Author: James Topper

Dr Topper joined Frazier Healthcare in 2003 as a Venture Partner and became a General Partner in 2005. Since joining Frazier Healthcare, Dr. Topper has led multiple biopharma investments. In particular, he was responsible for the formation and financing of Arête Therapeutics, an innovative drug development company that is pursuing preclinical and clinical development of lead compounds directed at a novel proprietary target for cardiovascular and inflammatory disorders. In addition, Dr Topper led Frazier Healthcare's investment in Cotherix (Nasdaq CTRX) which was acquired by Actelion for $420M. Dr. Topper currently serves on the boards of Alnara Pharmaceuticals, Amicus Therapeutics (Nasdaq FOLD), Arête Therapeutics, Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Intradigm Corporation, and Anaptys Biosciences. Prior to joining Frazier Healthcare, he served as head of the cardiovascular research and development franchise at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and ran Millennium San Francisco (formerly COR Therapeutics). Prior to the merger of COR and Millennium, Dr. Topper served as the Vice President of Biology at COR and was responsible for managing all of its research activities. He served on the faculties of Stanford Medical School and Harvard Medical School prior to joining COR, where he functioned as a clinician, instructor and basic investigator. Dr. Topper received his M.D. and Ph.D. (in Biophysics) from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1991 under the auspices of the Medical Scientist Training Program. He completed his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and is board certified in both disciplines. After completing a research fellowship in the Vascular Research Division in the department of Pathology at the Brigham and Women's hospital, he joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School from 1997 to 1998, and subsequently Stanford University as an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular) in July 1998. He has authored over 50 publications and was the recipient of a Howard Hughes Scholars Award while on the faculty at Stanford University. He continues to hold an appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and as a Cardiology Consultant to the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Hospital.