Meet the Team
Our mission-driven team is united by a shared sense of purpose and urgency: to bring a life-changing treatment to CMT1A patients as quickly as possible.
David Apple | Founder & CEO
Dedication.
- My 5 yr old son Ari has CMT1A.
- Ari had an earlier onset and has a severe presentation.
- CMT1A is progressive, and is reported to get worse during puberty.
- I have a sense of urgency and will not stop until a treatment is available for Ari.
Track-record.
- I'm a Mech Eng (Johns Hopkins) and an MBA (Imperial College London).
- I was the first go-to-market leader at Notion ($10B) and Typeform ($1B).
- I advise Sequoia Capital, First Round Capital, and Headline Ventures.
- 3x Founder. Teleconnect (acquired), Apple Sustainability (ran profitably 5 yrs).
Perspective.
- I'm energized by solving hard problems.
- I'm working backwards from the unmet need.
- I'm a Board Member of the CMT Association.
Leadership Team
Jordan VerPlank, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer (Fractional)
Academic Research Scientist
CMT1A Expert
Wil Chow
Chief Technology Officer (Fractional)
Program Director in 10 Biotechs
7 IND molecules + 2 NDA drugs
Founding Advisor
Our earliest believer and supporter who gave time, advice, and encouragement before Shark Tooth was anything more than an idea. Simply put, Shark Tooth would not exist without her support.
Cristina Apple Georgoulakis
CMT1A Patient Advocate
Former Partner at 776 Venture Fund
Our Scientific Advisors.
Artie Suckow, PhD
Former CEO of DTX Pharma
Board of CMTRF
John Svaren, PhD
U. Wisconsin | Chair CMTA SAB
Co-author Ionis CMT1A paper
Kim Popovits
CEO Genomic Health
Prev. SVP at Genentech
Tom Dubensky, PhD
CEO ImmuneSensor
Former CMTA Board Member
Tim Yu, MD, PhD
Professor Genetics & Genomics
Harvard Medical School
Davy Chiodin
Chief Development Officer
Day One Bio
Venkat Reddy
CSO at General Inception
CEO at Enable Medicine
Phillip Reilly, MD
Co-Founder Luna Genetics
Co-Founder BlueBird Bio
Gregory Reaman, PhD
Prev. FDA Associate Director
Pediatric Oncology
Charlotte Sumner, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience
Johns Hopkins Medical School
Founder Capstan Therapeutics
Adj Professor at U Penn
Toby Ferguson, MD, PhD
Chief Medical Officer
Voyager Therapeutics
Steve Scherer, MD, PhD
Professor of Neurology
University of Pennsylvania
Neil Kumar, PhD
Founder & CEO
BridgeBio
Salim Dhanji, PhD
Co-Founder & CEO
ME Therapeutics
Sylvain Gariel
Co-Founder & COO
DNA Script