Barbara Wood Email and Phone Number

Experienced biotechnology senior executive providing strategic, operational and fractional GC consulting services to start-up, clinical stage and mature biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies.

Founded in 1914, PCS is a private not-for-profit day school for students in grades 6–12. Its pioneering Guided Study program empowers students to continue their learning while pursuing professional pursuits in the performing arts, competitive sports, and other endeavors. I was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2024.

At SELLAS Life Sciences Group, Inc., a micro-cap oncology-focused biotechnology company based in NYC, I was a member of the senior leadership team and was responsible for all legal, intellectual property, compliance, human resources and operational matters with a heavy involvement in financing and investor relations matters. I served as an advisor to the CEO and Board on strategic and governance matters and, in addition to oversight of all day-to-day legal matters, including several capital raises, I managed several complex legacy litigation matters following a reverse merger in 2018.

As Ophthotech’s first general counsel, I led the legal, intellectual property and compliance functions and was a member of the senior leadership team. During my tenure, Ophthotech was a mid-cap Nasdaq-listed biotechnology company with drugs in development for eye diseases, including macular degeneration. Following the failure of the three Phase 3 registrational clinical trials for its lead asset, I remained for a transition period of one year during which I was actively involved in efforts to re-focus Ophthotech's strategy and rebuild the company.

Over the period of 10 years, built the legal department for OSI's operations in the US and the UK (Oxford) as well as the IP, corporate compliance and government affairs functions. At the time of OSI's acquisition by Astellas, these departments were comprised of approximately 25 professionals. As General Counsel, oversaw several major transactions, including the acquisition of two public biotech companies, a major division of a public biotech company, two facilities and related assets of a UK biotech company, and a commercially marketed pharmaceutical product; the issuance of over $1 billion in debt and equity securities; numerous licensing and collaboration agreements; and the defense against takeover attempts prior to the acquisition of OSI by Astellas. As a member of the senior management team for 10 years, oversaw a period of dramatic change as OSI's first product was approved by the FDA and commercially launched, OSI attained profitability, and grew from 100 employees to over 550 employees at the time of its acquisition.

As both a corporate associate and corporate partner, primarily focused on mergers and acquisitions, biotechnology, licensing, securities and venture capital matters and worked on numerous transactions for both large cap companies (e.g., News Corporation) and some of the earliest biotechnology companies.