Improving Cancer Patients'
Quality of Life and Treatment Compliance
ABOUT
EMRIS Pharma is revolutionizing cancer treatment with a mission to prevent and treat skin toxicities associated with targeted therapies.
Our primary groundbreaking therapy, a small molecule-based topical drug, is addressing the skin toxicities induced by EGFR inhibitors (EGFRi) monoclonal antibodies, which are used as a targeted treatment for advanced colorectal and head and neck cancers.
A vast majority of patients (~90%) undergoing these treatments suffer from severe skin toxicities that impair their well-being. Current treatments and other new developments focus on symptom reduction post-EGFR inhibition and provide limited relief. The most effective treatment often involves dose reduction or interruptions in the anti-cancer drug protocol.
Our innovative approach blocks the initial trigger causing skin toxicity locally without interfering with the cancer treatment. This solution aims to significantly improve the quality of life for cancer patients and help them comply with their treatments.
Our solution
We are developing a first-in-class solution to block EGFRi monoclonal antibodies topically. While current strategies focus on reducing symptoms after skin toxicity has occurred, our therapy specifically targets the underlying cause by preventing the trigger that induces the skin toxicity: blocking the EGFRi binding to the EGFR.
Our Team
Lyora Aharonov, Ph.D.
CEO and co-founder
Dr. Lyora Aharonov is an experienced project manager and expert in biological research with 15+ years of extensive hands-on and management experience in academic and industrial R&D. Prior to joining EMRIS Pharma, she held the position of Director of Research and Development at NurExone Biologic. Her prior roles included project management positions at both Barcode Diagnostics and Adicet Bio Israel.
Yohan Hazot, M.Sc.
Head of Drug Development
Yohan Hazot is an experienced Pharma Executive with over 15 years of experience in drug development and R&D management. He has a proven track record of expertise in topical formulations, leading to 2 FDA approvals for topical drugs. He served as VP of Innovation at VYNE Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VYNE) and CTO at Foamix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (NASDAQ:FOMX).
Sharon Merims, M.D.
CSO and co-founder
Dr. Sharon Merims is a senior dermatologist and Head of the Dermato-Oncology and skin toxicity clinic at the Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hadassah Medical Center.
Liza Weinstein, Ph.D.
Research assistant
Dr. Liza Weinstein is a researcher at the Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hadassah Medical Center, and serves as a Senior Lecturer at Hadassah Academic College. She holds a Ph.D. in Medical Neurobiology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Ofra Benny, Ph.D.
CTO and co-founder
Prof. Ofra Benny is an associate professor at the Institute for Drug Research in the School of Pharmacy at the Hebrew University. Her multidisciplinary research lab focused on drug delivery that overcome pharmacological problems and respond to different microenvironmental conditions in target organs.
Board of Directors
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Zohar Gendler
Chairman of the Board
Zohar Gendler is the CEO and Managing Partner of NGT Healthcare II and NGT3 VC, an early-stage venture capital fund investing in life-science technologies. He is the former CEO and director of Beta-O2 Technologies and CEO of the Technion Entrepreneurial Incubator. Since 2017, Zohar serves as a board member of the Israel Society for Biological Engineering.
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Nizar Mishael
Director
Nizar Mishael is General Managing Partner of N.G.T-V.C 2012 and N.G.T Healthcare 2 funds. He has over 15 years of experience as CFO of start-up companies: hands-on financial experience from seed investment to early and late financing rounds, with deep understanding of structuring complex investment and business interactions, in addition to financial and accounting expertise.
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Livnat Ben-Zur
Director
Livnat Ben-Zur has over 20 years of experience in executive positions within the medical device and healthcare industries, both in the United States and in Israel. She served as CEO of Corolabs and General Manager of Regentis Biomaterials. Livnat holds an MBA in marketing and International Business from Tel Aviv University and a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology from Tel Aviv University.