Kenneth C. Carter

Dr. Carter has been involved in the formation and early stage development of several biotechnology companies as a co-founder, consultant or member of the board of directors. He co-founded Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in January 1999 and served as CEO for 10 years until 2009 when Avalon merged with Clinical Data, Inc. During this time, Avalon developed a unique biomarker-based drug discovery and development engine; completed an IPO and listing on the NASDAQ market; established drug discovery programs in colon, breast, pancreatic and hematological cancers; and established partnerships with Merck, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, and AstraZeneca/MedImmune. Prior to that, Dr. Carter directed the gene mapping initiative at Human Genome Sciences, Inc. where he worked for several years and played a role in the discovery, cloning, and chromosomal mapping of dozens of novel human genes. Dr. Carter has served on the boards of directors for multiple biotechnology industry organizations including the Maryland Health Care Product Development Corporation and the National BIO Industry Organization. He also served recently as a special advisor to the Maryland Governor’s Life Sciences Advisory Board and is on the Advisory Council for the Center for Biotechnology Education at Johns Hopkins University where he also holds an adjunct faculty appointment.