Dr. Steve Projan currently works as a consultant and scientific advisor in the biopharmaceutical industry as well as with public-private partnerships, mainly in infectious disease research. Dr. Projan was, until April 1, 2018, the Head of the Infectious Diseases & Vaccines Innovative Medicines unit (iMED) at MedImmune, leading a cross-functional team dedicated to the therapeutic area strategy, prioritization and advancement of the company’s infectious disease and vaccine portfolio.
Dr. Projan joined MedImmune in 2010. Prior to joining MedImmune, Dr. Projan served as vice president and global head of Infectious Diseases at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Cambridge MA. He previously spent 15 years at Wyeth in roles of increasing responsibility with his last post as vice president and head of Biological Technologies. During his time at Wyeth, Dr. Projan started the Biologics Discovery Group (covering all therapeutic areas) and initiated multiple collaborations and partnerships, most notably with Cambridge Antibody Technology (now a part of MedImmune/AZ). Prior to Dr. Projan’s work in the industry, he spent 14 years at the Public Health Research Institute and presently has over 120 publications to his credit.
Dr. Projan received a bachelor of science (SB) degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and masters of arts and philosophy in biological sciences and a doctorate in molecular genetics from Columbia University.
Dr. Michael Pfleiderer is an internationally recognized expert in vaccine development, evaluation, and regulatory affairs, with more than three decades of experience spanning scientific research, regulatory leadership, and global health policy. He holds a Ph.D. in molecular virology and began his career in molecular biology laboratories at IMMUNO AG in Vienna, where he worked on the development and production of recombinant medicinal products, including vaccines.
From 1998 onward, Dr. Pfleiderer held senior leadership roles at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), Germany’s Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines, serving as Head of the Human Viral Vaccines Section. In this capacity, he was responsible for vaccine authorization, regulatory assessment, official batch release, and inspections. Under his leadership, PEI played a central role in the evaluation of vaccine marketing authorization applications submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), particularly for seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines.
Dr. Pfleiderer has contributed extensively to shaping the European vaccine regulatory framework through key positions at the EMA, including Chair of the CHMP Vaccine Working Party and Chair and Vice Chair of the EMA Pandemic Task Force. He has also played a major role in developing European regulatory guidelines for vaccines. At the global level, he established and led the WHO Collaborative Centre for Vaccine Evaluation and Standardization at PEI, supporting WHO’s regulatory science agenda and pandemic preparedness initiatives.
Since 2016, Dr. Pfleiderer has worked as a Principal Consultant with Biopharma-Excellence and its successor organizations. Although retired as of March 2025, he continues to provide independent consultancy services in vaccine development, regulation, and global health strategy.
Dr. M. Amin Khan is a biopharmaceutical scientist and R&D leader with more than 30 years of experience advancing vaccines, biologics, and complex therapeutic platforms from discovery through licensure and global deployment. He has held senior scientific and executive leadership roles at leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations, including Executive Vice President and Head of R&D at Icosavax (acquired by AstraZeneca), Chief Science Officer at GreenLight Biosciences, and Vice President positions at GSK Vaccines and Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics. Across these roles, he led global R&D and technical organizations, contributed to the licensure of multiple vaccine products, and guided development portfolios targeting infectious diseases and emerging pathogens.
Dr. Khan also brings extensive Scientific Advisory Board and governance experience across industry and global health. He has served as Chair and member of multiple advisory boards, providing independent scientific oversight and strategic guidance at critical development inflection points. He is Founder and Chief Science Officer of Dr. Amin Khan, LLC, advising biotechnology companies, investors, and global health organizations on vaccine and biologics development strategy.
Dr. Khan holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Nottingham, UK.
After earning a PharmD/PhD degree pharmaceutical sciences and a doctorate in immune toxicology-immunopharmacology, Dr. Garcon joined SmithKline Beecham Biologicals (now GlaxoSmithKline vaccines) in 1990. During the following 25 years, she led the GSK effort in adjuvant and technology innovation from research to licensure, contributing to the licensure of over 10 vaccines. In her last role within GSK vaccines, before joining BIOASTER, Dr. Garcon held the position of vice-president, head of adjuvants and technologies innovation center. She provided leadership within GSK Biologicals in the fields of new vaccines technologies, from discovery to registration and commercialization.
From 2015 to 2022, Dr. Garcon acted as CSO/CEO of BIOASTER, a French public-private technology research institute, focusing on open innovation, by integrating internal and external expertise in the field of microbiology, to provide new innovations in prophylaxis, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
Dr. Garcon is the 2014 laureate of the Stanley Plotkin award for vaccines and vaccine technologies. She has authored over 100 papers and book chapters in various languages, is the editor of several books, and sits on the scientific committee of several journals. She holds more than 100 patents.
Founder and COO
Hans Lien is the Founder and Chief Operating Officer of TollereBio, bringing more than 30 years of expertise in biologics manufacturing, including vaccine and adjuvant development. His leadership is informed by extensive experience across both large pharmaceutical organizations and emerging biotechnology companies, with a strong focus on early-stage product development.
Mr. Lien began his career at Ribi ImmunoChem, where he held multiple roles in upstream and downstream GMP manufacturing supporting a variety of vaccines and adjuvant programs. During this period, he contributed through the company’s merger with Corixa Corporation and its subsequent acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
Following his early technical work, he advanced into a series of leadership positions in Quality. These included serving as QA Manager at Schering-Plough Animal Health, Director of Quality Assurance at LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, and Global Head of GMP QA/QC at Takeda Vaccines. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Quality at Icosavax.
In addition to his corporate roles, Mr. Lien has spent more than a decade providing Quality and CMC consulting to organizations worldwide, supporting programs spanning small-molecule therapeutics, gene therapies, cell therapies, vaccines, and adjuvant development. Hans holds a B.S. in Biology from Montana State University.
Founder and SAB Chair
Robert (Bob) K. Ernst, Ph.D. is the Dr. Paul and Mrs. Jean Corcoran Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis at the University of Maryland -Baltimore and a Distinguished University Professor. He is also a co-founder of the biotechnology companies Pataigin and TollereBio. Dr. Ernst’s research explores how Gram-negative bacteria adapt to host immune defenses by modifying the lipid A component of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a key molecule recognized by the innate immune system. His laboratory has uncovered the molecular mechanisms driving these structural changes and their role in bacterial pathogenesis and immune modulation. Building on these discoveries, Dr. Ernst developed bacterial enzymatic combinatorial chemistry (BECC), a platform that harnesses bacterial biosynthetic enzymes to engineer libraries of lipid A molecules with distinct immune-stimulating properties. This approach enables the rational design of safe and potent vaccine adjuvants tailored to elicit specific immune responses. In addition to advancing vaccine research, BECC has been applied to rapidly identify bacterial pathogens directly from complex biological fluids using mass spectrometry, offering powerful diagnostic and immunological tools for infectious disease research.
CloseFounder, President and CEO
Dr. Charles Richardson, Ph.D., is the Founder, President, and CEO of TollereBio. With over 35 years of experience in vaccine and adjuvant development, he is an established biotech entrepreneur with a strong track record of building and advancing innovative life science enterprises. Dr. Richardson began his career at Ribi ImmunoChem, where he advanced to Vice President of Pharmaceutical Discovery before the company’s merger with Corixa Corporation. At Corixa, he served as Vice President and Site Manager, overseeing adjuvant research and manufacturing operations. He later held key leadership positions, including Executive Vice President of Research and Development at LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Global Head of CMC for Takeda Vaccines, where he managed multiple vaccine programs, and Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Icosavax.
Throughout his career, Dr. Richardson has demonstrated exceptional skill in strategic planning, research and product development, manufacturing, engineering, regulatory affairs, and quality systems management. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati.
TollereBio was founded to commercialize the BECC Technology platform for adjuvant development invented by Dr. Robert K. Ernst at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. We are committed to improving vaccine efficacy and safety with global accessibility. The BECC platform enables quick and efficient engineering of lipid A mimetics for identification of new TLR4 adjuvants with customized immunostimulatory properties. Our team of experienced industry veterans is excited to offer accessible, cost-effective vaccine adjuvants that can have a positive impact on global human health.
