field of regenerative cardiology. He had the privilege of leading the world’s first clinical application of stem cell therapy in a patient with heart failure—an experience that shaped his continued involvement in cell-based and gene therapy research over the past 25 years. His work has consistently focused on translating novel biologic therapies from bench to bedside, in close collaboration with academic and industry partners with an overriding goal of achieving a cure for heart failure. In parallel with his clinical and research efforts, he has assumed increasing leadership responsibilities at The Texas Heart Institute, ultimately serving as Medical Director. In this role, he supports strategic initiatives that align research, education, and patient care, and mentor of the next generation of cardiovascular innovators. Dr. Perin’s professional path reflects a strong commitment to academic medicine and to advancing cardiovascular science through collaborative, forward-looking initiatives.
John Leach, PhD
R&D Director
Dr. Leach leads R&D efforts at Medley Therapeutics, focusing on novel therapies for chronic and degenerative diseases. His scientific expertise bridges developmental, regenerative, and translational biology. Building on discoveries in Hippo/YAP signaling, Dr. Leach helped transform basic science into Medley Therapeutics’ platform for tissue regeneration. As reported in Nature (2017) and Science Translational Medicine (2021) studies, inhibition of Hippo pathway with an AAV-mediated shRNA knockdown of Salvador (Sav1) reverses established systolic heart failure in both small and large-animal models of myocardial infarction. These studies established a translational foundation for cardiac repair and regeneration and led to Medley’s lead genetic medicine, YAP101. Beyond cardiology, Dr. Leach completed postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. Edward Morrisey researching alveolar epithelial repair mechanisms. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Physiology from Baylor College of Medicine and a B.S. in Biological Chemistry from Florida Atlantic University.
Andrew Wade
Chief Financial Officer
Andy brings over 25 years of broad corporate finance and accounting experience, including over 20 years within the life science industry. Andy has served as Chief Financial Officer for PreludeDx, a personalized breast cancer diagnostics company, and Fjord Ventures, a life science accelerator. In addition, Andy has held management positions with a number of life science firms, including Lombard Medical, Alsius Corporation and Cardiac Science. Andy began his career with KPMG and holds a B.A. in Business Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Ross Durland, PhD
Head of Product Development
Dr. Durland leads product development activities at Medley Therapeutics. He has more than 35 years’ experience in the biotechnology industry, including extensive experience in gene and cell therapy. He was SVP of Product Development at Cell Medica, where he led the development and initial clinical testing of two CAR-modified NKT cell therapies. He also spent 8 years at Valentis, where he led discovery and early clinical testing of two in vivo gene therapies and participated in the development of five additional clinical stage therapies. His expertise encompasses project management, manufacturing, quality, analytics, and product development strategy. Dr. Durland has co-authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and is a co-inventor on five issued US patents. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California San Diego and graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University with a BS in Biology.
Chun Chen, PhD
Translational Medicine Lead, Fibrosis and Oncology
Dr. Chen is a biotech R&D leader with 20+ years of experience during which he has advanced biologics and small-molecule programs from concept through IND, contributing to three clinical-stage assets and establishing robust translational biomarker strategies.  Prior to Medley Therapeutics, Dr. Chen was Director of Discovery Biology at NGM Biopharmaceutics, where he led an eight-member team and spearheaded the company’s first bispecific ADC platform (RI-ACT), delivering two preclinical ADC candidates. Earlier at Pliant Therapeutics, he built the foundational biology platform for fibrosis drug discovery and led programs from target validation to IND for bexotegrast (PLN-74809) and two additional clinical candidates (PLN-101095, PLN-101325).  He began his career at UCSF studying TGFβ activation in oncology and fibrosis.  Dr. Chen holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry, Academia Sinica, and a BS from Nanjing University.
Board of Directors
Olav Bergheim
Founder, CEO & Executive Chairman
Olav Bergheim has over 30 years’ experience in creating and managing life science companies. He is a founder of Medley Therapeutics, Inc., in addition to several other life science companies including 3F Therapeutics (acq. by Medtronic), Adagio Medical (ADGM), Anaxiom Corporation, Glaukos Corporation (GKOS), Prelude Corporation, Sonendo (SONX), Vessix Vascular, Inc. (acq. by Boston Scientific) and Volcano Corporation (VOLC, acq. by Philips). Mr. Bergheim has served as Director or Chairman of numerous life science companies in addition to his various roles as founder, executive and investor. He is also the founder of Fjord Ventures, a life science accelerator located in Laguna Hills, California, where Medley Therapeutics was founded in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Heart Institute. Prior to starting Fjord Ventures, Mr. Bergheim spent 10 years at Domain Associates as a company creator and general partner. Prior to Domain, Mr. Bergheim spent 18 years with Baxter Healthcare at US and international locations, where he held various executive leadership and operating roles. Mr. Bergheim was a Corporate VP of Baxter as well as President of Baxter’s Cardiovascular Group (now Edwards Life Sciences), President of Baxter Germany, and General Manager of the Nordic area.
Fred Kamal, PhD
Board Member
Fred Kamal has 30+ years leading the development, registration, and commercialization of complex biologics—including cell and viral-vector gene therapies—across U.S. and global markets. Over the past two decades he has advanced targeted monoclonal antibodies, gene therapies, and engineered cell immunotherapies for oncology, inflammatory diseases, and rare genetic disorders, contributing to multiple approved biotechnology-derived therapeutics and small-molecule products. He is President & COO of 4D Molecular Therapeutics and held senior roles at AveXis (Novartis), Juno Therapeutics (BMS), InterMune (Roche), MedImmune (AstraZeneca), and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical. His leadership has spanned Business Development, Technical Operations, Quality & Compliance, Regulatory, HR, IT, Facilities & Engineering, and Program Management from concept through commercialization. Fred holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Chemistry from The American University, Washington, D.C.
Joel Marcus, JD, CPA
Board Member
Joel S. Marcus, JD, CPA, is the full-time Executive Chairman and Founder of Alexandria, a real estate investment trust (REIT) that pioneered life science real estate and transformed it from a specialty niche to a mainstream asset class. Alexandria is the preeminent, largest, and longest-tenured owner, operator, and developer uniquely focused on collaborative Megacampus™ ecosystems in AAA life science innovation cluster locations. Since co-founding the company in 1994 as a garage startup with $19 million in Series A capital, Mr. Marcus has led the remarkable growth of Alexandria into an S&P 500® company and the leading REIT focused on the life science industry, with a total market capitalization of $28 billion and an operating asset base in North America of approximately 40 million RSF as of September 30, 2025. Alexandria was named the NAIOP 2019 Developer of the Year and has earned seven Gold and eight overall Nareit Investor CARE (Communications and Reporting Excellence) Awards in recognition of superior investor communications among REITs. The company has also been named by Newsweek as one of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies for three consecutive years and one the World’s Most Trustworthy Companies for two years in a row, reinforcing its standing as the most trusted brand in life science real estate. Mr. Marcus also leads Alexandria Venture Investments, the company’s strategic venture capital platform, which he founded in 1996. Some of his most notable early-stage investments include Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Google, and Intra-Cellular Therapies. With approximately $1.5 billion under management, Alexandria Venture Investments actively invests in disruptive life science companies that are advancing transformative new modalities, platforms, and innovative medicines to meaningfully improve human health. Mr. Marcus introduced Alexandria’s thought leadership vertical in 2011 when he co-founded the renowned Alexandria Summit®, a highly collaborative, neutral platform that explores important issues facing human health and leverages its powerful collective voice to foster impactful collaborations and shape policy. Mr. Marcus also leads Alexandria’s corporate responsibility initiatives, which aim to address some of the nation’s most urgent challenges, including mental health and addiction. Mr. Marcus serves on the boards of several biotechnology companies and non-profits, including the Emily Krzyzewski Center, National Medal of Honor Museum, Navy SEAL Foundation, and TOPGUN Association. He served on the board of directors of Intra-Cellular Therapies from 2006 until its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in 2025. Mr. Marcus received his undergraduate and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Tony Yao, MD, PhD
Board Member
Dr. Tony Yao is the Portfolio Manager for ArrowMark’s private Life Science focused investment strategies. Additionally, he serves as the firm’s lead biotech analyst. Prior to joining ArrowMark in 2012, Dr. Yao was an investment analyst at Janus Capital Group and covered the healthcare industry (2002-2012). Tony graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and earned both an M.D. and Ph.D. in Immunology from Stanford University.