About us
Vaccinex, Inc. is pioneering a differentiated approach to treating neurodegenerative diseases and cancer through the inhibition of semaphorin 4D (SEMA4D). SEMA4D is a potent biological effector that is believed to prevent immune infiltration and induce myeloid suppressor cells in tumors and also triggers neuroinflammation through reactive gliosis in the brain. The company’s lead drug candidate, pepinemab, blocks SEMA4D and has potential to reprogram underlying pathogenic immune mechanisms that amplify damage in chronic neurological disorders such as Azheimer’s and Huntington’s disease and also increase immune activity against tumors.
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The company additionally is leveraging its proprietary drug discovery platform, ActivMAb®, to create opportunities for future pipeline expansion and strategic collaborations.
Our Team
Maurice Zauderer, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Maurice Zauderer, Ph.D. has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since our inception in April 2001. Prior to founding the company, Dr. Zauderer was an Associate Professor at the University of Rochester and has also held senior faculty positions at Columbia University. During his academic career, Dr. Zauderer held the position of visiting scientist at the Laboratory of Cell Biology, the Ontario Cancer Institute and the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Zauderer received a B.S. in Physics from Yeshiva University and a Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Elizabeth Evans, Ph.D.
COO & Senior Vice President, Discovery and Translational Science
Elizabeth E. Evans, Ph.D. has served as our Senior Vice President, Discovery and Translational Medicine since March 2020 and Chief Operating Officer since May 2021. Dr. Evans previously served in a variety of research and leadership roles at Vaccinex including as our Vice President, Discovery Research. Prior to joining Vaccinex, Dr. Evans was a research scientist at the University of Rochester. Dr. Evans received a B.S. in Biology and a B.S. in Anthropology from State University of New York at Stony Brook, and an M.S. in Immunology and a Ph.D. in Pathology from the University of Rochester.
Jill Sanchez, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Jill Sanchez has served as our Chief Financial Officer since March 21, 2024. Prior to this Ms. Sanchez served as our Interim Chief Financial Officer from March 14, 2024 to March 21, 2024, and as our Controller from January 2019 to March 21, 2024. Ms. Sanchez also previously served as our Accounting Manager from 2002 to 2005. Ms. Sanchez received a B.S. in Accounting from St. John Fisher College.
Our Board of Directors
Albert D. Friedberg
Albert D. Friedberg has served as chairman of our board of directors since our inception in April 2001. Mr. Friedberg has also served as the Chief Executive Officer and President and a director of Friedberg Mercantile Group Ltd., a Toronto-based commodities and investment management firm, since founding the company in 1971. Since 1978, he served as the President and Chief Investment Strategist for the Friedberg Group of Funds. Mr. Friedberg was appointed as a member of the Commodity Futures Advisory Board of Ontario in 1979, and served as chairman of the Toronto Futures Exchange from March 1985 to June 1988. Mr. Friedberg received a B.A. in Economics from Johns Hopkins University and an M.B.A. in International Banking from Columbia University. We believe that Mr. Friedberg’s experience in the financial and investment management industry, and his experience as the Chief Executive Officer and President and service as a director of Friedberg Mercantile Group give him the qualifications and skills to serve on our board of directors.
Jacob B. Frieberg
Jacob B. Frieberg has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2015. Mr. Frieberg has also served as a principal at The WTF Group, a Toronto-based property management company, since founding the company in 1984. Prior to that time, he was the Vice President at Rockford Developments, a Calgary-based multi-family building company. Mr. Frieberg received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. We believe that Mr. Frieberg’s experience in business, including his management responsibility, gives him the qualifications, skills and financial expertise to serve on our board of directors.
Maurice Zauderer, Ph.D.
Maurice Zauderer, Ph.D. has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since our inception in April 2001. Prior to founding the company, Dr. Zauderer was an Associate Professor at the University of Rochester and has also held senior faculty positions at Columbia University. During his academic career, Dr. Zauderer held the position of visiting scientist at the Laboratory of Cell Biology, the Ontario Cancer Institute and the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Zauderer received a B.S. in Physics from Yeshiva University and a Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.