Dr. Louis Matis joined Pieris as the Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer in August 2015, bringing more than 30 years of experience in basic and clinical biomedical research, regulatory affairs, drug development and executive leadership. Prior to joining Pieris, Dr. Matis served since June 2011 as Executive Director, Strategic Evaluation at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, where he also served from 1993 to 2000, during which time he advanced to the position of CSO and had a leading role in discovering the first-in-class complement inhibitor monoclonal antibody Soliris® (eculizumab). Before re-joining Alexion in 2011, Dr. Matis served as CEO of CGI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2000 to 2006, and of the Immune Tolerance Institute from 2007 to 2010. Under Dr. Matis’ leadership, CGI raised over $60 million in venture capital financing, established five partnerships with top tier pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and developed novel small molecule kinase inhibitors for both autoimmune disease and cancer indications. From 1977 until joining Alexion in 1993, Dr. Matis held senior research and clinical positions at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, and the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Dr. Matis holds a B.A. from Amherst College and an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine. He completed his clinical training in Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics, and in Medical Oncology at the NCI. Dr. Matis is the author of over 120 publications in the fields of immunology, cell and molecular biology, and clinical medicine.