Team

Our Team

JAMIL M. BEG

MBA, Chief Executive Officer

Jamil is a life science investor and company builder dedicated to transforming breakthrough science into transformational medicines for patients. In January 2024, he joined SV Health Investors in Boston as a Partner, collaborating with founders, entrepreneurs, and co-investors to establish and grow biotech startups and private biotech companies at any investment stage. Prior to this, Jamil founded and operated several biotech startups, invested across various therapeutic areas and modalities, and was involved in over 20 private financings, seven public offerings, and three M&A transactions, contributing to multiple FDA-approved products. Notable roles include positions at Akouos (acquired by Eli Lilly), Aprea, Kinaset Therapeutics (founding investor), Nido Biosciences (founder), RallyBio, Sage Therapeutics, and Transave Inhalation Therapeutics. He earned his B.S.E. in Bioengineering and Master of Biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, where he received the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Merit Award. Jamil joined Aplexis in 2023.

JING YANG

MD, MS, CO-FOUNDER, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER

Dr. Yang has over 20 years of experience in biomedical research in a variety of fields. Particularly, she has extensive research experience in the field of red blood cells and red-cell-related diseases working at the Boston Children’s Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health. These experiences solidified her expertise in hematology, especially red blood cell biology. She joined Dr. Peng Ji’s group at Northwestern University as a research scientist in 2012. Together, they identified hit compounds of Plek2 that are effective in vitro and in vivo in treating thrombosis in the setting of myeloproliferative neoplasms. She is the PI of an ongoing NHLBI Phase I project on developing lead compounds of Plek2 inhibitors to treat MPNs.

PENG JI

MD, PHD, CO-FOUNDER

Dr. Ji is a Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Pathology at Northwestern University. He is also the Chief Pathology Officer of the Silver Family Blood Cancer Institute at Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University. He has expertise in diagnostic hematopathology and scientific research in the areas of hematopoiesis and hematologic malignancies. He has made significant contributions that have advanced the understanding of erythropoiesis and the pathogenesis of myeloid neoplasms. His lab first discovered the critical role of Plek2 in the pathogenesis of MPNs and developed Plek2 inhibitors in collaboration with Aplexis.

GARY SCHILTZ

PHD, CONSULTANT, MEDICINAL CHEMIST

Dr. Schiltz has been a professional medicinal chemist for over 15 years, both in the biotech industry and in an academic setting at Northwestern University. Dr. Schiltz has been part of the Plek2 inhibitor project since 2017 and helped guide the high-throughput screening and early medicinal chemistry efforts. The central theme of his professional experience has been the discovery of new bioactive molecules utilizing synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry and driving early-stage translational research. While in private industry, he worked at both a large pharmaceutical company and at a mid-sized biotech company. He worked to advance a number of medicinal chemistry projects through lead optimization in preparation for clinical development, eventually leading a team of chemists on lead optimization projects. He was also an inventor of a new PDE4 inhibitor that entered clinical development for the treatment of cognitive deficits.

TAKERU FURUYA

PHD. CONSULTANT

Dr. Furuya is a Senior Associate of Xontogeny to support the investment team in evaluating new investment opportunities as well as providing early development support for the seed investment portfolio. For this role, he leverages his experience in a variety of therapeutic areas including CNS/PNS, ophthalmic, infectious, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases with contributions beyond medicinal chemistry such as process chemistry, chemoinformatic, computational chemistry, structural biology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacology. Takeru brings +10 years of drug discovery and development experience with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations at Director to Associate Director levels. Most recently, he was an Associate Director of Medicinal Chemistry at Astellas Pharma and Entasis Therapeutics, where he led multiple preclinical programs across different development stages. Prior to Astellas and Entasis, Takeru was a Co-founder and Director of Chemistry at SciFluor Life Sciences, where he advanced two compounds into clinical development. He is actively involved in Aplexis’ Phase I NHLBI grant in consulting the design of compounds and plan for the additional tests.