Metabolic Solutions Development Co.

Management Team

Stephen Benoit – Chief Executive Officer
Stephen Benoit is Chief Executive Officer of MSDC. Prior to MSDC, Mr. Benoit was President and CEO of NanoMed Pharmaceuticals, a nanotechnology-based oncology drug development company. In his previous executive roles, Mr. Benoit has created and led businesses in the life sciences, consumer packaged goods, education services, and financial services industries. Mr. Benoit is a Visiting Executive Lecturer at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia. He received his MBA in Finance from Loyola Marymount University and is a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit academic honor society.

Jerry Colca, PhD – President and Chief Scientific Officer, Co-Founder
Jerry Colca, PhD is President and Chief Scientific Officer of MSDC. He co-founded MSDC after retiring from Pfizers discovery research department. At The Upjohn Company, prior to its merger with Pharmacia and its eventual acquisition by Pfizer, Dr. Colca led a research team that contributed to the discovery and early development of pioglitazone. Dr. Colca has extensive experience in diabetes research that began during his postdoctoral work at Washington University where he studied the biochemistry of isolated pancreatic islets and stimulus secretion coupling in the control of metabolism. Dr. Colca has published widely on the mechanism of action of insulin sensitizers.

Rolf Kletzien, PhD – Senior Vice President of Research, Co-Founder
Rolf Kletzien, PhD is Senior Vice President of Research of MSDC. He co-founded MSDC after retiring from Pfizer where he was the vice president of Genomics and Biotechnology. Prior to Pfizer, Dr. Kletzien held numerous leadership positions with The Upjohn Company, Pharmacia & Upjohn, and Pharmacia. He has devoted his career to studying the cellular and molecular basis of human therapeutics, having held academic appointments in biochemistry at West Virginia University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Dana/Farber Cancer Center, Princeton University, and the University of Wisconsin. Before entering the pharmaceutical industry in 1989, Dr. Kletzien earned a Research Career Development Award in Diabetes.

Angie Shashlo, RPh – Vice President of Development
Angie Shashlo, RPh is Vice President of Development of MSDC. She previously served as Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance and Project Management at Tobira Therapeutics. Prior to co-founding Tobira, Ms. Shashlo served as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Project Management at Incyte, Senior Vice President at Genaera, Director of Regulatory Affairs at Ligand, and held various positions at Wyeth and The Upjohn Company.

Jim VanderLugt, MD – Chief Medical Officer
Jim VanderLugt, MD has over 28 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry conducting clinical research in Phases I through IV. Dr. VanderLugt has led and designed many clinical studies, including the early clinical development of pioglitazone (Actos®) while at The Upjohn Company, Pharmacia & Upjohn, Pharmacia, and Pfizer, retiring in 2005 as Executive Director of Global Drug Information and Medical Services. Dr. VanderLugt has been involved in several therapeutic areas including cardiovascular, metabolic, thrombosis, inflammation, dermatology, CNS, GI, and ophthalmology. Dr. VanderLugt holds his MD from the University of Michigan and completed a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology. He is currently Medical Director of Jasper Clinic, Inc. (Kalamazoo, MI) and serves on the Institutional Review Board of the West Michigan Cancer Center.