Dr.  Levan Darjania joined General Hemp LLC as a Head of Project Analysis and R&D in May of 2017. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the research discovery and development. Dr. Darjania has worked in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry for 18 years in both pre-clinical and clinical development, and has worked in multiple therapeutic areas with a focus and extensive experience in cancer diseases, holding key positions with responsibilities for managing drug candidate advanced formulation, bioanalysis, metabolism, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in clinical trial programs.

Most recently, as Director of DMPK at Wellspring Biosciences Dr. Darjania oversaw multiple preclinical (PK/PD), clinical (Phase I) and regulatory submissions (IND enabling) in the U.S. Dr. Darjania has directly supported the successful advancement of 2-clinical drug candidates (ARS-2102 and KO-947) to IND-enabling and first-in-human studies, and successful in-licensing one oncology drug candidate.

Previously, Dr. Darjania held senior scientific and R&D leadership positions of increasing responsibility at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Intellikine Inc, Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Anadys Pharmaceuticals and Alerion Biomedical where he supported both preclinical and clinical programs in oncology, metabolic disease and antiviral (HCV/HIV) areas.

Prior joining a biotech-pharma industry, Dr. Darjania conducted an extensive academic research at The University of Texas at Austin, Technological Research Center for Renewable Resources (CERZOS)-Argentina and A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry (ex-USSR) in the areas of plant biochemistry, lipid-terpene metabolism and intracellular signal transduction mechanisms.

Dr. Levan Darjania is an author or co-author on more than 30 peer reviewed publications, abstracts and is inventor on several granted patent applications. Dr. Darjania has completed his post-doctoral research work at the Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology at The University of Texas at Austin and earned his PhD degree in biochemistry from Moscow Institute of Biochemistry at The Science Academy of ex-USSR.