Sandra E. Dunn, PhD
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Sandra Dunn founded Phoenix Molecular Designs in 2012 with a singular vision: to transform the way breast cancer is treated. That vision was born from personal loss, multiple generations of her family have been affected by the disease, and has since grown into a career spanning more than 30 years of research, leadership, and innovation in oncology.
A leading voice in breast cancer research and drug development, Sandra has dedicated her life to advancing therapies that improve outcomes for women facing this disease. Her work has contributed to the discovery and development of PMD-026, a first-in-class RSK2 inhibitor currently in Phase 2 clinical trials. Under her leadership, PhoenixMD is advancing a more precise, targeted approach to breast cancer treatment that reflects the complexity of the disease and the urgency of the need.
PhoenixMD now holds the first RSK2 inhibitor, a breakthrough in targeting the once "undruggable" RSK2 gene. Dr. Dunn's innovative approach, involving advanced medicinal chemistry and computational modeling, led to the creation of PMD-026. In a ground-breaking Phase 1/1b clinical trial, she tripled the chances of halting cancer growth in patients with high RSK2, backed by a companion diagnostic developed in tandem with Roche. PMD-026 has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of breast cancer and sits at the apex of multiple other deadly cancers.
She is widely recognized for “drugging the undruggable” — turning a once-impossible target, RSK2, into a first-in-class therapeutic candidate with the potential to change the future of breast cancer treatment.
Throughout her career, Sandra has led multinational oncology research programs and served on numerous advisory and oversight committees, including the National Institutes of Health, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (USA), and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She was the youngest member of the DOD Breast Cancer Research Program in the early 1990s and received early recognition for her work as a postdoctoral fellow at NIH.
As one of the few female founders and CEOs in biotechnology, Sandra is a proud member of the Biotech Sisterhood, a collective of women leading the next generation of life science companies. She has raised millions to support cancer research, built high-performing, mission-driven teams across sectors, and shared her insights on some of the industry’s biggest stages, including the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). In 2021, she was named to the Forbes 50 Over 50 Visionary list for her leadership and impact.
Today, she continues to lead PhoenixMD with purpose, passion, and a deep commitment to changing the future of breast cancer.
Joseph Leveque, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Joseph Leveque brings more than two decades of oncology leadership to Phoenix Molecular Designs, with deep expertise in immuno-oncology, translational science, and the clinical development of novel cancer therapeutics. His experience spans from early discovery through commercialization, including high impact work in breast cancer and other solid tumors.
Prior to joining Phoenix, Dr. Leveque served as CEO and President of Medikine, where he oversaw the development of next-generation immunomodulatory biologics. He was previously Chief Medical Officer at Mirati Therapeutics, leading the clinical development of KRAS inhibitors, and at Synthorx, where he helped drive forward synthetic cytokine therapies—including IL-2, IL-10, and IL-15—for cancer immunotherapy. Synthorx was acquired by Sanofi in 2019.
Dr. Leveque’s earlier leadership roles include Chief Medical Officer positions at ARMO Biosciences (acquired by Eli Lilly), EMD Serono, and Vice President and Head of U.S. Medical Oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he contributed to the advancement of groundbreaking immunotherapies such as nivolumab (Opdivo®) and ipilimumab (Yervoy®). He has also held senior positions at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Cephalon Oncology, and Amgen, where his work included developing treatments for breast, liver, thyroid, and hematologic cancers.
Dr. Leveque holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Mathematics from Santa Clara University, a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, and a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a teaching affiliate of UCLA.
Aarthi Jayanthan, PhD
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Aarthi Jayanthan is a founding member of the Phoenix Molecular Designs team, launching the company’s discovery research and diagnostics program in 2015. By developing a sophisticated cancer modeling platform, she led our team in the advancement of the first in human RSK inhibitor by bridging computational biology, medicinal chemistry and functional cancer biology. She is a contributing inventor of several issued patents as a result of this pioneering work. On the companion diagnostics front, she led the biomarker co-development of RSK2 CDxV from pre-clinical method development and screening to a CAP/CLIA certified clinical stage assay with Roche Ventana. Aarthi has advanced several surrogate biomarker programs using gene expression profiling of model cancer systems and primary tumors on the Nanostring platform. With a deep understanding of cancer cell biology, she has developed models of drug resistance to several breast cancer therapeutics, including paclitaxel and CDK4/6 inhibitors. Beyond this, Dr. Jayanthan identified novel drug combinations for PMD-026 which expand the potential to maximize life-cycle development following initial regulatory approval for the agent.
Aarthi earned her Ph.D. at the University of Calgary in the area of molecular cancer biology and cell signaling, with a focus on developing novel therapies for children with cancer. For over 10 years, she contributed to numerous preclinical studies of experimental therapies in childhood cancer, including leukemia, AT/RT, neuroblastoma and lymphoma. She also provided support in Phase I clinical trials sponsored by the Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigators Consortium (POETIC).
Michael Liggett, CPA CA
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Mike Liggett brings 30 years of experience in the health care and finance industries. Mike was a practicing pharmacist for 7 years before obtaining his training and certification as a Chartered Accountant. After spending 7 years at Price Waterhouse Coopers (then Price Waterhouse), he joined Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in the capacity of Chief Financial Officer. He provided leadership through multiple financings and other strategic initiatives before successfully transitioning the company to establish its footprint in the forestry sector as Eacom Timber. His background includes over 20 years as a public and private company CFO with strategic and operational expertise and proven success in finance, M&A, strategic partnerships, restructurings, and risk management. Mike holds a BSc in Pharmaceutical sciences from the University of British Columbia and holds Chartered Accountant designation.
Martin S. Olivo, MD, MS
Chief Development Officer
Dr. Martín Sebastian Olivo is a trained medical oncologist and renowned leader in oncology drug development, with over 15 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. He has held pivotal leadership roles, including Chief Medical Officer at SystImmune and Protara Therapeutics, Inc., and Vice President of Clinical Development at Gilead Sciences, Inc. (formerly Immunomedics, Inc.). At Gilead, Dr. Olivo spearheaded clinical efforts in metastatic breast cancer therapeutics, playing a key role in the development of Sacituzumab Govitecan, a groundbreaking Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC), which contributed to Immunomedics’ $21 billion acquisition by Gilead Sciences.
Dr. Olivo also played a significant role in securing an $8.4 billion partnership between SystImmune and Bristol Myers Squibb for a bispecific ADC, demonstrating his ability to drive high-impact industry collaborations. Previously, he served as Global Clinical Lead at Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise, where he developed a comprehensive clinical development plan for an early-stage oncology candidate targeting lung and breast cancer (HER3 ADC, Patritumab Deruxtecan). This ADC was later partnered with Merck in a total deal valued at over $20 billion. Earlier in his career, he held key positions at Eisai Inc., including International Program Team Leader for Halaven (Eribulin Mesylate), a critical therapeutic for breast cancer.
Dr. Olivo has successfully filed multiple IND applications for ADCs in the U.S. and Europe, including first-in-class bispecific EGFR x HER3 ADCs. His expertise encompasses ADC technology, strategic clinical development, and securing transformative partnerships within the oncology field.
Dr. Olivo earned his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires and a master’s in Clinical and Pharmacological Research from Austral University. He also completed fellowships in Clinical Oncology and Drug Development at the Canadian Cancer Trials Group.
With a proven track record of advancing innovative oncology therapeutics and forging impactful industry deals, Dr. Olivo remains committed to improving patient outcomes worldwide.
Joe Ninosky, MS
Chief CMC Officer
Joe Ninosky is a 25-year veteran in the life sciences arena, with extensive experience in all aspects of CMC, including drug substance and drug product development, scale-up, tech transfer, and GMP manufacturing. Raised from the bench and evolving to the board room, Joe has held positions of increasing responsibility at small to mid-size biotech companies ultimately reaching the point where he leads departments and programs as the effective VP of CMC, representing and overseeing all CMC functions (Process Development, Analytical Development, GMP Manufacturing, Regulatory Submissions) for programs at Phase 1 through commercial launch.
Joe also has a deep understanding of the GMP, Quality, and Regulatory arenas, and often serves as the CMC subject matter expert when interfacing with regulatory agencies during audits and submissions. Joe’s most recent oncology experience was as the VP of CMC for Biotheryx. Joe holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at San Diego and an MS in Chemical Engineering from Oregon State University.