John R. MacDonald

Dr. MacDonald has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of pharmaceutical drug development and licensing. He led the preclinical and clinical R&D efforts at MGI Pharma, a Twin Cities based oncology-focused company, from 1996 until retiring as Senior VP R&D at the end of 2005. Dr. MacDonald served as a member of the MGI corporate management team that built the company through product and company acquisitions leading to the acquisition of MGI by Eisai, Inc. Prior to joining MGI, Dr. MacDonald worked in the Parke-Davis Research Division of Warner-Lambert participating in the early development of numerous well-known therapeutics. After retiring from MGI he has acted as the CEO of PepTx, Inc. a company based on University of Minnesota technology and as a consultant to pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions as the founder of Ridge Road Consulting. He is currently active in development of breast cancer therapy and diagnostics as acting Senior VP of R&D for Celcuity, Inc. and as a board member for Martell Diagnostic Laboratories, Inc. Dr. MacDonald earned a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Arizona, a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Michigan, and held postdoc and research faculty positions in the Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, School of Medicine.