ATALANTA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Scientific Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Aimee has worked in the field of RNA interference and oligonucleotide therapeutics for 18 years. She most recently served as vice president of research for miRagen Therapeutics, where she advanced three microRNA programs from initial concept to first-in-human clinical trials in less than five years. These programs encompassed diverse therapeutic areas and comprised both microRNA mimics and inhibitors. Two of these programs have advanced to Phase 2 clinical trials, including a fibrosis program for which Aimee served as the product development team lead. Prior to joining miRagen, Aimee led preclinical research at Regulus Therapeutics and Merck/Rosetta, where she served as molecular profiling lead for the development of siRNA-based therapeutics and played a lead role in the identification of siRNA design aspects for enhanced activity and specificity. Aimee received her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Health Science Center.
She is known for her great love of reading, yoga, hiking, good food and good wine. Her affection for good food and wine ultimately led to her earning her Sommelier certification to more fully enjoy this passion.
Alex is joining Atalanta with over 5 years of experience at McGill University; designing, synthesizing and evaluating various oligonucleotide conjugates with small molecules, antibodies and nanoparticles to improve targeted delivery and gene silencing. Alex received a B.S. Honors Specialization in Chemistry with distinction from Western University and his Ph.D. in Chemical Biology from the laboratory of Dr. Hanadi Sleiman at McGill University.
In his free time, Alex enjoys swimming, skiing, hiking, reading, and inner tube water polo.
Job Titles:
- Director, Talent Acquisition
Alex brings over 15 years of recruiting experience to Atalanta Therapeutics and was most recently Associate Director and Head of Talent Acquisition at Voyager Therapeutics. Prior to that, Alex led recruiting activities at Roivant Sciences where he contributed to the growth of the company in the United States and Switzerland. Earlier in his career, Alex worked at Johnson & Johnson where he led global recruiting initiatives across the pharmaceutical, medical devices, and consumer health sectors. Alex earned a B.S. from Roger Williams University where he double majored in Justice Studies and Spanish Foreign Language.
Alex grew up on Cape Cod and enjoys everything the ocean has to offer, including boating, fishing, swimming, and eating an inordinate amount of seafood.
Dr. Sandrock spent 23 years at Biogen where he served in positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in his service as executive vice president, research and development until December 2021. He also served an eight-year term as the company's chief medical officer, from 2012 to 2020, and on the Biogen Executive Committee, from 2013 to 2021. Earlier in his career, Dr. Sandrock held several senior executive positions at Biogen, including group senior vice president of development sciences, senior vice president of neurology R&D, and vice president of clinical development, neurology. Over the course of his tenure, he led the discovery, development, and regulatory approval of numerous medicines including Aduhelm®, Plegridy®, Spinraza®, Tecfidera®, and Tysabri®. Dr. Sandrock holds a B.A. in human biology from Stanford University, an M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and a Ph.D. in neurobiology from Harvard University. He completed an internship in medicine, a residency and chief residency in neurology, and a clinical fellowship in Neuromuscular Disease and Clinical Neurophysiology (electromyography) at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
- President
Alicia most recently served as president and chief executive officer at Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a diversified public healthcare company where she led the successful turnaround strategy for the company resulting in a sale to Catalent, Inc. in August 2018. Prior to her role at Juniper, Alicia held a number of leadership positions in the life sciences industry, including chief commercial officer at Zafgen Inc., chief operating officer at Synageva BioPharma Corp, and roles of increasing responsibility at Genzyme over her 15-year tenure, including serving as vice president and general manager of metabolic diseases, a global business with multiple commercial products, including two orphan drugs. Prior to Genzyme, Alicia held positions at Alkermes, Inc. in business development, at Centocor, Inc. (a Johnson & Johnson Company) in clinical and commercial operations, and began her career at Pfizer Inc. as a hospital-based sales representative. Alicia is also a member of the board of directors at GW Pharmaceuticals, plc., Orchard Therapeutics, and a board member of the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR). She received her B.S. in health administration from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from Northeastern University.
Alicia spends her free time at the helm of her sailboat, traversing the ocean with her husband and twin boys. Between ports, she's either spinning on a bike, skiing the slopes or walking the dogs - and she's often seen scootering around Boston on her daily commute.
Amr spent the majority of his research career focusing on RNA condensate biology, specifically stress granules. Most recently, Amr worked at Pfizer within the Rare Disease Research Unit as Postdoctoral Research Fellow. During this time, he focused on understanding mechanisms driving neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and FTLD. Amr completed my undergraduate studies in Biochemistry at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec in 2015. Amr stayed at McGill and completed his doctoral degree in 2022 focusing on condensate dynamics and their impact on cellular senescence and associated inflammation.
During his free time, Amr loves playing his electric guitars and making music!
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Scientific Advisor
Anastasia has more than 20 years of experience developing oligonucleotide technology and therapeutics. She is a professor in the RNA Therapeutics Institute and Program of Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), where her lab brings together hardcore organic and oligonucleotide chemists with RNA biologists and pharmacologists to develop novel approaches and solutions to understanding natural and therapeutic RNA trafficking and delivery. Anastasia founded the UMass Nucleic Acid Chemistry Core, the only nonprofit facility in North America capable of gram-scale synthesis of modified oligonucleotides. Anastasia joined UMMS after several years in industry, during which she served as chief scientific officer at lead biotech companies (Dharmacon, ThermoFisher; RXi Pharmaceuticals) and co-founded several startups. She recently was reelected director of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society. Anastasia is named as inventor on more than 150 patents and 200 patent applications, and she has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications - including seminal articles in Cell, Nature and Nature Biotechnology - defining the field of RNAi drug design and development. Anastasia is principal investigator on four major National Institutes of Health grants.
Job Titles:
- Senior Human Resource Coordinator
Ayla previously worked at Deciphera Pharmaceuticals for two years as the Communications Coordinator and Senior Talent Acquisition Coordinator. She also worked at her family's ice cream store every summer for 12 years picking up skills in relationship building, management and teamwork. Ayla received a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and a Masters in Business Administration from the Gabelli School of Business at Roger Williams University.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Member of the Leadership Team
Bart brings to Atalanta extensive experience in biotech senior leadership along with legal and intellectual property expertise. Bart served as Biogen's senior vice president and chief I.P. counsel for over ten years immediately prior to joining the Company. Prior to Biogen, Bart was vice president - intellectual property at Genzyme Corporation as well as a partner and shareholder at Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck in Washington, D.C. Bart's legal career has included taking depositions of Nobel Prize winners, arguing in Federal Court, negotiating billion-dollar settlements, and meeting with US senators and representatives on Capitol Hill to promote patent law reforms. Bart earned his B.S. (honors) in microbiology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a J.D. degree from the nation's first law school - William & Mary Law School at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He serves on the Board of Directors of his law school alumni association where he mentors students.
Bart's life has been engulfed in music, from banging pots and pans (earning him -and relieving his parents- drum lessons as a 5-year-old), to playing the cello, then playing the tuba in marching band throughout high school and college. He has attended over 70 Grateful Dead concerts on both coasts and venues in between!
Ben has over ten years of neuroscience research and drug discovery experience, including with projects in axon guidance and blood-brain barrier physiology. Most recently, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Denali Therapeutics, studying the role of microglia in Alzheimer's disease pathology. Ben received his B.S. in biology from University of Maryland and his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the Division of Medical Sciences at Harvard University.
Ben has backpacked the entire Maryland and Massachusetts sections of the Appalachian Trail!
Brittany previously worked at ZAGENO as Atalanta's Customer Success manager. She has an in-depth knowledge of ordering and pricing trends in the biotech space. Prior to ZAGENO, she worked as an on-board lead crewmember with JetBlue Airways and a costume technician for Cirque du Soleil. She obtained her bachelor's degree in communication, and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2020, with a focus on organizational and interpersonal communication.
Bruno has spent the past decade focused on cultivating technology for therapeutic gene modulation. During his most recent time as a post-doctoral associate at the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, he applied his extensive pharmacology background to develop neuroactive siRNA scaffolds and to further the understandings of PK/PD relationships of therapeutic oligonucleotides in the central nervous system. Bruno also acted as an Invited Adjunct Professor at Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa, teaching pharmacy-related subjects and other advanced courses. Bruno is a recipient of the Milton-Safenowitz Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award from the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALSA), the Dr. Alan M. Gewirtz Memorial Scholarship Award from the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society, and the STAT 2019 Wunderkind Award from STAT News. Bruno earned his M.Sc. in clinical pharmacology from the University of Glasgow (Glasgow, U.K.) and a Ph.D. in pharmacy from University College Cork (Cork, Ireland).
He describes himself as a badass dad, with great passion for the outdoors and traveling, and a modern nomad who appreciates tolerance and has an unnervingly positive attitude towards about anything.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Scientist, Bioinformatics
Carissa joined Atalanta after working at Alnylam for two years as part of the translational research and human genetics teams. In her previous role, Carissa worked extensively in target identification and de-risking through association studies and other advanced statistical methods using large multi-omics data sets. Carissa graduated from Northeastern University as a double husky with a bachelor's degree in biology and master's degree in bioinformatics.
In her free time Carissa enjoys weightlifting, boxing, and checking out new restaurants and speakeasies around Boston.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Program Management
Caroline has over ten years of experience working in biotech and diagnostic development startups. Most recently, Caroline worked at Extend Biosciences as a Senior Scientist with a focus on program management. Prior to Extend, Caroline worked in both scientific and operations roles at Sengenix, Scholar Rock, and Epizyme. Caroline received a B.S. in biology and chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.S. in Biotechnology from Northeastern University.
Caroline spends her free time chasing around a busy, truck-loving toddler, growing vegetables in her neighborhood garden and exploring local hikes with her family and dog.
Chris previously worked as a Senior Scientist within Tiaki Therapeutics developing small molecule therapies targeting chronically inflamed microglia present in neurodegenerative diseases. Tiaki developed a novel organotypic culture platform which recapitulated inflammatory hallmarks present in AD, HD, and ALS. Chris received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he focused on neural stem cell biology and epigenetics.
Chris enjoys being the fun dad to two kids who now sing Journey and AC/DC songs with him. He also enjoys movies, comics, martial arts, and lawn care.
Chunhua has more than 20 years of research experience in cellular and molecular neurobiology in the context of drug discovery within a biotech environment. Chunhua's career in the biotech industry began at Biogen and most recently led her to Amgen, where she focused on target validation, cellular assay development and drug screening activities for neurodegenerative diseases. Chunhua earned her Bachelor of Medicine degree from Shandong Medical school (now Shandong University) in China.
Chunhua enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She keeps herself physically active, and recently picked up photography as a hobby!
Prior to joining Atalanta, Corrie was associate director, research at miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., focusing on the development of novel oligonucleotide therapeutics for cutaneous, ocular and major organ fibrosis, tissue repair, oncology and sensorineural diseases. Corrie completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Colorado, Boulder and Northwestern University in oncology and tissue repair/fibrosis, respectively. She received her Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and her M.S. in quality assurance and regulatory sciences at Northwestern University.
Corrie is originally from Canada (eh!) and loves skiing, hiking and all things outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Scientific Advisor
Craig is the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). He was also designated an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 2000, the third HHMI researcher selected at UMMS. HHMI is a $13 billion medical research organization that employs more than 350 eminent researchers at 72 medical schools, universities and research institutes worldwide. Craig and his colleague Andrew Fire, Ph.D., formerly of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, received the 2006 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery of RNA interference (RNAi). They demonstrated that a certain form of RNA had the unanticipated property of silencing - or interfering with - the expression of a gene, ultimately halting the progression of the invading viral infection. Atalanta's science is founded on this award-winning RNAi mechanism. Craig holds his B.S. in biochemistry from Brown University and his Ph.D. in cellular and developmental biology from Harvard University. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center before coming to UMMS in 1995. He is also a 1995 Pew Scholar in the biomedical sciences.
Job Titles:
- Scientific Technical Leader I
David has over 20 years of combined research experiences in Academic lab and Biotech/Pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, he was a Scientist I in the NDRU department at Biogen to develop and implement in vitro cell-based models to support the Parkinson's Disease drug discovery program. David received his B.Sc degree in the Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He was also a graduate student in the Master of Science in Biotechnology at the Johns Hopkins University (did not finish due to relocation)
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family, traveling and listening to classical music
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Scientist I
Evelyn brings over 20 years of experience as an in vivo technologist in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Most recently, Evelyn worked as a Research Associate II in the preclinical pharmacology group at Acceleron Pharma in contribution to developing medicines that regulate the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily of proteins. Prior to Acceleron, Evelyn worked at Pfizer, Alexion, TGA Sciences, PharmaMar, and Biogen. Evelyn received her training in Law from Universidad Militar, El Salvador, San Salvador.
Evelyn enjoys spending her free time with her kids and friends, cooking for her family, reading, and gardening.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice President, Chemistry
Garth brings to Atalanta nearly 20 years of oligonucleotide therapeutics research and development experience. His most recent experience was as Executive Director of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Development, at Regulus Therapeutics, where he assumed roles of increasing responsibility during his over 5-year tenure. Prior to Regulus, Garth was at Ionis Pharmaceuticals for 13 years where he conducted research in PNA, microRNA, siRNA, ss-siRNA, splicing and gapmer based therapeutics. Garth received his B.S. in Chemistry from Sonoma State University as well as his M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from University of California, San Diego.
Garth enjoys snorkeling, hiking, skiing, and photography.
Greg conducted research with the Wake Forest School of Medicine Center for Redox Biology and Medicine. His research focused on elucidating oxidative stress mechanisms as induced by cellular inflammatory responses. His efforts were focused on discovering potential small molecule interventions for the inflammatory responses associated with sepsis. Greg received a B.S. in Medicinal Chemistry from Wake Forest University.
In his spare time, Greg enjoys hiking, playing guitar, and listening to a wide variety of music.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice President Biochemistry & Pharmacology, in Vitro Biology
Guillermo has more than 25 years of research experience in academia and in the biomedical industry. Before joining Atalanta, he was Senior Director of Neuroscience and Drug Discovery at Flagship Pioneering, Principal Investigator at Biogen and visiting scientist at Pfizer. His work has focused on identifying and validating therapeutic opportunities across the neurodegenerative and neuromuscular space. He received his PhD in Biochemistry from the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina, with postdoctoral studies at the University of California San Francisco, research experience at the Karolinska Institute and the Weizmann Institute. He was also a tenured Associate professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Science Campus and member of several study sections at NIH.
Guillermo enjoys scuba diving, sailing and all water sports.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Scientist I
Jenna is joining Atalanta from Voyager Therapeutics, where she was a part of the in vivo neuroscience group, targeting neurodegenerative diseases using AAV mediated gene therapy. Prior to her time at Voyager, Jenna was at Abpro in the pre-clinical department working in vivo on antibody immunotherapies to target various cancers. Jenna graduated from Mound Ida College with a BS in Veterinary Technology/Veterinary Sciences.
When Jenna is not working she enjoys spending her time outdoors with her fiancé and two German Shepherds, Kona and Lua!
Jennifer received her Ph.D. and postdoctoral training from the University at Albany. During that time her studies focused on investigating important factors in neuronal differentiation, identity maintenance, and neuronal cellular plasticity using a variety of experimental strategies, including transgenic and knockout mouse models. From 2012-2014 she worked for the NYSDOH in the Laboratory of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, Division of Environmental Health Sciences analyzing human samples for trace metals. Jennifer received a Ph.D. in developmental neurobiology from the University at Albany and a B.A. degree in biology from Hartwick College.
When she is not spending time with her husband and dog she enjoys rock climbing, tennis, and baking.
Job Titles:
- Principal at F - Prime Capital
Jessica is a principal at F-Prime Capital and focuses primarily on the biopharmaceutical and medical technology sectors. Prior to joining F-Prime in 2015, Jessica was an engagement manager in McKinsey and Company's Boston office, where she focused on pharmaceuticals and medical products and advised companies across a range of strategic, organizational and operational topics. She began her career at MIT Lincoln Laboratory in the Biodefense Systems group, where she worked on developing novel techniques for the detection of biological agents. Jessica holds a Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard University and received her B.S. in biology from Duke University.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Co - Founder and Co - Chairman of ConsumerMed
Jim oversaw the founding of Atalanta in his former role as executive vice chancellor for innovation and business development at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Prior to UMass, Jim was a venture capitalist for 20 years at Technology Partners and was an investor and/or board member in many companies including Cadence Pharmaceuticals (CADX: acquired by Mallinckrodt), Revance Therapeutics (RVNC), Iomai (IOMI: acquired by Intercell), Incline Therapeutics (acquired by the Medicines Company), Transcend Medical (acquired by Novartis), Vision 5 (acquired by Allergan), Corcept (CORT) and Elcelyx.
Jim is also the co-founder and co-chairman of ConsumerMed, a nonprofit organization focused on patient-centered health. Prior to his venture career, he was a consultant with McKinsey and Company and was a leader within their pharmaceuticals and medical products practice. He is a graduate of Duke University and Harvard University, where he received a Ph.D. in biology, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California Berkeley.
Justin comes to Atalanta after working as a Scientist at Capsida Biotherapeutics. Justin completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Baltimore, MD, during which he studied the relationship between neural circuits and behavior in mice in both physiological and pathological conditions. Justin received his PhD in Neuroscience from the University at Buffalo and BS in Biochemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
In his free time, Justin enjoys being active through running, golfing, skiing, and hiking. Justin has summited 12 of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks and tries to hike a few new mountains each year.
Kelly joins the In Vitro Biology team at Atalanta after accumulating more than a decade of valuable drug discovery experience at Sanofi-Genzyme. During that time, Kelly's research efforts extensively involved the development and implementation of molecular and biochemical assays to credential novel targets and therapeutic approaches for genetic kidney diseases. Prior to working in drug discovery, Kelly assisted with molecular genetic studies of centromere structure and function at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA. Kelly received her B.A. in biology from Assumption College and then earned her M.S. in biotechnology from Worcester State College.
When not at work, Kelly is most often at her camper where she enjoys good wine and good company with family and friends!
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Facilities and Operations
Kim has 15 years of experience in the Biotech industry. Prior to joining Atalanta Kim was the Associate Director of Laboratory Operations at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. At Vertex Kim managed the global lab asset management program. Prior to that Kim worked as a Service Engineer and Project Manager for PerkinElmer. On top of Kim's expertise in asset management she also has extensive experience in lab relocations and reconfigurations. Kim received her B.S. from Plymouth State University in NH and her M.S. from Northeastern University. Kim also has many trainings and certificates pertinent to her service engineer and project management experience.
Lauren has 5 years of academic research experience, mostly in the context of neurobiology. Lauren was previously a Research Associate in the Schafer lab at the University of Massachusetts Medical school studying the role of microglia in neural circuit development and plasticity in the healthy and diseased nervous system. Her most recent projects focused on understanding how microglia contribute to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Multiple Sclerosis using both primary cell cultures and in vivo methods. Lauren received my B.S. in Biochemistry/Biophysics with a minor in Brain and Brain Behavior from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and my M.S. in Biotechnology from Worcester State University.
Lauren enjoys spending her free time with her fiancé, family, and friends and doing anything outdoors, especially hiking with her dog Annabelle. She have even hiked Mount Washington in New Hampshire!
Job Titles:
- Ten Bridge Communications
Prior to joining Atalanta, Lynne worked as an analytical chemist where they gained expertise in LC-MS/MS quantification. They also bring small molecule and nucleoside experience gained during their time as an undergraduate working in the Huang Lab at Wellesley College and interning at Sarepta Therapeutics. Lynne holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry and religion from Wellesley College.
In their free time, Lynne enjoys experimenting with fermentation and homebrewing; their favorite ferments are kimchi and pomegranate kombucha!
Prior to joining Atalanta, Mariam worked at Quanterix Corp supporting assay development and validation, as well as process improvements. There she gained expertise in high throughput multiplex screening and bead-based assay optimization techniques. Mariam, who also goes by Mimi, received her B.S. in Biomedical and Veterinary Science at the University of New Hampshire. While at UNH, she competed on the gymnastics team and conducted acute myeloid leukemia research, hoping to understand the implications of sphingolipid metabolism on the progression of the disease.
In her free time, Mariam enjoys playing guitar, trying new restaurants, and hanging out on Lake Winnipesaukee.
Mark joins Atalanta with over 40 years accounting and financial management experience in various industries including retail, health care, construction, non-profit, import wholesale, and public accounting consulting to our team. He received his BA in business administration and MS in finance.
Mark is an avid skier and golfer. He was born and raised in Vermont and has two children who are exactly 10 years apart!
Before joining Atalanta, Mary held the positions of Office Manager and Executive Assistant for the U.S. branch of Summit Therapeutics plc for 4 years. Prior to that, she honed her organizational skills in the fashion retail space for 15 years.
Mary loves jigsaw puzzles, traveling with friends and will never say no to a beach day.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Scientist, Chemistry
Before joining Atalanta, Matt spent over three years at Vertex Pharmaceuticals in analytical development. There he worked on small molecule treatments for multiple rare diseases including cystic fibrosis and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Matt's expertise includes HPLC method development and validation. Matt has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University and a M.S. in Chemistry from Northeastern University.
Matt brings a plethora of experience from his experience in the healthcare industry. After graduating from Cornell University with a Masters in Healthcare Administration, Matt began a career at Tufts Medical Center as a Practice Manager in the Weight and Wellness clinic. When Covid hit, he transitioned into Supply Chain to help navigate the challenges and operations of procuring supplies, medical equipment, and allocating PPE throughout the hospital. Most recently, Matt gained great experience in a GXP setting at Seres Therapeutics as their Lab Operations Manager.
Matt prides himself as being the fun guy in the office. When he's not in the office, he's playing yard games outside. Matt runs a side business called Yard Games World where he sells and rents games like Cornhole, Spikeball, and Bocce all. He even wrote a book entitled, "The World's Greatest Backyard Games" and has the Guiness World Record for the longest cornhole toss. He also considers himself an action junky. Some of his highlights include, running with the bulls in Spain, hang gliding in Switzerland, and biking from Minnesota to Chicago.
Matt is an accomplished chemist in the field of nucleic acids with a focus in the chemical modification of nucleosides and their incorporation into therapeutic oligonucleotides. Most recently, Matt worked as the director and instructor at the Nucleic Acid Chemistry Core, RNA Therapeutics Institute (RTI), as well as an instructor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Matt received the Faculty of Science Recognition of Innovation in Research from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. While there, he earned his Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry with a focus on chemical modifications of nucleic acids and large-scale solution phase synthesis.
Matthew worked for 5 years in academic research specializing in neurotransmitter-gated ion channels, studying under Dr. David MacLean at the University of Rochester. His Ph.D. thesis centers around the biophysical characterization of acid-sensing ion channel gating mechanisms through patch clamp electrophysiology and genetic code expansion techniques. Matthew obtained his B.S. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from SUNY University at Buffalo and his M.S. in Physiology from the University of Rochester. In the coming months, he will obtain his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Matthew spends his free time playing volleyball and video games. As a Buffalo Bills fan, he is excited to see them play at Gillette Stadium!
Job Titles:
- Controller
- Senior Director
Maurice brings more than 15 years of accounting and financial operations experience. He most recently served as controller of ElevateBio, where he led the accounting operations for their portfolio companies. Prior to that, he worked at Akebia Therapeutics, where he directed a team focused on financial management in Research, Clinical Operations, and CMC. While in this role, he saw the company through their merger with Keryx Biopharmaceuticals where he continued to oversee R&D Finance. Prior to joining Akebia, Maurice led R&D Accounting and Clinical Financial Planning teams at Biogen. Maurice also held positions of increasing responsibility at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) where he led inspections for one of the largest public accounting firms. He previously served as Audit Assurance Manager for Deloitte's Tech Venture Center. Maurice holds a B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Morehouse College and is a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Maurice is a huge Boston sports fan and enjoys long bike rides on the weekends with his wife and two young sons.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President, Program & Alliance Management
Michele brings to Atalanta more than 20 years of product development experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. She specializes in advancing novel therapeutic product candidates through all stages of development to commercial launch. Most recently, Michele was senior vice president of R&D operations at Aura Biosciences, where she was responsible for advancing the company's lead asset to FIH clinical trials. Prior to Aura, she was head of operations at Moderna Therapeutics. Michele also spent more than 15 years in positions of increasing responsibility with Genzyme, providing leadership for program and alliance management in multiple therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular, pulmonology and rare and orphan diseases. Michele holds an MBA from Duke University, an M.S. in immunology from Drexel University and a B.S. from the University of Delaware.
Michele spends her (limited!) free time with her husband and three teenagers. She also enjoys playing the piano and escapes to yoga class whenever possible.
Mike Aceti has over 25 years of financial and operational experience in a wide range of industries, including biotechnology, life sciences, medical device, high tech, software, consulting, consumer products, financial services and non-profit. He has worked with companies of all sizes, including start-ups, small, mid-size and large multi-national corporations. Mike received a B.A. in economics at Saint Lawrence University and an MBA in finance and strategy at The University of Chicago.
Mike is currently operating far outside his comfort zone as he bravely struggles to learn Latin dance.
Job Titles:
- Chief
- Corporate Development Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Morgan brings to Atalanta more than 25 years of operational and commercial leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with specific expertise in business strategy and organizational growth. He most recently served as Chief Corporate Development Officer at Akouos. Prior to Akouos, Morgan was Chief Commercial Officer at Enzyvant where he led all aspects of the commercial strategy for the company's rare disease portfolio. Earlier in his career he held leadership roles at Spark Therapeutics, Genzyme and Biogen. Morgan holds a B.S. in business management with concentrations in finance and marketing from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
When not spending time with his wife and 4 children Morgan can be found in the mountains hiking or skiing depending on the season. Upon returning from his various activities he will likely be found in the kitchen cooking.
Natalie worked for 3 years in an academic neurobiology lab at the University of New Hampshire studying the role of alternatively spliced 18a exon in the expression of N-type calcium ion channel Cav2.2 and the subsequent psychiatric effects in mice. Natalie joins the Atalanta team from Sanofi, where she focused on immunological exploratory research identifying new targets for the treatment of rare disease indications like Cold Agglutinin Disease. Natalie received a B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior with a focus in Molecular Neurobiology from the University of New Hampshire.
While in college Natalie traveled to Paris, France alone with 40 Euro in her pocket and no knowledge of the French language - she made it, obviously.
Natasha has over ten years of experience in molecular neuroscience research. Most recently, she was a Scientist at Arkuda Therapeutics developing and implementing assays for frontotemporal dementia and Parkinson's disease drug discovery. She received her PhD in Neuroscience and Pharmacology from the Boston University School of Medicine, where she studied autism spectrum disorders and Angelman syndrome, and discovered a role for the E3 ligase Ube3A/E6AP in dendritic pruning.
Natasha is very passionate about traveling, the environment, the ocean, and wildlife. Her adventures include camping, sailing, and scuba diving trips all around the globe.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Scientific Advisor
Neil has been a practicing endocrinologist for more than 20 years and is currently affiliated with UMass Memorial Medical Center. In 2015, Neil was awarded the Huntington's Disease Society of America's prestigious Research Award in recognition of his transformative contributions to what is now known about Huntington's disease, a rare, inherited neurodegenerative condition. Neil's exemplary research into Huntington's disease has spanned three decades, with his most recent work focusing on exploring the disease's mechanisms of pathogenesis, such as mutant Huntington mRNA kinetics, vesicle recycling and roles of proteins that interact with the expanded Huntington protein. Presently, Neil is exploring gene silencing for Huntington's disease, along with a way to use viral delivery of next-generation treatments that could be studied and modified further to address a wider range of autosomal dominant conditions. He received his medical degree from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Scientist I
Nina brings a decade of experience as a technologist in both clinical and GMP level laboratories. Most recently, Nina was a lead Cell Therapy Testing Specialist in the Cell Manipulation Core Facility within Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Previously, Nina held positions in the core laboratories of both South Shore Health and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Nina received her B.S. in molecular biology with a Minor in chemistry from Bridgewater State University.
Nina is a collector of piggy banks from across the world. Each one in her collection is shaped like a pig and they are often hand made. She enjoys searching for a unique souvenir from each trip that will help her save up for the next adventure!
As an in vivo pharmacologist, Paul previously worked at Amgen's Neuroscience department where he contributed to the discovery and development of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. His passion to identify ways for CNS diseases intervention while investigating the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer's Disease began during his time at Mount Sinai. Paul completed his medical training in China and his Ph.D. in molecular genetics and biochemistry from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
Paul grew up in southern China and is a huge fan of hot chili peppers. Research shows that capsaicin, the main ingredient in hot peppers, can lower brain amyloid-beta generation and extend life span.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice President, in Vivo Pharmacology
For the past 13 years, Qingmin has worked in biotechnology research and drug development, focusing on neurodegenerative and rare diseases. Most recently, Qingmin worked at Renascent Biosciences and Voyager Therapeutics, where she was program and biology lead for multiple gene therapy programs, including Alzheimer's Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and neuropathic pain. Earlier in her career, Qingmin worked at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, where she led the pharmacology efforts for the transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis program, resulting in the first FDA-approved RNAi drug, Onpattro, and several neuroscience RNAi therapeutic programs. Qingmin received a Ph.D. in medical pharmacology and an M.S. in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Arizona. She received her medical degree from Shandong Medical University, China.
Qingmin is an avid cook and baker, which she enjoys doing from scratch. She's particularly proud of her Chinese patties.
Rachael came to Atalanta from Allena Pharmaceuticals, where she worked for three years as an administrative assistant, HR assistant and most recently, as an executive assistant. Rachael coached field hockey and softball at the collegiate level for six years and worked in retail for 10 years. Rachael graduated cum laude from Lasell College with a B.S. in sport management and coaching.
She is ambidextrous and was inducted into her high school's Hall of Fame for athletics.
Rebecca joins Atalanta from Harvard University, where she spent three years as a research associate in the Joshua Sanes Lab in the molecular and cellular biology department. There, she worked on projects aiming to understand transcriptional mechanisms regulating mTOR mediated regeneration of retinal ganglion cells after optic nerve injury, and helped to profile transcriptomes of glaucomatous retinal cells using scRNA seq. Before that, she did a two-summer research fellowship in the Todd Sacktor lab working on Alzheimer's related projects. Rebecca graduated from Smith College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Neuroscience.
Rebecca enjoys running around the Charles River, trying out new beaches along the North Shore, and is in pursuit of finding the best milkshake in the greater Boston area.
Job Titles:
- Bioinformatics Data Engineer
Prior to joining Atalanta, Rudra was most recently at Merck on an extensive 8-month long Data Science co-op. During his time at Merck, Rudra designed and implemented scalable deep learning architectures for machine learning applications on AWS. He was an integral member of the team that won the annual data science hackathon at Merck for their successful genotype classification project. Prior to that he worked as a full-stack software developer at Infosys Ltd for 2 years, supporting and developing web applications. Rudra graduated with a Masters degree in Data Analytics Engineering from Northeastern University. During his graduate studies he worked on several machine learning, deep learning, and database system projects. He also carried out research on artificial intelligence in manufacturing (AIM) as Dr. Sagar Kamarthi's research assistant.
He enjoys playing instruments, primarily the drums. During his undergraduate studies, he built go-karts because he loves racing them!
Before joining Atalanta Therapeutics, Samantha worked as an Associate Researcher at EMD Serono to focus on pre-clinical formulation research and candidate screening assays for different diseases. Samantha also worked at CAMP4 Therapeutics as a Research Associate to screen and enhance protocols for new antisense oligonucleotides for biological activity and selecting leads for preclinical studies for Urea Cycle Disorder and Dravet Syndrome. Samantha attended Northeastern University for her master's degree in Bioengineering with a minor in Business Administration.
Samantha enjoys baking and decorating many desserts as well as doing arts and craft projects in her free time, such as painting on shoes.
Smita worked as an in-vitro scientist in toxicology and assay development at Evotec and Voyager Therapeutics. Her research focused on designing and validating cell-based high-throughput screens in primary cellular systems. Smita got her PhD in cell and molecular biology from University of Cologne, Germany and postdoctoral fellowship from Harvard Medical School where she studied aberrant neural bioenergetics as a common feature between CDD and RTT disorders.
As a member of Boston's urban sketching group, Smita loves to paint and sketch the world around her.
Stacie is the president of FBRI. Prior to this position, she was the senior director of science programs for the Fidelity Foundations. In 2005, Stacie served as the project manager and senior analyst for the Task Force on Women in Science at Harvard University. From 2001-2005, Stacie was a senior scientist at Cell Press for the journal Neuron. Before joining Cell Press, Stacie was a postdoctoral research fellow at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School with Dr. Bruce Yankner. She was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute predoctoral fellow in the program in neuroscience at Harvard University. While a graduate student and postdoctoral research fellow, Stacie was actively involved in undergraduate teaching, winning six teaching awards.
Stacie received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University, and a B.S. degree in chemistry with highest honors from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She currently chairs the Collaboration for Alzheimer's Prevention; is President of Alzforum; serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Rugen Therapeutics; serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Aratome, Atalanta, Eikonizo, RBNC, Sironax, and Target ALS; and serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards for Denali Therapeutics, the Indian Institute of Science's Centre for Brain Research and the UK Dementia Research Institute. She previously served as a founding member of the Board of Directors for Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DNLI); as well as a member of the Board of Directors for Annexon Biosciences (NASDAQ: ANNX), BRI-Alzan (acquired by MeiraGTx), Digital Cognition Technologies (acquired by Linus Health), Enspectra, Inscopix, Syllable Life Sciences (acquired by RBNC), and Q-State Biosciences.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President, Head of Neuroscience
Stefan was most recently at Pfizer World R&D & Medical for 5 years as Executive Director, Genetics. Stefan also held positions at Amgen Inc. from Senior Scientist to Scientific Director in the Department of Neuroscience, and as Executive Director and head of Amgen's Genome Analysis Unit. Previously Stefan was Assistant Scientist (tenure-track) at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole MA. He currently is an Adjunct Professor at Brown University, where he also serves on the advisory board of the Carney Institute for Brain Science.
Stefan completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Maryland Medical School (Department of Biochemistry / calcium imaging) and at Harvard Medical School (Department of Neurobiology / neuropharmacology) and received an MS and a PhD in Biology (Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience) from Caltech. He holds an ScB in Engineering Physics from Brown.
Stefan is always looking for squash partners and swimming partners!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Stephen has over twenty years of experience leading people strategies for successful life science companies. Most recently, Steve was Vice President, Human Resources for Akouos. Prior to that, he was Head of Human Resources for Scholar Rock where he played a key role in building the company from start-up phase through IPO and clinical development. Earlier in his career, Steve led the human resources function for multiple research and business areas within Genzyme. Stephen earned his B.A. in psychology at Stonehill College.
Stephen enjoys writing, oil painting and making a mean spaghetti sauce using tomatoes he grows in his garden.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Scientist I
Steve brings to Atalanta more than 10 years of experience working with oligonucleotides. Most recently Steve worked for Korro Bio where he helped to establish a chemistry laboratory for the synthesis of oligonucleotides, as well as prepared and analyzed oligonucleotides for in-vitro and in-vivo screening. Prior to that Steve worked for Wave Life Sciences performing downstream purification and analysis of stereochemically pure oligonucleotides. Steve graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.
Steve is an avid snowboarder, hiker, and cyclist who enjoys being in the mountains in his free time.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and CEO of Comanche Biopharma
Scott is co-founder and CEO of Comanche Biopharma, a private company developing novel siRNA compounds to treat preeclampsia. Prior to Comanche, Scott was a co-founder of The Medicines Company where he served as director (1996-2009) until he joined the management team as chief medical advisor (2009-2021). In that role, he was responsible for evaluating the company's long-range global strategy and for the licensing or acquisition of innovative products, including inclisiran, for which the company was purchased by Novartis.
Previously, Scott was a founding General Partner at JSB Partners, L.P., an investment bank with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, private financings and corporate alliances within the healthcare sector. From September 1991 to July 1999, Scott served as a founder and managing director of MPM Capital, LLC, a venture capital firm.
Scott holds a B.S. in chemistry (Phi Beta Kappa) and an M.D. (Alpha Omega Alpha) from the University of Alabama. His academic career included faculty positions at Harvard Medical School, the University of Colorado Medical School, and the University of South Alabama. He has been Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Sleep Disorders Medicine. He currently is Chairman, Board of Directors, MaxiVAX SA, a biopharmaceutical company focused on immuno-oncology.
Before joining Atalanta, Taylor worked as a Research Assistant at Repertoire Immune Medicines where she performed and enhanced protocols for mammalian and bacterial expression and purification of MHC alleles. Taylor attended Northeastern University where she received a B.S. in Bioengineering with a minor in Ethics.
On the weekends you can find Taylor skiing, at the beach, or watching football. She is a huge Patriots fan!