Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> June 29, 2015

Interview with the CEO and Director and the CFO and SVP: Mast Therapeutics, Inc. (MSTX)

Culley, Brian M.
Brian M. Culley, M.A., MBA, is Chief Executive Officer and Director of Mast Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Culley has served as Chief Executive Officer since February 2010 and as a member of the board of directors since December 2011. Previously, from January 2007 to February 2010, he served as Mast Therapeutics’ Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice President; from February 2006 to January 2007, he served as Senior Vice President, Business Development; and from December 2004 to February 2006, he served as Vice President, Business Development. From 2002 until 2004, Mr. Culley managed all strategic collaborations and licensing agreements for iTherx, Inc. — formerly Immusol, Inc. — in San Diego, where his most recent title was Director of Business Development and Marketing. From 1999 until 2000, he was a licensing and marketing associate at the University of California, San Diego, department of technology transfer and intellectual property services, and from 1996 to 1999, he was a research associate for Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. Mr. Culley has more than 20 years of experience in the life science industry. He received a B.S. in biology from Boston College; a master’s in biochemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara; and an MBA from The Johnson School of Business at Cornell University.    Profile
Brandi L. Roberts
Brandi L. Roberts, CPA, MBA, joined Mast Therapeutics, Inc., in March 2011, and currently serves as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President. She previously served as Vice President, Finance from March 2011 to January 2013 and from June 2008 to January 2009. From January 2009 to March 2011, Ms. Roberts served as Vice President, Accounting and Corporate Controller of Alphatec Spine, Inc., the wholly owned operating subsidiary of Alphatec Holdings, Inc., a medical technology company listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, where she was responsible for managing all accounting activities, including SEC reporting and compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Act requirements. From June 2007 to June 2008, Ms. Roberts served as Executive Director, Corporate Controller of Artes Medical, Inc., a publicly traded medical technology company, and from September 2005 to June 2007, she served as Director, Finance of Stratagene Corporation, a publicly traded life science company acquired by Agilent Technologies, Inc., in June 2007. Ms. Roberts’ experience also includes seven years at Pfizer’s laboratories in La Jolla, California — formerly Agouron — most recently as Director, Finance, and three years with the public accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. She is a certified public accountant with the state of California. Ms. Roberts received a B.S. in business administration from the University of Arizona and an MBA from the University of San Diego.     Profile
TWST: To start, could you provide an overview of the company?

Mr. Culley: Yes, certainly. Mast Therapeutics is a publicly traded San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company. We own rights