Management Team

Bikash is a physician-scientist trained in immunology and immuno-oncology with over two decades of experience in clinical research and development both in biotech industry and academia. Prior to joining Aurora, he worked in clinical development at GSK and Novartis in various executive roles including medical director and senior medical director managing over twenty trials in immunology with a combined subject population totaling over ten thousand across more than a hundred clinical trial sites in US and abroad leading to successful licensure of several products in US and abroad.

Prior to joining the biotech industry, he worked at Harvard Medical School as medical director, faculty and scientist; and in public health and clinical care as an Epidemiologist through Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Centers of Disease Control (CDC) surveillance projects; and at International Health Organization as its Chief Medical Officer.

Bikash has a doctorate in medicine as well as in veterinary medicine, masters degrees in tumor immunology and in preventive medicine, and post-doctoral fellowship in immunology. He completed most of his education and trainings at University of Massachusetts Medical School and its affiliated hospitals; and, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Southern Illinois University, Birsa University, and Tufts University.

He has served as an advisor to the healthcare advisory boards of Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Mayor of Boston; and several other national and international healthcare and biotech organizations. He has lived and worked in Boston with his wife and children for over 25 years.

Robert brings 25 years of life science capital market and corporate counsel experience. He founded the Company, and has served as Chairman and Chief Executive. Prior to Aurora, Robert founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Medvax Technologies, a clinical stage cancer immunotherapy company developing dendritic cell and peptide cancer vaccines. Robert has been corporate counsel to numerous life science companies. He has participated in over $500 million of private and public capital offerings of life science and growth companies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology (pre-medicine concentration) Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts, and Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami Law School. He has held a Series 7 securities license.

Michel brings 25 years of senior management, drug development consulting and business development experience, involving both domestic and international entities. He was previously the CEO for nine years at Biotech MedPartners, an international consulting firm where he advised senior executives of both Fortune 500 and specialty pharmaceutical companies on a range of issues such as licensing, mergers and acquisitions, research and development strategy and pharmaceutical lifecycle management.

Michel was the Oncology Leader and Engagement Manager at IMS Health and has a broad experience in consulting services for more than fifteen years and has managed over 100 consulting engagements. Prior to IMS, Dr. Azoulay had a successful career at Amgen in Europe, where he has worked for nine years in strategic and business development of oncology drugs.

Michel holds an executive MBA with high honors from ESCP and earned his M.D. from Montpellier University of Medicine, France. He has served on many advisory boards of various life science companies and scientific review panels. He is also the author of Valuation in Portfolio Management and the founder of the Biotech Investment Group.

Marc is the Kathleen and Stanley Glaser Professor of Medicine and Deputy Director of the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Previously, from February 2001 to May 2007 he served as the John G. Searle Professor and Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. Previously, Dr. Lippman was the Director of the Lombardi Cancer Research Center from July 1988 to February 2001, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Oncology from July 1999 to February 2001 and Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, D.C. from July 1988 to February 2001. He also served as Chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology at Georgetown University Medical School from July 1995 to February 2001. He was Head of the Medical Breast Cancer Section of the Medicine Branch of the National Cancer Institute from July 1976 to July 1988. Dr. Lippman has authored over 500 peer- reviewed publications.

He received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Cornell and an M.D. from Yale where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. Board-certified in hematology/oncology, internal medicine, and endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism.

Dr. Lippman s extensive experience in treating patients and conducting oncology research at the National Cancer Institute and at the medical schools of the University of Miami, the University of Michigan and Georgetown University provides an important patient perspective and focus on innovation in our development of adaptive immune therapies for solid tumors. In his illustrious career, he has received numerous awards.