Amira Barkal is a Clinical Fellow in Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School. She earned her MD and PhD degrees from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2021 as part of the Medical Scientist Training Program, where she led the discovery of CD24 as a novel innate immune checkpoint in cancer. Dr. Barkal is an expert in cancer immune evasion pathways as well as regulators of macrophage function. She is a recipient of the Ruth L. Kirschstein Fellowship of the National Cancer Institute, the Harold M. Weintraub Award, and the Society of Immunotherapy of Cancer Young Investigator Award.

Cornelio Balmaceda has more than 25 years of experience handling animals in the biotechnology industry. At Pheast, Cornelio is responsible for the care and observation of animals involved in research studies. Additionally, he assures adherence to industry standards. Prior to Pheast, Cornelio held animal technician positions at Ambys Medicines, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Mousera, and SRI International. As an experienced animal technician, Cornelio is motivated by the promise of helping patients live healthier and longer lives.

Madeleine specializes in the expression, production, and characterization of proteins, with a focus on antibody development. She brings to Pheast a natural sense of curiosity and motivation to solve problems, especially when it comes to protein science and molecules in the laboratory. Madeleine received a bachelor's degree in genetics from the University of California, Davis.

At Pheast, Grace Blacker is a research associate studying the innate immune checkpoints. Prior to joining Pheast, Grace was a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine scholar at Stanford, where she studied in the lab of Dr. Irving Weissman. She researched host-pathogen immune system interactions. Grace received her B.S. in cellular and molecular biology from Humboldt State University.

Rachel Brewer has nearly 10 years of research experience
spanning the fields of stem cell biology and immuno-oncology. At Pheast, Rachel is a senior associate scientist where she studies potential immunotherapy targets. Prior to joining Pheast, Rachel was a life science research professional at Stanford University School of Medicine under the direction of Dr. Weissman. Prior to that, Rachel was a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) scholar at Stanford University School of Medicine under the direction of Dr. Longaker and Dr. Chan. Rachel has been published in Nature for her work on innate immune checkpoint inhibitors and Cell for her work on the identification and characterization of the human skeletal stem cell. Additionally, she has published protocols on mouse skeletal stem cell isolation. Rachel received a master’s degree in stem cell biology and a bachelor’s in cell and molecular biology from Humboldt State University.

John has more than a decade of experience in protein biochemistry, structural biology and antibody discovery. At Pheast, John oversees research, data analysis, and project direction for the Protein Sciences team. Prior to joining Pheast, John led a team at Ligand Pharmaceuticals supporting antibody discovery, with a focus on antigen production and validation. Prior to Ligand, he served as Director of Biochemistry at Ab Initio Biotherapeutics, where he led protein biochemistry and molecular pharmacology efforts. John received his postdoctoral training at the Stanford University School of Medicine and his Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Jen has over 15 years of experience in cancer research working with small and large molecules. At Pheast, Jen leads the Translational Science team that develops the biomarker strategies to drive the preclinical and clinical development of our investigational cancer therapeutics through all phases of the portfolio. Previously, Jen served as a biomarker scientist at Forty Seven Inc. and Gilead, where she led translational efforts for CD47 and SIRPA clinical programs. Prior to those roles, she worked at Pharmacyclics (AbbVie-Sunnyvale) developing novel therapeutics in the hematology/oncology space. Jen completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University and received a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from the University of Toronto.

Mimi Enea has 14 years of office management and executive assistant experience, with eight of those years in the bioscience industry. At Pheast, Mimi is the senior executive assistant to the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Scientific Officer. Prior to joining Pheast, Mimi was an Executive Assistant and Director of People and Performance at Lagunita Biosciences. She also has experience in public relations and marketing. Mimi Enea received a B.A. in communications from St. Mary’s College of California.

Douglas has a background in cancer biology and immuno-oncology and brings an innovative approach to the biology team to advance new immunotherapies. At Pheast, Douglas studies cellular mechanisms and functions in the setting of immuno-oncology. During his postdoctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis, he worked with various mouse models of metastatic and primary breast cancer to investigate the role of stress-induced pathways in the tumor immune microenvironment. Specifically, this study identified a new immunotherapy combination that was effective to treat metastatic breast cancer in mouse models. Douglas received a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Oncology from the Brazilian National Cancer Institute and a bachelor’s degree in Medical Biology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Giovanni is a glycobiologist with nearly 10 years of experience in cancer cell biology and cell death. At Pheast, Giovanni works on understanding target mechanisms of action and developing strategies to evaluate targets in clinical studies on the translational science team. Prior to joining Pheast, he leveraged rare disease biology to develop new cancer therapeutics at Grace Science. As a postdoctoral fellow and graduate student, Giovanni developed a new method of measuring cell death in populations of cancer cells and uncovered novel signaling pathways that regulate cell death. Giovanni received a Ph.D. in biology from Stanford University and a B.Sc. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University.

Kartik has more than 10 years of research experience in cell and molecular approaches toward cancer and a passion for mechanism of action studies in oncology. At Pheast, Kartik applies his expertise within the biology team, performing in vitro and in vivo experiments toward the development of macrophage targeted therapies for cancer. Prior to Pheast, he researched common oncology targets using targeted protein activation. Kartik received a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During this time, Kartik worked on a novel form of cell-death called necroptosis, as well as a form of somatic cell-selection called cell-competition. Kartik also received a M.S. in biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Amity University Noida, India.

Justin Hansen has eight years of experience in immune regulatory pathways. At Pheast, he is responsible for screening cellular phagocytosis signals, validating potential therapeutic targets, and exploring new systems to identify cell surface phagocytosis inhibitors. Prior to joining Pheast, Justin was a part of the assay automation team at Vir Biotechnology, where he studied host-pathogen interactions. Prior to Vir, he worked on several initiatives at General Proximity. Specifically, Justin led molecular biology, cell-line engineering, and platform development to solidify screening systems to identify bifunctional molecules that can reactivate mutated transcription factors. Prior to General Proximity, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at Merck where he studied inflammatory proteins in the setting of metabolic diseases. Justin’s research has been published in Cell for his work characterizing host-pathogen interactions in the innate immune system. Justin received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and his B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame.

Suzana has 14 years of experience in immuno-oncology research and preclinical drug discovery and development. At Pheast, Suzana manages research initiatives studying immuno-oncology therapeutics. Prior to joining Pheast, Suzana was a senior scientist at Genentech, where she oversaw development, implementation, and execution of clinical biomarker strategies for compounds in the clinical stage. Prior to Genentech, Suzana was at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she led immuno-oncology programs focused on tumor-associated myeloid cells. She completed her postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Irving Weissman at Stanford University. Suzana received a Ph.D. in cancer biology from Sorbonne University in France and B.S. in biomedical sciences from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Pin-Joe has more than 10 years of experience in the field of cancer cell biology. At Pheast, Pin-Joe leads the Discovery department to uncover new immuno-oncology targets. Prior to joining Pheast, he worked at SyntheX Inc., where he developed therapeutics for hard-to-drug cancer targets. Pin-Joe received his Ph.D. from Stanford University and his dissertation research characterized a role for protein lipidation in regulating non-apoptotic cell death. He received his B.A. in biology from Columbia University.

Roy is a scientist and biotechnology entrepreneur, and is a co-founder of Pheast Therapeutics. He leads the company as Chief Executive Officer. Prior to Pheast, he led the Translational Science and Biomarker team at Forty Seven Inc. and following acquisition by Gilead Sciences in 2020, continued to support the anti-CD47 magrolimab and anti-SIRPA programs as Biomarker lead. Roy was also a co-founder of Ab Initio Biotherapeutics, and led the research team as Head of Biology from founding in 2015 until acquisition by Ligand Pharmaceuticals in 2019. He trained as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Irving Weissman at Stanford University School of Medicine. Roy received his Ph.D. in genetics from Columbia University and a B.A. in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkeley.

Ivy brings with her more than 15 years of experience in human resources. At Pheast, Ivy is the Head of Human Resources, where she is a thought partner to leadership, focused on building working relationships, supporting culture and cultivating a growth mindset among the team. Prior to joining Pheast, she led Human Resources activities at Forty Seven Inc., from Series B through IPO and its eventual acquisition by Gilead Sciences. In addition she has supported several life sciences organizations from inception through IPO. Ivy received a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on Human Resources Management.

Karmen is a business operations professional with experience in auditing and developing efficient operations. At Pheast, Karmen supports the goal of operational excellence and providing the team with best-in-class tools. Prior to joining Pheast, Karmen has worked with 5+ start-ups, from a dozen to more than 100 employees. She began her operations career in digital marketing supporting the operational growth and scaling of a remote company where she oversaw processes streamlining and creation; alongside executing team culture initiatives. Karmen received bachelors degrees in Political Science and Peace Studies from Chapman University.

Shefah has over 14 years of experience in biomedical research, specializing in protein biochemistry and engineering. At Pheast, Shefah leads multiple programs that support the development and validation of our drug candidates. Before Pheast, she was a scientist at Gritstone Bio overseeing peptide-MHC I/II complex production for antibody and vaccine development in the onco-immunology space. Shefah received her post-doctoral training in molecular and cellular biology from Indiana University, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Montana State University and a B.S. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

Moises has more than 30 years of experience working in the biotech field including academia and industry. At Pheast, Moises oversees the function, safety, and quality of laboratory equipment and operations. He has worked in the vivarium for over 10 years, then as lab manager in wet lab and operations for more than 20 years. Moises is familiar with laboratory operations, equipment, purchasing, and set up. He has specialized his knowledge in laboratory management at the collegiate level by taking courses in construction technology and is familiar with electrical and building codes and needs.

Joseane has experience in molecular biology, toxicology, and pharmacology. At Pheast, Joseane works with the in vivo studies, researching and developing in vivo models for efficacy and toxicology to be used on drug candidates. In addition to her lab expertise, Joseane practiced as a pharmacist in Brazil with more than eight years of experience in the community setting, management, and compounding. Joseane received a master’s degree in toxicology from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from URI Erechim in Brazil.

Tiffany’s background spans over a decade in healthcare innovation, business development, and user experience design. At Pheast, she orchestrates the company’s operational framework to support strategic development and leads the operations team. Prior to Pheast, Tiffany played pivotal roles at several startups, utilizing her skills in project management, design research, and information architecture across a variety of applications. Her diverse background encompasses roles at Stanford and NYU-X Lab, where her work focused on patient-centered design, specifically focused on the patient journey through radiation oncology. Tiffany holds an M.A. in digital media design for learning from New York University and a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz.