David Kalergis (born December 9, 1948) is an American

life science Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...

s entrepreneur and the Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Atelerix Life Sciences Inc., a

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

, U.S.-based

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

and

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and ...

company developing novel treatments for the reversal of

opioid Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioi ...

induced

respiratory depression Hypoventilation (also known as respiratory depression) occurs when ventilation is inadequate (''hypo'' meaning "below") to perform needed respiratory gas exchange. By definition it causes an increased concentration of carbon dioxide ( hypercapn ...

. He co-founded the company in 2020 with Stephen Lewis, PhD, James Bates, MD/PhD, and Ben Gaston, MD. Previously, he co-founded

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:DFFN) is a publicly traded biotechnology and drug development company based in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. It was co-founded in 2001 by American life sciences entrepreneur David Kalergis and University o ...

in 2001 with American

chemical engineer In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is a professional, equipped with the knowledge of chemical engineering, who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products and deals with the ...

John L. Gainer John L. Gainer (born July 19, 1938) is an American chemical engineer and co-founder and former chief scientific officer of Diffusion Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company based in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. Professor ...

. Kalergis became Diffusion's CEO in 2004, retaining that position until 2020, when he left to create Atelerix Life Sciences. During this time, he drew extensively on his career in law, business, and

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

s implementation to advance the Company to Phase 3 clinical trials status and into a

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

publicly traded entity. Under Kalergis' leadership, Diffusion Pharmaceuticals has been cited for advancing improved cancer treatments, conducting multicenter clinical trials of a novel therapeutic for

brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secon ...

s, including

glioblastoma multiforme Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality cha ...

. Diffusion Pharmaceuticals has also conducted clinical trials for the treatment of oxygen deficiencies associated with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

and acute stroke.

Education and career

Kalergis received a B.A. degree in Psychology in 1970 and J.D. and M.B.A. Degrees in 1982 from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

. He subsequently worked with the New York-based law firm Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood, maintaining that association until 1986, when he became President and General Counsel of Designs Import/Export, Ltd. From 1991 to 1997, he was Consultant, Director of Business Development, and General Counsel to the

contract research organization In the life sciences, a contract research organization (CRO) is a company that provides support to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries in the form of research services outsourced on a contract basis. A CRO may provide ...

Pharmaceutical Research Associates (PRA), Inc. While with PRA, he was involved in numerous pharmaceutical development projects through the pre-clinical, clinical, and post-marketing stages. In 1998 Kalergis was appointed Director of University of Virginia Gateway, a program to establish stronger ties between industry and academia, particularly in the area of

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, th ...

. His efforts have been cited in advancing relationships between the high-technology business and academic sectors, both regionally and internationally. It was through his association with the University of Virginia that Kalergis met Gainer, who was at that time a Professor of Chemical Engineering, leading to their collaboration in the founding of Diffusion Pharmaceuticals. Kalergis also attended the

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...

's Leadership and Strategy in Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals program.

Other activities

Kalergis is a founding director of

publicly traded A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange ( l ...

Virginia National Bank where he was Chairman of the Assets and Liabilities Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. He is a former member of the Boards of Directors of the Virginia Biotechnology Association, the

Virginia Piedmont The Piedmont region of Virginia is a part of the greater Piedmont physiographic region which stretches from the falls of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The region runs across the middle of the state from ...

Technology Council, and the Computers4Kids Program in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is a member of the New York and Virginia State Bar Associations.

Awards and books

Kalergis received the Virginia Piedmont Technology Council's Navigator award in 2002. His and Gainer's work at Diffusion Pharmaceuticals was acknowledged in 2012, when the company received the Virginia Healthcare Innovators "Medical Product or Device" award. Kalergis is the author of The Role of the University in the Commercialization of Biotechnology (1981).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalergis, David American chief executives University of Virginia School of Law alumni University of Virginia Darden School of Business alumni 1948 births Living people