Brian Wamhoff
Brian Wamhoff is an experienced and accomplished biotech executive with a comprehensive background in early-stage drug discovery and development, and in creating and building an entrepreneurial organization disciplined to achieve outstanding results for meeting the needs of investors, patients and commercial partners. In 2021, he was selected as one of the PharmaVOICE 100 most inspiring entrepreneurs in the industry.
Based on his deep understanding of drug discovery and its clinical applications, Brian brings a wealth of skills and expertise to enterprises dedicated to advancing innovative science for unmet medical needs. He understands the complexities and inherent risks and rewards of building a company including its operational and talent requirements, meeting its financial needs and serving its stakeholders. Additionally, he is skilled at working both as an Executive and at the Board level as he brings a proven combination of strategic leadership, organizational acumen, and communication skills to maximize value-driven outcomes.
Brian earned his BS in Biology, along with a minor in Business at Rhodes College, where he conducted research on fatty acid biosynthesis at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for which he received the Rhodes Honors Biology Research Award. In 2011, he received the Rhodes College Distinguished Young Alumni Award. During his PhD studies at the University of Missouri as an American Heart Association pre-doctoral fellow, he developed a swine model of diabetes now used widely by academia and pharma. As an American Physiological Society post-doctoral fellow at the University of Virginia, from 2001 to 2005, his work focused on deploying genetic mouse models to elucidate molecular mechanisms of vascular disease. During that time, he also co-founded Setagon, Inc., which developed a nanoporous drug-eluting stent technology that led to a license with Medtronic.
Brian transitioned to faculty in the Department of Medicine, Cardiology, at the University of Virginia, where his entrepreneurial drive to create businesses based on innovative science continued. While serving as an Associate Professor, from 2006 to 2012, he led an NIH RO1-funded lab and co-founded two companies – SoundPipe Therapeutics, a medical device company that developed an innovative platform for intravascular drug delivery, and HemoShear Therapeutics, Inc., which deployed its drug discovery platform to become a clinical stage company treating ultrarare metabolic diseases. In 2012, he declined tenure to devote his full attention to HemoShear and today serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence for the UVA Licensing and Venture Group.
Education:
- B.S., Biology, Rhodes College
- Ph.D., University of Missouri