ISCT Diligence Roadmap Series: Allogeneic Cell TherapyOrganized by the ISCT Business Development and Finance Committee
David Smith, MBA
President & Chief Commercial Officer
Akron
United States
David joined Akron Biotech in May 2020 to focus on global sales, marketing strategy, and to support Akron’s business development efforts by utilizing his deep expertise in the field of cell and gene therapy. Previously, he served on the Board Directors of Healios K.K. before he assumed the position of chief commercial officer of Healios NA, Inc., Healios’ subsidiary in the United States. In September 2019, he assumed the additional role of executive director of Manufacturing for Healios K.K. and was promoted to president of Healios NA. Prior to joining Healios, David held various roles at Cambrex Bioproducts. After Lonza’s acquisition of Cambrex, David became the head of Therapeutic Cell Solutions. By 2015, he was Lonza’s VP of Global Business Development, focusing on strategic agreements and alliances for the Emerging Technologies business unit, which includes cell and viral therapy. David also spent 14 years at The Upjohn Company in various sales and marketing roles, including leading the launch of the Parkinson’s therapeutic, Mirapex. David is a member of various government expert panels, company executive committees and advisory boards
Michael Schuster, MS, MBA
Pharma Partnering
Mesoblast
Australia
Mr Schuster, who joined Mesoblast in 2004, leads the Company's partnering discussions. Previously he was the head of the Company's investor relations outreach program and was part of the founding executive team at both Mesoblast Limited and Angioblast Systems, Inc. Mr Schuster was Executive Vice President of Global Therapeutic Programs from 2010 to 2013 and was the Director of Business Development and Vice President of Operations from 2004 to 2010. He holds an undergraduate degree in science from Tufts University, a Master's degree in Immunology & Microbiology from New York Medical College, and a MBA from Fordham University in New York.
Jonathan Yeh,, PhD
Partner & Co-Founder
Saisei Ventures
Canada
Jonathan is a co-founding partner and director of Saisei Ventures and serves as a director of the general partner, Saisei Capital Ltd. Jonathan is an investment professional in the field of regenerative medicine and advanced therapies, with particular interest in cell-based therapies and gene-modified cells. Jonathan’s diverse background spans early-stage venture company creation and investment, strategic business partnering, and fund management. Prior to co-founding Saisei, Jonathan served as Vice President at Healios K.K., a Tokyo-based leading biotech company advancing a diverse pipeline of cell therapies. Jonathan also held various roles at CCRM where he oversaw cell and gene therapy focused venture investments. Jonathan is currently co-founder and board director at Ryne Biotechnology, an iPSC-focused neurodegeneration company in San Diego. Jonathan was a CIHR Post-doctoral Fellow at the IRIC at Université de Montréal, received his PhD from McGill University, and his MBA from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University
SUZANNE FARID FRENG, FICHEME, CENG
Professor of Bioprocess Systems Engineering
UCL
United Kingdom
Suzanne Farid is Professor of Bioprocess Systems Engineering in the UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering, Deputy Head of Department (Education), Co-Director of the EPSRC-funded Future Targeted Healthcare Manufacturing Hub, and Director of the UCL-AstraZeneca Centre of Excellence. She is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) and a Fellow of Institution of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE). She leads research on ‘Decisional Tools’ to facilitate cost-effective bioprocess design, capacity planning, R&D portfolio management, root cause analysis and manufacturability assessments for biopharmaceuticals ranging from monoclonal antibodies to cell and gene therapies. She sits on the UK BioIndustry Association Manufacturing Advisory Committee, ISCT Business Models and Investment Sub Committee. She has been invited to chair key international conferences in emerging research fields, including the ECI Integrated Continuous Biomanufacturing Conference and Recovery of Biological Products Conference. She featured in the Medicine Maker Power List in 2017 and 2016. She obtained her Bachelor’s and Ph.D. degrees in Biochemical Engineering from UCL.
Mike Paglia, MSC
COO
Elevate Bio, BaseCamp
Michael has spent the last twenty years in biotechnology building, leading and motivating process development and manufacturing teams to support clinical programs from early development to late-stage clinical trials. Currently, Michael is the Chief Operating Officer at ElevateBio BaseCamp, leading facility, process development and manufacturing operations for a broad portfolio of cell and gene therapy products and technologies.Prior to ElevateBio, Mike was the Vice President of CMC Operations at Oncorus and Program Lead for the development of a next-generation oncolytic immunotherapy platform. Prior to Oncorus, Michael was the Sr. Director of Technical Operations and Head of Cellular Process Development and Manufacturing Operations at bluebird bio.