James W. Larrick MD PhD

Founder, Project coordinator

Dr. James Larrick is a biomedical entrepreneur with an international reputation in biotechnology [cytokines, therapeutic antibodies, molecular biology, pharmaceutical drug development] having written or co‑authored eight books, over 300 papers/chapters and over fifty patents in his thirty-five year career. He has served on the editorial board of six journals. Dr. Larrick’s work on therapeutic antibodies and other protein therapeutics has spanned the whole range of biopharmaceutical product development from target discovery, process science to clinical trials.

Dr. Larrick received his MD and PhD degrees from Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC as a Medical Scientist Training Program scholar. After house-staff training in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, he completed a post‑doctoral fellowship in the Stanford Cancer Biology Research Labs working on the first therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies for cancer and infectious diseases. In 1982, he continued this work as a founding scientist of Cetus Immune Research Labs, Palo Alto, CA, where he became Director of Research in 1986. While at Cetus, he pioneered the use of PCR for the construction of recombinant antibodies. This technology was critical to the development of antibody library cloning and the practical development of recombinant antibodies as a new class/modality of biotherapeutics.

In 1991, Dr. Larrick founded PIMM, now called the Panorama Institute of Molecular Medicine, a non‑profit research institute situated near Stanford University, and Panorama Research Inc., a biopharmaceutical incubator company. Dr. Larrick’s PRI team has discovered and initiated development of a diverse, and innovative portfolio of pharmaceutical molecules addressing major unmet needs in cancer, infectious, autoimmune, cardiovascular, neurological and metabolic diseases. PRI has incubated >40 life science projects. Based on this work he has co-founded more than two dozen companies. Among these are Planet Biotechnology Inc., Kalobios Inc., NuGen Technology Inc., Panolife Products Inc., PanResearch Inc., Adamas Inc., Absalus Inc. (now Teva Inc.), Corsalex LLC, TransTarget Inc., Larix Bioscience LLC, and Galaxy Biotech LLC. To date PRI-initiated projects and/or companies have led to six IPOs/exits. Currently, Dr. Larrick serves on the Boards of several early stage companies.

Dr. Larrick has organized and led a number of biomedical expeditions, including studies of nutrition, malaria, genetics, and high altitude adaptation among native peoples of Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, Nepal, India, Tibet and China. He has a genuine interest in fostering entrepreneurial activities and promoting healthcare among those less fortunate. Presently, he helps fund and serves on the Boards of two non-profits: the Sustainable Sciences Institute (https://sustainablesciences.org/) focused on education and delivery of appropriate technology to less developed countries in Africa and Latin America and the Sankofa Center for African Dance and Culture focused on education, diagnosis, and therapy of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in Ghana (http://www.thesankofacenter.org/). Juvare is his latest effort to improve health among people in the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, in Bhutan, and in Indonesia.

Jasmine Larrick

Managing Director

Jasmine Larrick is a Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) scholar at the University of Pennsylvania.

She previously studied Molecular and Cell Biology and Anthropology at UC Berkeley. She completed her undergraduate thesis work in the Harris Laboratory in the Global Health department of UC Berkeley, where she studied flaviviruses such as Dengue Virus, Yellow Fever Virus, and Zika Virus. One of her major interests is in the effects and prevention of disease in developing countries. At UC Berkeley, Jasmine initiated the Helix Medical Pipeline Program, which continues to focus on alleviating racial and class disparities in U.S. healthcare professions through community outreach to high school students.

At UPenn, Jasmine serves on the board of the Refugee Health Interest Group and works with its partner Refugee Clinic at Presbyterian Hospital. Continuing her interest in community health and outreach, she leads Juvare’s mission. Together with her father and our community partners, she coordinates expeditions and manages the current projects.