Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> March 24, 2003
UNA S. RYAN is President and Chief Executive Officer of AVANT
Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a publicly traded Massachusetts biotechnology
company developing vaccines and immunotherapeutics for large high value
markets including cholesterol management, cardiac surgery, infectious
diseases, biodefense and food safety. Dr. Ryan is Research Professor of
Medicine at the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, currently serves on
the Board of the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the Whitehead
Institute Board of Associates, and is 2004-2006 Chair of the
Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. From 1990 to 1993 she held the
position of Director of Health Sciences at Monsanto Company and was
Research Professor of Surgery, Medicine and Cell Biology at Washington
University School of Medicine. Dr. Ryan was Professor of Medicine at the
University of Miami from 1980 to 1989 and Chief, Division of Vascular
Cell Biology from 1986 to 1989. In 2002 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
awarded Dr. Ryan the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services
to research, development and promotion of biotechnology. Profile
TWST: Would you begin with a brief historical sketch of AVANTImmunotherapeutics and a picture of things as they are now?
Dr. Ryan: AVANT Immunotherapeutics was founded in 1998 when