Dr. Moomiaie-Qajar has served as Chief Executive Officer since the inception of Cytonus, having successfully led its spin-out from University of California San Diego (UCSD) in 2018 to change the paradigm of disease using Cytonus’ platform of Bio-Drone therapeutics called Cargocytes. A trained surgeon from Yale University, Dr. Moomiaie-Qajar has a long history of developing innovative technologies in medicine and transforming them into commercially viable products. He holds multiple U.S. and international patents and has 15-plus years of experience incubating technologies from venture stage to exit. Dr. Moomiaie-Qajar’s background as an academic researcher, physician, and entrepreneur brings a unique trifecta of perspective and experience to Cytonus.

Ms. Karen Markham, the Chief Administrative Officer brings over 30 years of operational experience and people management to Cytonus. Mrs. Markham worked at the LEGO group, focusing on human resource information systems and serving on their Human Resources Strategic Planning Committee. She went on to serve as Chief Operating Officer at the law firm Robinson Donovan, PC in Springfield, Massachusetts, where she managed the firm's day-to-day operations. She then joined the largest Ace Hardware co-op, where she held key positions including Vice President of Administration and Vice President of Operations where she managed 300+ employees in 32 stores across 7 states.

Chris Thorne is a seasoned executive and noted investor who has served in senior leadership positions in many industries. Currently, he’s executive chairman of Broadline Capital, a global alternative investment firm. Founded in 2005, Broadline primarily focuses on growth capital and impact investments in North America and Asia and has backed numerous innovative companies in life sciences and technology from venture stage through IPO. Previously, Thorne was a senior management consultant at McKinsey & Co., where he managed strategic and operational programs for Fortune 500 clients. He left the firm to execute on his entrepreneurial vision by launching a category-leading SaaS company whose on-demand intelligence solutions create efficiency gains for F&B manufacturers, distributors and retail operators by converting paper-based processes into paperless digital transactions throughout the entire value chain. Thorne then initiated a roll-up of tech companies with backing from Accel-KKR. The resulting company successfully sold to Roper Technologies for greater than a half billion dollars. He has served directorships for private companies, NYSE-listed public companies, and 501(c)3 nonprofits including Creative Commons, the Silicon Valley nonprofit that promotes educational access at a global scale. Thorne holds three degrees from Harvard and is an active member of several alumni-associated activities.

Dr. An is an experienced scientist and biotech investor. Dr. An was formally trained at Kings College in London (BSc) and received his Ph fDrom Seoul National University in Medical Sciences. His translational post-doctoral research was completed at the Samsung Medical Center where he worked on the development of a gene delivered stem cell therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. An joined Partners Investments, a leading Venture Capital company based in Seoul Korea in 2016 and is currently the Managing Director of their dedicated Life Science Fund. Dr. An leads a team of investment professionals managing Partner's 50 life science portfolio companies based in Korea, Singapore, China, Europe, and the US.

Dr. Forman is an internationally recognized clinician/scientist whose current focus is cancer immunotherapy, which uses the body’s own immune system to attack cancer. He’s the co-editor of Thomas’ Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, a definitive textbook for clinicians, scientists and healthcare professionals. Dr. Forman exudes the special blend of zealous determination and compassion typical of City of Hope. During his four decades at City of Hope, Dr. Forman has been instrumental in helping to advance survival rates for cancers of the blood and immune system. Much of his current work centers on CAR T cells and their cancer-fighting potential for treatment of hematologic malignancy and solid tumors.

Dr. Schneider is New York University’s (NYU) Albert Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis. From 2013 to 2020 he served as Associate Dean for NYU Technology Ventures and Partnerships (the technology, commercialization and therapeutics discovery office of NYU), Professor of Radiation Oncology, and Co-Director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Schneider’s research focuses on three major areas:

– Translational regulation of advanced breast cancers and the development of new treatment strategies and therapeutics for advanced cancers
– Translational regulation of the immune response and applications in development of immune-oncology therapeutics
– Regulation of adult tissue stem cells and tissue regeneration controlled by targeted mRNA decay and translational regulation

Michael Houston, PhD brings over 25 years of experience as a leader in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries to Cytonus. Dr. Houston worked as the CSO of TriLink where he led teams developing new mRNA capping technologies as well as optimizing processes for making mRNA therapeutics and vaccines. Prior to TriLink he was the CSO at PhaseRx, where he developed mRNA-based therapeutics. Dr. Houston served as Vice President of Chemistry and Formulations for Marina Biotech, where he led a team in the development of siRNA-based therapies and LNP-based delivery systems. He has considerable experience in peptide-based therapeutics, as demonstrated in his role as VP of Preclinical Chemistry and CMC at Ascent Therapeutics. Dr. Houston also served as Senior Director of Chemistry and Formulations at Nastech Pharmaceutics. He received a PhD in bio-organic chemistry and a BSc with honors in chemistry from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

John C. Bell, PhD, is Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Professor in the University of Ottawa Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Bell leads the Canadian Oncolytic Virus Consortium, a Terry Fox funded group from across Canada that is developing virus-based cancer therapeutics. At the Ottawa Hospital Cancer Center, he is a member of the Center for Cancer Therapeutics. He is the Scientific Director of BioCanRx, Canada’s Immunotherapy Network developing biotherapeutics for Cancer Therapy; and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Dr. Bell received his PhD from McMaster University in 1982. The three years that followed, he trained as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa and then at the Medical Research Council in London, England. Dr. Bell began his independent research career at McGill University in 1986 and moved to the University of Ottawa Department of Medicine in 1989.

Alexa Simon Meara, MD, MS graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2008 and completed her internal medicine residency at East Carolina University/Vidant Medical Center (2008–2011), where she served as Chief Resident (2011–2012). She then completed a rheumatology fellowship at The Ohio State University, along with advanced training in lupus, vasculitis, and glomerulonephritis, and earned a Master of Medical Science.

Dr. Meara is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Immunotherapy Management Clinic. As a rheumatologist within the Division of Oncology, her work focuses on improving the effectiveness and safety of immunotherapy in cancer care.

She is a co-founder of the Foundation for Autoimmune Cancer Support, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing curated resources for patients, clinicians, and researchers at the intersection of autoimmune disease and cancer. She also co-founded ASPirE (Alliance for Support and Prevention of immune-related adverse Events), a global initiative advancing care, education, and research for immune-related adverse events (irAEs).