Team

William B. Stilley, MBA

CEO

Mr. Stilley has over two decades of experience as a life science entrepreneur and executive. Before founding Adovate, he served as CEO of Adial Pharmaceuticals, which he founded and took public.

Other notable roles include VP, Business Development & Strategic Projects at Clinical Data, Inc. (acquired by Forest Laboratories), Chief Business Officer at Diffusion Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: DFSN), and COO/CFO at Adenosine Therapeutics. Mr. Stilley has been engaged in all aspects of drug discovery and development including licensing and M&A transactions, management of clinical trials, and production of and manufacturing for multiple drug candidates. He has been a Guest Lecturer at the UVA’s Darden School of Business and serves as an Advisory Board Member for Virginia BIO, as well as Director of Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq) and Avalon GloboCare Corp. He received an MBA with honors from UVA’s Darden School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the UVA McIntire School of Commerce.

Joel Linden, PhD

CSO

Dr. Linden has been at the forefront of adenosine research and breakthroughs for over 40 years at the University of Virginia and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology.

His UVA laboratory was the first to study cardiac and vascular adenosine receptors by developing novel radioligands and characterizing adenosine receptor expression, regulation, and signaling. His contribution earned him the Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association. To date, he has 34 issued US patents, published over 300 papers and been cited over 30,000 times (top 2% world-wide). His discoveries in immuno-modulatory effects of adenosine receptors were the basis for Adenosine Therapeutics, founded in 1999 and sold to Forest Laboratories in 2008. His research continues to be pivotal across a number of indications with global market opportunities. Dr. Linden earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Biology from Brown University, and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Virginia.

Uday Gupta, MBA

CFO

Mr. Gupta is an experienced entrepreneur and executive with over a 20-year record of accomplishments commercializing novel innovations in many segments across healthcare.

Prior experience includes launching products in drug discovery/regenerative medicine, functional food ingredients and medical devices. Based on award-winning products, he was selected one of 40 Under 40 Profiles by the Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry. He also spent time in a Fortune 100 company where he delivered critical financial results by leading the launch and oversight of new solutions. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology at VCU, and an MBA from UVA’s Darden School of Business.

John R. Martin, JD

CLO

Mr. Martin is a successful attorney and entrepreneur and has 25+ years of legal experience working with companies ranging from Fortune 100 companies to launching or growing technology focused start-ups.

In this role, he provides strategic business and legal advice and services on an enterprise-wide basis, including general corporate commercial and employment law, public and private financings, mergers and acquisitions, and other sophisticated business transactions. He often fills the role of general counsel, aiding with general contract drafting and negotiation, licenses, master service agreements, and board meetings. He is an active angel investor as well as member of local non-for-profits supporting entrepreneurial activities and technology innovations. John is currently a member of the California and Virginia bars. During law school, Mr. Martin served as an Executive Editor of the University of California Law Review.

Schuyler Vinzant

VP, Pharmaceutical Development

Mr. Vinzant has over 25 years of clinical and regulatory development experience with a primary focus on increasing value for emerging pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

He is an expert at advancing lead drug candidates into the clinic across a broad range of indications in small molecule, gene therapy, and engineered cell therapies. Relevant to Adovate, he has specific expertise in asthma, pain, several cancer indications, ADHD, wounds and orphan product development and has contributed the development of several approved products including Alvesco® (asthma), Herceptin® (cancer), Zydelig® (cancer), VYJUVEK™ (wounds), and Vyvanse® (ADHD).

Robert D. Thompson, PhD

VP, Chemistry

Dr. Thompson has over 35 years of experience in medicinal chemistry focused primarily on synthesizing adenosine analogs. He is acknowledged as a world leader in adenosine chemistry and is an inventor on over twenty issued patents.

Dr. Thompson has directed medicinal chemistry programs of biotechnology companies including Adenosine Therapeutics, PGX Health (a division of Clinical Data), Forest Laboratories, and Lewis and Clark Pharmaceuticals as well as founder of Purnovate, LLC. He earned a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Brigham Young University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Math from Southern Utah University.

Kristine Terrell, MBA

Operations Manager

Kristine Terrell has over 15 years of work experience in the life sciences industry. Her diverse experience includes bench-top research, clinical manufacturing, pharmaceutical process development, business management, and grants and contracts administration.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Michigan State University, an MBA from Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, and a certificate in research administration (CRA).

Cheryl Thompson

Office Manager

Cheryl Thompson has over 25 years of experience in Human Resource, Administration and Finance. She has been an integral part of Adovate team. She handles accounting, government documents, accounting software, filing, HR and payroll.

She also collaborates with vendors and accounts payable. She assists VP Chemistry with laboratory and chromatography columns. She is also a notary public. Before joining Adovate, Ms. Thompson gained experience in roles at the University of Virginia and various life science companies. Cheryl earned her Associate degree in Accounting from the Piedmont Virginia Community College.

Apoorva Singh, MBA

Project Manager

Ms. Singh is responsible for the advancement of Adovate’s pipeline portfolio, managing programs from research to development.

She has more than 11 years of biotechnology and pharmaceutical experience. Expertise in managing Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) and preclinical activities. Prior to joining Adovate, Ms. Singh served in Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Eurofins Advinus Limited, Bioneeds India Private Limited, and the Central Drug Research Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Garhwal University, India and a Master of Science degree from VIT University, India and an MBA from ICFAI University. She also received a certificate in Project Management from the Indian Institute of Science, India.

Syndey Alexander

Chemist, Lab Manager

Sydney Alexander is a skilled Chemist and Laboratory Manager at Adovate, where she oversees the day-to-day operations of the laboratory and leads a team of laboratory assistants.

She joined Adovate in 2023 after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from James Madison University. Sydney plays a critical role in ensuring the lab’s efficiency and maintaining high standards in its operations. Sydney’s passion for chemistry was further honed in her previous role at Shenandoah Vineyards, where she managed the tasting room and collaborated with the winery’s chemist, gaining valuable hands-on experience in laboratory processes. Outside of work, Sydney enjoys expressing her creativity through crafting, tackling home renovation projects, and spending quality time with her dog, Stella.

Kenneth Colley, MD PhD

Medical Director

Dr. Kenneth J. Colley, MD PhD is an accomplished physician-scientist with more than two decades experience in clinical medicine and the greater life sciences industry, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical devices.

Ken is presently Chief Medical Officer of BioVasc Inc., a biotech development accelerator and consultancy based in San Francisco, California. In his role as a clinical development consultant since 2012, Ken has served as contract Medical Director at multiple firms, including Theravance BioPharma, Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Otsuka, Elliptical Therapeutics, XWPharma, and MycoMedica Life Sciences. Specializing in translational clinical product development and clinical pharmacology, he has successfully completed a large number of Phase 1 and 2 studies, from first-in-human safety, tolerability, PK-ADME, dose ranging and dosage modality determination studies, to human proof-of-concept, biomarker response and therapeutic efficacy studies. Previously, Ken was Director of Medical Affairs at DiaDexus Inc from 2009- 2011, VP Product Development at Medlogics Device Corporation, a cardiovascular medtech firm from 2004-2008, and prior to that led clinical product development for orthobiologics company OsteoGenix Inc. From 1998-2003 Ken was a founder and led technology and medical development at Angiogenix Inc from start-up through early clinical trial phases. Prior to Angiogenix, he designed advanced drug delivery systems at Cygnus Inc., later acquired by JNJ. In clinical medicine, Dr. Colley is a licensed physician and integrative health practitioner with an ongoing practice in regenerative medicine, earlier leading a pain clinic from 2009-2014. He received his M.D. as well as Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology from Georgetown University, subsequently training in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, and he holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University.