Our Mission

Alessa Therapeutics is focused on development, clinical validation, and commercialization of localized, sustained drug delivery for solid organ disease.

 

Our Story

Alessa was founded by Dr. Pamela Munster, a leading oncologist at UCSF. Dr. Munster has advised thousands of women on how to cope with the realities of breast cancer, from diagnosis through treatment and recovery.

Suddenly, Dr. Munster realized that being a true “expert” in a disease was far beyond the scope of her medical training. She had a lot to learn—and do— if she wanted to hold onto her precious life.

But Dr. Munster’s world turned upside down when, at age 48 and in otherwise perfect health, she got a call saying that her own mammogram showed “irregularities.” Worse, not only did she have cancer, she carried the feared BRCA gene mutation.

Dr. Munster decided to found Alessa to build on her dual experiences as a practicing doctor and as an active patient. With an appropriate sense of urgency, she and her team gathered the resources, experience, and thinking of UCSF and other leading healthcare organizations. Their goal: to uncover new choices for prevention and treatment of breast cancer and other devastating diseases.

Our Leadership

Pam Munster

MD, Founder, Director

Dr. Munster is a Professor in the Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology), at UCSF. She has served as the Director of the Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit, as well as the Co-leader of the Center for BRCA Research. Pamela also led the Experimental Therapeutics Program at UCSF’s Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

John F. Maroney

CEO, Director

Mr. Maroney is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Medical Technology Consulting Services (MTCS). He currently serves as a Director for Innovein, Inc., Radiant Oximetry, GraftWorks, Inc. and as an advisor to Enso Relief, Inc. John was formerly CEO of ForSight Vision5, a General Partner of Delphi Ventures, and CEO/Chairman of Endotex Interventional Systems, Inc.

Peggy McLaughlin

Vice President, Clinical Affairs

Ms. McLaughlin is a Consulting Clinical and Regulatory lead for Biotech and Health-Tech companies. Formerly VP Clinical & Regulatory Affairs at companies including Autonomic Technologies, Cierra, Inc, and acting VP for ForSight Vision5, Gauss Surgical and Symic Bio.

T. Hector Casab

CFO, Treasurer

Mr. Casab is a Consulting CFO for Biotech and Health-Tech companies and Band Member at Band of Angels. Formerly CFO and VP Finance at ForSight Vision5, VP Finance at ICON Bioscience, Sr. Director of Financial Planning and Administration at Onyx Pharmaceuticals.

Board of Directors

Pam Munster

MD, Founder, Director

John F. Maroney

CEO, Director

Doug Crawford

PhD, Managing Partner & Director, Mission Bay Capital
General Manager, MBC BioLabs

Peter Parker

Venture Partner, Mission Bay Capital
Managing General Partner, BioInnovation Capital

 

Careers

Alessa Therapeutics is focused on development, clinical validation and commercialization of local, sustained drug delivery for treating solid organ disease. At Alessa, the work environment is creative and collaborative; we are driving an innovative technology through development and ultimately to commercialization.

Open Jobs

R&D Engineer I — Full-time Position Show More

    We are seeking a full-time R&D Engineer to actively participate on a multi-disciplinary team developing a new innovative technology focused on an unmet oncology need. Responsibilities of this key position include drug formulation development and testing for new and existing products in the Alessa portfolio. It is expected that this position will contribute to and support the company’s research and development efforts for current and future programs.

    The candidate will enjoy and contribute to an intellectually stimulating work environment and become an integral member of an outstanding organizational culture that values and rewards top performers.

    Key Job Duties:

    • Support development and testing of new formulations and manufacturing processes
    • Analytical testing of long-term/sustained release drug formulations
    • Conduct experiments independently, including documentation and data analysis
    • Process Development and Evaluation/Validation of tooling and fixtures

    Requirements:

    • BA/BS in biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, or related discipline
    • 1-3 years experience in a laboratory setting related to analytical chemistry, materials science, and/or bioengineering
    • Familiarity with and interest in medical device and/or pharmaceutical product development
    • Excellent data analysis and computational skills. Required – proficiency with Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Preferred – scientific computing packages (MatLab, Python, etc.)
    • Experience with analytical techniques such as HPLC, LCMS, or similar
    • Proficiency w/ CAD preferred but not required
    • Familiarity with materials characterization (e.g. DSC, DMA, etc.), preferred but not required
    • Highly motivated & flexible team player with a desire to learn from an experienced team
    • Strong written and oral communication skills required

    Interested candidates please email your resume and cover letters to careers@alessatherapeutics.com or apply at LinkedIn

    Apply now

    Apply by Email   OR   Apply at Linkedin