CUE BIOPHARMA SM CUE BIOPHARMA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Scientific Officer
- Immunologist
- President
Anish Suri is an immunologist with extensive experience in basic and translational research focused on immuno-oncology, autoimmune disorders, transplantation rejection, and inflammation. Prior to joining Cue Biopharma, he held roles of increasing responsibility at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, including a key leadership position overseeing strategic Immunoscience initiatives. Prior to Janssen, he was responsible for providing strategic guidance to immuno-oncology and immunology drug discovery programs at Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute. Prior to his work in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Suri was Assistant Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. in immunology from Washington University in St Louis, Missouri.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Senior Vice President
Colin Sandercock brings more than 30 years of experience advising life sciences companies on a broad range of legal matters, including domestic and international patent litigation, compliance, procurement, and licensing. Before joining Cue Biopharma, Sandercock was most recently a Partner at Perkins Coie since 2009. Prior to Perkins Coie, he held positions within legal firms including Proskauer Rose where he co-chaired the firm's Life Science Practice Group; Heller Ehrman, where he co-chaired the firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group; and Foley & Lardner, where he chaired the firm's Chemical Practice Group. His technical experience includes life science, pharmaceutical compositions and biologics, organic and inorganic chemistries, as well as chemical and biochemical engineering. Sandercock has served as an adjunct professor of law at George Washington University Law School, lecturing on the licensing of intellectual property rights, and on the AAA Patent Advisory Committee for Patent Disputes. He received his J.D. from the Catholic University of America and received a M.S.E. in Engineering degree in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Moravian College.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Executive
Dan Passeri is a seasoned biotechnology executive with over 20 years of experience managing drug discovery and development programs as well as business development activities on behalf of publicly traded companies, with deep experience in both oncology and strategic partnership generation. Prior to joining Cue Biopharma, Mr. Passeri served as President and Chief Executive Officer as well as Vice Chairman of the Board of Curis, Inc. Prior to joining Curis, he was employed by GeneLogic Inc., most recently as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategic Planning. Prior to his work at GeneLogic, Mr. Passeri served as Director of Technology Management at Boehringer Mannheim. Mr. Passeri received a J.D. from the National Law Center at George Washington University, an M.Sc. in Biotechnology from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of London and a B.S. in Biology from Northeastern University.
Dr. Abul K. Abbas received his MBBS (MD equivalent) in India, completed training in Pathology at Harvard Medical School and joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he rose to become Professor of Pathology and Head of the Immunology Research Division. In 1999, after twenty years on the Harvard Medical School faculty, he moved to UCSF as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pathology, where he served in this position until 2018. Dr. Abbas has received several honors, including election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Rous-Whipple Award and Robbins Educator Award of the American Society of Investigative Pathology. He has served as one of the founding Editors and Associate Editor of Immunity, Associate Editor and Section Editor for The Journal of Immunology, Associate Editor of Cell, Consulting Editor of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, founding Editor of the Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease, and Co-Chief Scientific Advisor of Science Immunology. From 2011-2013, he was the President of the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS). Dr. Abbas' research interests are in immunology, with a focus on the control of immune responses and the causes of autoimmunity. His laboratory has used experimental models to analyze the generation and maintenance of regulatory T cells. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers and invited reviews and is the author of four widely read textbooks, two in immunology and two in pathology. He has taught immunology at Harvard Medical School and UCSF and has organized and conducted immunology courses worldwide.
Dr. Frank Morich is a biopharmaceutical professional with more than 35 years of industry experience. He served on the board of directors for MorphoSys from 2015-2021 and Innate Pharma from 2004-2010, both clinical-stage biotechnology companies specializing in antibody development. Prior to focusing on board work, from 2011 to 2014, Dr. Morich served as Chief Commercial Officer at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, a global pharmaceutical company, and, from 2010 to 2011, he served as Executive Vice President, International Operations at Takeda. From 2008 to 2010, Dr. Morich served as Chief Executive Officer of NOXXON Pharma AG, a clinical-stage drug development company, and, from 2005 to 2007, he served as Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors of Innogenetics N.V., an international in vitro diagnostics company. Prior to that, Dr. Morich held several positions at Bayer, a global pharmaceutical and life sciences company, including member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG, Head of Global Product Development and Head of Research and Development. Dr. Morich holds an M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Marburg where he specialized in immunology with a focus on monoclonal antibodies. He served as a military physician before moving to industry.
Dr. Michael Kalos is an internationally recognized expert in T cell therapy and immunotherapy and brings over 25 years of experience and expertise in cell therapy, oncology vaccines, and immuno-oncology. Most recently Michael served as Executive Vice President and Head of R&D at ArsenalBio, a synthetic biology-based cell therapy start-up. At ArsenalBio Michael led development of research and development and product development strategy for the company's first product. Prior to ArsenalBio Michael served as Vice President of Immuno-oncology and Oncology Cell Therapies at Janssen, the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson, where he led corporate internal and external strategy and efforts in cell therapy, neoantigen vaccines, and immuno-oncology. Prior to Janssen, Michael served as Chief Scientific Officer of immuno-oncology at Eli Lilly and Company, where he established and led internal and external corporate strategy in immuno-oncology, including biologics, bi-specifics, vaccines, and cell therapy. Prior to joining the biopharmaceutical sector, Michael spent 10 years in academia, where he focused on the development of integrated translational biomarker programs to support the development of cell therapy and immunotherapy programs. The laboratory he founded and directed at the University of Pennsylvania played a key role in the success of the cell therapy program at the University of Pennsylvania, including clinical development of the CTL019 program that was licensed to Novartis and led to the approval of Kymriah. Dr. Kalos obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and completed post-doctoral training in the laboratory of Phil Greenberg at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Kalos has co-authored over 85 peer-reviewed manuscripts, including multiple highly cited articles in high-impact journals that have helped define the space of CAR- and TCR- based T cell therapy, as well as book chapters in the field of cancer immunotherapy, and has 26 issued patents in the field of cell therapy, immunotherapy, and vaccines. He actively serves and has served as an advisory member for international immunotherapy consortia and societies as well as biopharmaceutical companies.
Fred Driscoll has more than 20 years of experience in financial management of life sciences companies, most recently as the Chief Financial Officer at Flexion Therapeutics, Inc., where he spearheaded an initial public offering in 2014. Prior to joining Flexion, he served as Chief Financial Officer at Novavax, Inc. from 2009 to 2013. From 2008 to 2009, Mr. Driscoll served as Chief Executive Officer of Genelabs Technologies, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company later acquired by GlaxoSmithKline. Prior to serving as Chief Executive Officer of Genelabs he was the Chief Financial Officer from 2007 to 2008. From 2000 to 2006, Mr. Driscoll served as Chief Executive Officer at OXiGENE, Inc., where he also served as Chairman of the Board and Audit Committee Chair. He was also a member of the Audit Committee for Cynapsus Therapeutics, Inc., which was sold to Sunovion Pharmaceuticals in 2016. Mr. Driscoll earned a B.S. in accounting and finance from Bentley University. He is a member of the board of directors of Cellectar Biosciences, Inc. and MEI Pharma, Inc.
Hidde Ploegh is a member of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital. Previously, Ploegh was a Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Dr. Ploegh is recognized for his contributions to molecular immunology and has published more than 400 papers, and is also the recipient of numerous awards. His laboratory has played a key role in developing sortase-based strategies for protein modification, and its use to modify sdAbs for use as reagents, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Dr. Ploegh is a correspondent of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences and a member of EMBO, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Leiden under Jack Strominger and is best known for his contribution to the understanding of antigen processing and immune evasion.
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Professor of Immunology at the Jackson Laboratory
Karolina Palucka is an expert in cancer immunotherapy and how vaccines effect immune function. Dr. Palucka is Professor of Immunology at the Jackson Laboratory. Her lab specializes in human immunology and is focused on experimental immunotherapy. Her group pioneered the development of dendritic cell-based vaccines for patients with cancer or HIV. Dr. Palucka served as the director of the Ralph M. Steinman Center for Cancer Vaccines and was the Michael A.E. Ramsay Chair for Cancer Immunology Research at the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research in Dallas, TX.
Kenneth Pienta is a highly-respected leader in the understanding of cancer metastases and the role of the tumor microenvironment in cancer development and immunosuppression. Dr. Pienta is the Donald S. Coffey Professor of Urology, as well as a Professor of Oncology, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Currently, he is the Director of Research at the Brady Urological Institute and also serves as the co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Individualized Health Initiative (Hopkins inHealth) to better define the practice of precision medicine. He has been the principal investigator on numerous local and national clinical trials and has a proven track record in developing multi-disciplinary translational research programs, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Dr. Pienta is the author of more than 550 peer-reviewed articles, and is a two-time American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor Award recipient. Dr. Pienta received a B.A. in human biology from Johns Hopkins University and an M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and is board certified in oncology.
Kerri-Ann Millar serves as the Chief Financial Officer. Before joining Cue Biopharma, Ms. Millar served as Corporate Controller for Flexion Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of local therapies for the treatment of patients with osteoarthritis, where she developed the finance function for the newly public company to support the commercialization of its first approved drug. Prior to Flexion Therapeutics, she served as a Finance Specialist for Curis, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of oncology treatments. Prior to Curis, Ms. Millar spent over 10 years in audit and finance functions at several investment banks in the Boston area and four years at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She earned a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Boston University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Matteo Levisetti brings extensive experience leading global clinical development for mid and large-size pharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining Cue Biopharma, Matteo served as Chief Medical Officer at DNAtrix directing and managing clinical operations and regulatory strategy for several clinical trials. Matteo also served as Chief Medical Officer at Dauntless Pharmaceuticals where he was responsible for all aspects of clinical development of endocrinology and oncology assets. Previously, Matteo directed immuno-oncology programs as Executive Director of Clinical Development at Mirati Therapeutics. Before joining Mirati, Matteo served as Global Head & Vice President, Translational Medicine, Immunology and Inflammation at Roche Pharma Research & Early Development and held several senior positions with Pfizer, including Global Clinical Lead. While working with Pfizer, Matteo led multiple early clinical development programs across several therapeutic areas, including endocrinology, immunology and oncology. Earlier in his career, Matteo held joint appointments as Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Pathology, and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine. Matteo received his MD from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, completed residency training in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Hospitals, and completed subspecialty training in endocrinology and a research fellowship in immunology with Dr. Emil R. Unanue at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Dr. Garzone is a respected pharmaceutical executive with over 25 years of diverse experience in the industry and a significant record of achievement in drug development and leadership. During her career, she has successfully overseen the clinical development of dozens of assets driving their advancement through the clinic. She is currently the chief development officer of Anixa Biosciences, where she oversees a portfolio in oncology. Prior to joining Anixa, Dr. Garzone held executive roles in clinical development with several companies, including Calibr, a division of the Scripps Research Institute, and Pfizer. She previously held positions of increasing responsibility at companies such as Elan Pharmaceuticals and Genetics Institute, starting her industry career at Genentech. Prior to her industry experience, she was an Assistant Professor, Pharmacy and Therapeutics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. Dr. Garzone earned a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from Purdue University and an M.S. in Pharmacy Practice from the University of Pittsburgh. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Science from the University of Pittsburgh.
Mr. Verheyen had a distinguished 35-year career with Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson where he held positions of growing responsibility until his retirement as Global Head, Janssen Business Development in 2021. During his time there he led Janssen's Business Development organization to identify, execute, integrate and manage global licensing, mergers & acquisitions (M&A), divestiture and out-licensing deals across Janssen's therapeutic areas of focus. Mr. Verheyen led the 2017 $30B acquisition of Actelion, which established Janssen's footprint in the Pulmonary Hypertension space, and the 2020 $6.5B acquisition of Momenta Pharmaceuticals, which broadened Janssen's pipeline in autoimmune diseases. During this time, Mr. Verheyen also served as a member of the Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee. Additionally, he played a key role in the 2009 $1B Cougar Biotech acquisition that significantly enhanced Janssen's portfolio in prostate cancer treatment. During his career, Mr. Verheyen helped design and launch Johnson & Johnson Innovation, established its presence in Boston and Shanghai and led the Johnson & Johnson Innovation team in London. The creation of Johnson & Johnson Innovation significantly increased the ability of Johnson & Johnson to globally connect with the most cutting-edge science and technology. Mr. Verheyen earned his master's degree in bioengineering at the University of Leuven, Flanders, Belgium.
Peter Kiener has deep experience in both biologics and immunotherapy, and is the former Chief Scientific Officer at Sucampo. Prior to joining Sucampo, he served as CSO of Ambrx Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of antibody-drug conjugates. Prior to Ambrx, Dr. Kiener was President and Co-founder of Zyngenia Inc., an early-stage biopharmaceutical company. He also held leadership roles at MedImmune LLC, the global biologics arm of AstraZeneca, including Executive Vice President and Global Head of Biologics Research and Development, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Research, and Vice President of Research. He also worked on biologics for Bristol-Myers Squibb prior to his work at MedImmune. Dr. Kiener has served on the scientific advisory boards of KAI Pharmaceuticals Inc., Genocea Biosciences Inc., NKT Therapeutics Inc. and VLST Corporation and as a member of the Board of Directors of Receptor BioLogix Inc., Synovex Corporation and Virdante Pharmaceuticals Inc. He has published more than 120 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is an inventor on more than 40 patents and patent applications. Dr. Kiener earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Lancaster and a doctorate of philosophy in biochemistry from the University of Oxford.
Dr. Ahmed is a world-renowned immunologist and distinguished thought leader whose research has significantly shaped the scientific community's current understanding of immunity in the context of viral infections and cancer. His extensive work on defining T cell exhaustion along with detailing molecular underpinnings of T cell differentiation and effector responses have been seminal in establishing novel areas of research and therapeutic applications. Dr. Ahmed's laboratory pioneered highly sophisticated and leading-edge cellular and molecular techniques to study antigen-specific responses and immunological memory in murine, primate, and human systems. Dr. Ahmed serves as the Director of the Emory Vaccine Center at Emory University. He is also the co-leader of the Cancer Immunology research program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Ahmed is an elected member of the National Academy of Science. He is also recognized as a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and a Fellow of the Academy of Immuno-Oncology.
Rodolfo Chaparro is co-founder of Cue Biopharma and co-inventor of its technologies. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to Cue Biopharma. From the Company's formation in 2015 through February 2020, Dr. Chaparro was responsible for the Company's immuno-oncology and autoimmunity research programs as well as its preclinical and early clinical development. Prior to Cue Biopharma, Dr. Chaparro was a research faculty member in the Department of Biochemistry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Dr. Chaparro possesses research expertise in molecular immunology and immunotherapeutics development and was Head of Immunology within its Macromolecular Therapeutics Development Facility (MTDF). Dr. Chaparro holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of California at Irvine and a Ph.D. in immunology from Stanford University.
Ron Seidel is co-founder of Cue Biopharma and co-inventor of several of its core technologies. He currently serves as Senior Scientific Advisor to Cue Biopharma. From the Company's formation in 2015 through June of 2021, Dr. Seidel had oversight of daily Company operations integrating R&D and intellectual property (IP) development strategy with operational capabilities and scientific direction. Specifically, he leveraged expertise in molecular engineering toward the generation of new high value assets. Prior to Cue Biopharma Dr. Seidel was a Research Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Associate Director of the Macromolecular Therapeutic Development Facility (MTDF) at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The function of the MTDF was to leverage high throughput technologies for the development, analysis and production of protein-based therapeutics. Additionally, through the MTDF, Dr. Seidel was the Associate Director of Eukaryotic Protein Production at the Northeast BioDefense Center (NBC). He has also served as a consultant to the industry in biologics and protein production. Dr. Seidel holds a B.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Georgia. He did his post-doctoral work at the New York Structural Biology Center.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Co - Founder
- Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry
Steven Almo is the Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he is Professor of Biochemistry and of Physiology & Biophysics. Dr. Almo holds the Wollowick Family Foundation Chair in Immunology and is Director of Einstein's Macromolecular Therapeutics Development Facility, a resource dedicated to the development and optimization of protein-based therapeutics. Dr. Almo is recognized for his broad contributions to structural biology and has published more than 300 papers. His laboratory has played key roles in the development and implementation of high-throughput approaches for protein production, structure determination and functional annotation. Dr. Almo received his Ph.D. in Biophysics from Harvard University, while working with Greg Petsko in the Chemistry Department at MIT, and is best known for his high resolution structural and biochemical characterization of the CTLA-4 and PD-1 immune checkpoint proteins and their respective ligands. The strategy for clonal-specific T cell modulation, which underlies Cue Biopharma's therapeutic discovery pipeline, was developed in Dr. Almo's laboratory.