Driven and decisive, our executive team exemplifies ChyloCure’s thought leadership and superior results. The following individuals comprise the executive leadership of ChyloCure.

Dr. Tom Piccariello is a Founder and the President and Chief of Science Officer of Synthonics. Dr. Piccariello was the lead inventor of the Carrierwave technology (attaching a peptide to an active agent to make that agent less subject to abuse) that ultimately led to the discovery, development and launch of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate for treatment of ADHD) at New River Pharmaceuticals. Shortly after the commercial launch of Vyvanse, Shire acquired New River for approximately $2.4 billion. Dr. Piccariello has experience in the fields of synthetic chemistry, metallurgy, electrochemistry, plant enzymology, chemical manufacturing and pharmacology. In addition to serving as the lead scientist for two pharmaceutical start-up companies (both of which became public), Dr. Piccariello founded and ran contract research and contract manufacturing companies, which he later sold. Dr. Piccariello has 23 patents and patent applications to his credit, 18 of which deal with novel drug delivery technologies. He has a B.S. in biology and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).

Gary Purk has been an executive in the pharmacy and health care industries for 25 years. He has led global operations for a division of American Express and worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and Accenture. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

Jim Politis has been a hemp advocate since 2006.  He worked with State and Federal officials to pass the first Bills on legalizing hemp production in 2014 (federal) and 2015 (state).  Jim also spoke with State officials to allow Virginia Tech, Virginia State University and James Madison University to start research programs on growing hemp and finding end use products for hemp related consumer goods.  Mr. Politis served on the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors (District D) for 16 years advocating for small businesses and farmers.  He also owned businesses in farming, restaurants and electronics. He has expertise in wholesale distribution, sales, marketing, product branding and private labeling.

Dr. Scott Palmer, M.D., is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine, and a graduate of University of Michigan and Rush Medical College in Chicago. Dr. Palmer has been selected in the past as a “Top Doctors: Chicago Metro Area” by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a “Top Doctor” by U.S. News & World Report, and a “Top Doc” in Internal Medicine by Chicago Magazine. He’s currently a member of the American Academy of Private Physicians, is a member of Synthonics, Inc’ Board of Directors and is the chairman of Synthonics’ Scientific Advisory Board. In addition to having an active medical practice in Chicago, Dr. Palmer is also a medical team physician for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls. His academic interests are pharmaceutic research, and the clinical areas of neurodegenerative diseases, infection diseases, cancer and autism spectrum disorders.

Jabari Byrd is the first African American to receive an advanced degree in the cannabis field on the east coast. He was born in Richmond, VA by chemists (Wayne and Sandy Byrd) and moved to Montgomery County in 2012. After completing his B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Chemistry at Virginia Tech in 2016, he worked with industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) with his advisor Dr. John Fike while completing a Master’s Degree in the Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Science at Virginia Tech. His research focused on the agronomic management practices revolving around industrial hemp production. His program collaborated with Synthonics in 2017 to provide hemp biomass material for the research and development stages of chylobinoid with Dr. Tom Piccariello.