Management
Dr. Yuval Cohen (President)
Dr. Yuval Cohen has a PhD (summa cum laude) from the Curie Institute and the University of Paris V in Toxicology. He is responsible for running Morria’s scientific and development projects. He has also been interviewed by the media on Morria and other topics related to the pharmaceutical industry.
Prof. Saul Yedgar (Chief Scientific Officer)
Prof. Saul Yedgar has developed the company’s proprietary technology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Saul Yedgar studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (PhD, 1977) and at U.C.-San Diego, after which he received tenure at the Department of Biochemistry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (The Walter & Greta Stiel Chair in Heart Studies.) He has carried out work at NIH in Bethesda and at the Curie Institute (Paris) and is the member of various international committees, recipient of several international awards and has authored over 130 scientific papers and multiple patents. Professor Yedgar has carried out work in collaboration with European and American teams and is considered an expert on the field of lipid mediator function and control.
Mr. Dov Elefant (Chief Financial Officer)
Mr. Elefant is the former Chief Financial Officer for Althera Medical, Ltd. He served as Corporate Controller for Lev Pharmaceuticals (symbol: LEVP Exchange-OTCC:BB) which was acquired by ViroPharma for over $500 million. He also held Controller/VP Finance and other roles at EpiCept Corporation (symbol: EPCT.PK Exchange-OTCQX), Synvista Therapeutics and Tetragenex Pharmaceuticals. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Yeshiva University.
Dr. Joe Bondi (Vice President for Pre-Clinical Development)
Dr. Bondi is a 39-year veteran of Merck retiring as Director of Pharmaceutical Project Coordination. His roles at Merck included being responsible for technology transfer and early phase development between Banyu Pharmaceutical Research in Japan and Merck Pharmaceutical Research in West Point as well as various activities related to both conventional and novel pharmaceutical dosage forms in early phase development.
Dr. Alan Harris MD, PhD (Chief Medical Consultant)
Dr. Harris is a highly experienced (25 years) and successful Clinical R&D professional with strong foundation in clinical design, planning, and execution; experience implementing clinical programs for pivotal regulatory and marketing trials. He has extensive experience and expertise in allergic inflammation and respiratory diseases, gastroenterology, endocrinology, metabolism, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Alan was a senior R&D executive at Novartis, Schering Plough and Pfizer. He has been involved in the development of multiple block buster drug developments including at Novartis (Sandostatin™) and Schering Plough(Claritin™) and Nasonex™. Alan was Associate Professor of medicine at UCLA Cedars Sinai Medical Center and is currently Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (UK) and of the American College of Physicians and has authored 120 peer reviewed scientific papers
Dr. James Ley (Vice President for Manufacturing)
Dr. Ley is a highly experienced chemical synthesis professional with extensive industry experience and has been in charge of Morria’s unique chemistry process for the past three years. He received his doctorate in organic chemistry at Florida International University and was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami.