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Chris is a co-founder and has served as Chief Business Officer since the company’s inception. Prior to Escalier, Chris was Chief Business Officer of Akarna Therapeutics, which was acquired by Allergan in 2016 for up to $1.2B. Chris has negotiated and closed a broad range of strategic partnerships, R&D collaborations, technology licenses, and mergers and acquisitions. He has completed numerous equity and debt financings, including IPOs, PIPEs, preferred stock financings, and convertible debt offerings. Previously, Chris served as a senior executive at Ardea Biosciences (acquired by AstraZeneca), Xencor, X-Ceptor Therapeutics (acquired by Exelixis), and Aurora Biosciences (acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals) with operational responsibility and leadership for multiple functional areas, including business development, legal affairs, and corporate finance. Earlier in his career, he was a corporate lawyer at Cooley LLP. Chris received a J.D. and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego.