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.

Dr. Klemke has over 25 years of experience working in academia and the biotechnology sectors in the San Diego area. As Professor of Pathology and Cancer Biology at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center, he serves as director of the Cancer Imaging Network and the Pathology Department’s Proteomics Center of Excellence. Dr. Klemke earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Cell Biology from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Before joining UCSD and Moores in 2006, he was a research scientist in the immunology department at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). Dr. Klemke has been an active consultant in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries for 20-plus years and is the founder of BioSystems Consulting in San Diego. He’s internationally recognized for his work in stem cell biology, carcinogenesis, and therapeutic drug development, using proteomics, computational biology, and unique cell-based and preclinical animal models of cancer. Dr. Klemke’s work has produced novel therapeutics directed at cancer and unlocked newfound insights and concepts that explain how malignant tumors develop and avoid the immune system to spread through the body.

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. Narasimhan was ranked number one by Institutional Investor for Best Investor Relations Professional, Best IR Team, and Best IR Program in the pharmaceuticals sector, according to the 2020 All-America Executive Team rankings. She has wide-ranging expertise as a scientist, a financial executive and a highly effective communicator. Prior to joining Allergan, Dr. Narasimhan led the investor relations group at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. She was previously an equity research analyst covering biotechnology at Canaccord Genuity and Piper Jaffray. Dr. Narasimhan began her career as a strategic management consultant for biotechnology and life science clients at Campbell Alliance. She is the co-founder and CFO of Vesper Healthcare Acquisition Corp. and guided the acquisition of Hydrafacial in 2021. Dr. Narasimhan received her Ph.D. in molecular biology from New York University.

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. Champlin is the Chair of MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Cellular Therapy Department. He also serves as Professor of Internal Medicine at University of Texas Health Science Center and is a Scientific Advisor for StemRad. Previously, in addition to serving on the President’s Advisory Board, Dr. Champlin served as the Director of Transplantation Biology at UCLA’s Center for Health Sciences. He was the Founding President of the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and is former President of the National Marrow Donor Program’s Council for Donor, Transplant and Collection Centers. Dr. Champlin has received numerous industry recognitions, including the Giannini Foundation Fellowship Award, the Waun Ki Hong Award for Excellence in Team Science, the Robert C. Hickey Chair in Clinical Cancer Care Award, and the G.A. Ross Scholarship Award.

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 Ph.D. in bio-organic chemistry and a B.Sc. with honors in chemistry from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.