Mike has a wealth of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, spanning more than two decades.
Mike has a wealth of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, spanning more than two decades. Throughout his career, he has been involved in various aspects of drug development and played pivotal roles in the success of several pharmaceutical companies. Dr. McCullar formerly served as the CEO of OnQuality Pharmaceuticals, where he provided executive leadership to this targeted oncology supportive therapy company focused on developing pioneering medications tailored to address the intricacies of cancer treatment-related toxicities. Before that, he was Chief Operating Officer at Tolero Pharmaceuticals, where he had a prominent role in the company’s acquisition by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma and also served as the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Astex Pharmaceuticals, during it’s acquisition by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. Dr. McCullar has held several high-level executive positions at SuperGen, showcasing his commitment and upward career path within the company. His journey at SuperGen culminated in the role of Senior Vice President of Strategy and Operations, where his expertise paved the way for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Dacogen as a treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes, and the acquisition of Astex Therapeutics, which resulted in the formation of Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Mike holds a Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of California, Riverside and an MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
Dr Kanner currently serves as our interim chief scientific officer. Until his retirement in June 2025, he served as the chief scientific officer of Caribou Biosciences, Inc.
Dr Kanner currently serves as our interim chief scientific officer. Until his retirement in June 2025 he served as the chief scientific officer of Caribou Biosciences, Inc (Nasdaq: CRBU) a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing allogeneic cell therapies based on their CRISPR genome-editing technology. Previously, Steve was vice president, head of biology, at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, leading a department in discovery of RNAi therapeutics for oncology, genetic diseases, and other indications. Prior to Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, he served in various positions of increasing responsibility in both oncology and inflammation drug discovery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Agensys/Astellas, and Astex Pharmaceuticals. He has authored over 90 publications in both peer-reviewed journals and books and is an inventor on numerous US and foreign patents and patent applications. Steve received his undergraduate degree in genetics from the University of California, Berkeley and his PhD in immunology and microbiology from the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. His post-doctoral fellowship was funded by a National Institutes of Health grant and was conducted at the University of Virginia.
Kanika brings deep expertise in process and analytical development, CMC strategy, and technical leadership, spanning early and late-stage development.
Kanika brings deep expertise in process and analytical development, CMC strategy, and technical leadership, spanning early and late-stage development.
Most recently, Kanika served as a fractional Head of CMC for an early-stage cell therapy company. Her engagements included leading CMC strategy for CAR-T programs, building process validation and regulatory filing strategy, and managing a cross-functional CMC team. Prior to this, she was Vice President of Process Sciences at Cargo Therapeutics, where she helped shape CMC strategy and build manufacturing and analytical platforms for multiple autologous and allogeneic CAR-T therapies, from preclinical through late-stage programs. Prior to Cargo, Kanika served as Head of Process Sciences at Arsenal Biosciences, where she built the Technical Operations function and led development of a non-viral manufacturing platform and analytical methods for an innovative CAR-T therapy targeting solid tumors. Earlier, she led analytical strategy at Vir Biotechnology, contributing to the development of therapies for infectious diseases, including sotrovimab, tobevibart, and elebsiran. She began her industry career at Cellerant Therapeutics, focused on process and analytical development for an allogeneic stem cell therapy for radiation-induced neutropenia.
Kanika completed postdoctoral fellowships in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University and in Chemistry at UC Irvine. She holds a PhD and MS in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico, where she was recognized as a Distinguished Young Alumna.
Dr Kanner currently serves as our interim chief scientific officer. Until his retirement in June 2025 he served as the chief scientific officer of Caribou Biosciences, Inc.
Dr Kanner currently serves as our interim chief scientific officer. Until his retirement in June 2025 he served as the chief scientific officer of Caribou Biosciences, Inc (Nasdaq: CRBU) a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing allogeneic cell therapies based on their CRISPR genome-editing technology. Previously Steve was vice president, head of biology, at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, leading a department in discovery of RNAi therapeutics for oncology, genetic diseases, and other indications. Prior to Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, he served in various positions of increasing responsibility in both oncology and inflammation drug discovery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Agensys/Astellas, and Astex Pharmaceuticals. He has authored over 90 publications in both peer-reviewed journals and books and is an inventor on numerous US and foreign patents and patent applications. Steve received his undergraduate degree in genetics from the University of California, Berkeley and his PhD in immunology and microbiology from the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. His post-doctoral fellowship was funded by a National Institutes of Health grant and was conducted at the University of Virginia.
Mike has a wealth of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, spanning more than two decades.
Jory has a passion for working with brilliant technical founders who use science and technology to build massive companies that address large-scale societal needs.
With a passion for working with brilliant technical founders who use science and technology to build massive companies that address large-scale societal needs, Jory grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and went on to attend MIT, where he earned three undergraduate degrees in architecture, literature, and earth atmosphere & planetary studies. After graduation, Jory worked as a researcher as part of the joint MIT/ Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute climate change program, where he designed, built, and deployed autonomous deep-sea robotics.
Drawn to the Bay Area by his passion for entrepreneurial technology, Jory spent six years at Apple as a laptop designer. In 2000, Jory left Apple to found OQO, a computer hardware and software manufacturer credited by the Guinness World Records as having created the world’s smallest Windows PC.
Dr. Sakaguchi is a Distinguished Professor of Osaka University and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Sakaguchi is a Distinguished Professor of Osaka University and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Sakaguchi is a leading authority on Treg biology and function. He is credited with the discovery of regulatory T cells (Treg) and characterization of their role in maintaining immune tolerance and preventing autoimmune diseases, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2025.
He was designated as a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese Government in 2017 and has been awarded many international acknowledgments including: the Cancer Research Institute’s William B. Coley Award, the Keio Medical Science Prize, the Canada Gairdner International Award, the Crafoord Prize, the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, and the Robert Koch Award. In 2009 Dr. Sakaguchi received the Medal with Purple Ribbon and in 2019 he received the Order of Culture, the highest accolade for Japanese scholars, from the Emperor of Japan.
Ms. Shiohara is a principal at UTEC where she focuses on biotech and healthcare investments.
Ms. Shiohara is a principal at UTEC where she focuses on biotech and healthcare investments.
Prior to joining UTEC, she worked as a manager of the biotech/healthcare team at Arthur D Little, a global management consulting firm. At Arthur D Little, she had a particular focus on cutting-edge biotechnology-enabled businesses, supporting her clients with new business development, R&D, and other management issues.
Ms. Shiohara holds an MBA from London Business School and an MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Tokyo.
Dr Yasuda is a principal with Fast Track Initiative (“FTI”).
Dr Yasuda is a principal with Fast Track Initiative (“FTI”). Prior to joining FTI, he held positions at Pfizer and Takeda, leading clinical biomarker strategy and advancing several Oncology and Gastroenterology assets through early phases of clinical development. He was also part of the initial scientific core team at Kintai Therapeutics, a startup from Flagship Pioneering, which is now part of Sail Biomedicines.
Dr Yasuda holds a PhD in Computational Biology from Harvard University, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from Cornell University.
