Dr. Robert Ryan is the co-founder and CEO of Innova Therapeutics, which is a biotech based in South Carolina focused on the development of therapies and diagnostics for the treatment of cancer Dr. Ryan has more than 33 years of research/pharmaceutical/biotech experience, spanning the global development process from preclinical through Phase IV, including 16+ years of oncology drug development experience. Dr. Ryan previously founded Scioderm, which was a rare disease company that developed a therapy for Epidermolysis Bullosa. Scioderm was the first Biotech to receive “Breakthrough Therapy Designation” from the FDA. Dr. Ryan raised $36M (total spend $22M) to move the program from preclinical to Phase 3 within 2 years and sold the company within 2.5 years of inception for a total deal exit of appr $957M, which at that time was the 4th largest VC-backed exit in the world.. Dr. Ryan previously held senior regulatory positions at three of the top five leading clinical development companies (CRO’s), PPD, INC Research, and Quintiles. Dr. Ryan’s diverse pharmaceutical career covered senior preclinical, regulatory and clinical activities with Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), UCB, Atherogenics, Celtic, and Pfizer. Dr. Ryan has a Ph.D. in Toxicology/Pharmacology and advanced degrees in Genetics and Pharmacokinetics.