Data Scientist IV
D. Andrew Carr, Ph.D.
Data Scientist IV
Andrew Carr is a Data Scientist with expertise in algorithms, machine learning, and database design, and is responsible for advancing Mantra Bio’s targeted exosome technologies. In a previous position as Director of Bioinformatics at Accelerated Technology Laboratories Andrew developed high through-put GPGPU accelerated algorithms for parsing bioinformatics data to provide faster sequence comparison across multiple genomic targets. As adjunct faculty at UNCC Andrew explored Covid-19 mRNA molecular structure and propagation through a combination of machine learning and bioinformatics tools, for linkage in potential exogenistic molecular catalysis for genetic predisposed diseases. Andrew holds a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from George Mason University and completed postdoctoral work at the University of North Carolina Charlotte where he managed the computational lab for micro-array biophysics research, while serving as DataFATE lead and project manager. Andrew also holds Bachelor’s degrees in both Mathematics and Ballet from Indiana University. Outside of work, Andrew coaches fitness and ballet, and also enjoys cooking and hiking.
Staff Scientist
Pranali Deshpande, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist
As part of the Preclinical R&D team, Pranali leads the efforts behind payload packaging strategies and analytical characterization methods. Her wide range of experiences include working as a research scientist in R&D groups at large and small pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the Bay Area. After completing a Bachelor’s of Pharmacy in India, Pranali earned a Master’s degree followed by a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Delivery from Northeastern University in Boston.
Chief Scientific Officer
Maria Fuentes
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Fuentes is a seasoned drug discovery executive with a track record of advancing multiple assets into the clinic. Maria has led preclinical teams to advance programs across multiple therapeutic areas, including respiratory, autoimmune, fibrosis and others. Combined with the significant progress Mantra Bio has made over the past 4 years in refining and validating its Targeted Exosome delivery platform (REVEAL), Maria’s deep experience in translational development will accelerate Mantra’s unique platform towards clinical success.
Most recently, Maria led Blade Therapeutics biology and translational activities to advance programs to clinical development, as Blade’s Executive Vice President of Research. Maria developed pre-clinical and biomarker strategy and provided key data for advancement of three cysteine protease inhibitors in fibrotic and neurodegenerative diseases.
Prior to Blade, she was Group Director, Fibrosis Discovery Biology at Bristol-Myers Squibb. In this position her focus was to advance into the clinic small molecules and antibody therapeutics for the treatment of fibrotic diseases, including interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
Dr. Fuentes has previously held leadership positions at Roche (Palo Alto) and Hoffmann-La Roche (Nutley, NJ), including as Research Director and Head of the Respiratory Drug Discovery Group. During her tenure, she was responsible for progressing several projects to clinical trials and collaborated closely with the company’s Early Development Groups to establish translational approaches, including biomarker discovery and proof of mechanism studies.
Dr. Fuentes received her PhD degree from the Catholic University of Chile and was a Fogarty post-doctoral fellow in the Pharmacology Department, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, Biochemist from University of Chile.
VP of Automation & Co-founder
Terry Gaige, M.S.
VP of Automation & Co-founder
Terry is in charge of building Mantra Bio’s internal technological capabilities to engineer and evaluate exosomes as a therapeutic modality. Through his career, he has consistently worked at the intersection of instrumentation and biology with the overarching goal of enabling and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of biology research. In past experience, as design lead, Terry brought multiple products to market which went on to win innovation awards including R&D 100, The Scientist New Product Award, and the Lab Automation New Product Award. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (and a minor in Music) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied the field of magnetic resonance imaging to visualize complex tissue architecture. Outside of work Terry can be found sailing, hiking, or playing chamber music with his friends (an event his his two year old son calls “hoedowns”).
Scientist
Daniel Goodman, M.S.
Scientist
Daniel is part of Mantra’s process sciences team working on upstream bioprocess development. He brings experience in fermentation sciences from his time at Perfect Day Foods and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit. Daniel holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from UC Davis and UC Los Angeles respectively. Daniel is an active promoter for STEM education and plays in a softball league in San Francisco.
VP of Research
Jennifa Gosling, M.S.
VP of Research
As Mantra Bio’s VP of Research, Jennifa Gosling brings deep experience in cell biology and immunology across different therapeutic areas and modalities, including drug development from target ID to IND filing. Jennifa has held positions across academics, start up, mid size biotechnology and “big pharma”, and in large and small molecule development where she has progressed assets into the clinic. Jennifa holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in Worcester Massachusetts. Outside of work she enjoys wine, live music, and sports (as an avid Warriors and Giants fan).
Staff Scientist 2
Colin Gottlieb, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist 2
As Mantra’s protein engineer, Colin leads the efforts behind cell line engineering, mass spectrometry, and other biochemistry projects. Through previous experiences, Colin has identified two zinc binding sites in the catalytic domain of DHHC palmitoyltransferases, as well as time-resolved changes in proteasome ubiquitylation in response to the unfolding of a single protein in live cells. Colin holds a B.A. in Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology from the University of Colorado, a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Cornell University, and completed a post doc at Stanford University. Outside of work Colin is passionate about public policy activism, getting outside, and spending time with animals of all kinds (particularly dogs).
Staff Scientist II
Ginny Kang, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist II
At Mantra Bio, Ginny leads preclinical research study efforts. From in vitro potency assays to in vivo efficacy studies, Ginny leads study design, execution, and data analysis. An accomplished scientist in her field, Ginny holds multiple biomedical patents and awards. She has completed postdoctoral fellowships at UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences in Taiwan. Ginny earned her B.S. in Plant Pathology and Microbiology from National Taiwan University, and her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the National Tsing-Hua University in Taiwan. In her free time Ginny enjoys attending the opera, symphony, and other musical performances.
Sr. Research Associate
Zebulon LaPoint
Sr. Research Associate
Zebulon joined Mantra Bio to help produce, purify, and characterize extracellular vesicles as part of the Process Science team. Previously a sergeant in the army, Zebulon turned to biology and then research after earning a B.S. in Zoology at San Francisco State University. Outside of work Zebulon likes to roast coffee and make cheese, when not hiking or pretending to garden.
Staff Data Engineer IV
Sidharth Menon
Staff Data Engineer IV
Sidharth brings expertise in software development and data infrastructure, with previous experience working for health tech and clean energy startups. He earned his B.A. in Biology with minors in both Computer Science and Bioinformatics from the University of Southern California. Sidharth enjoys playing video and board games, along with basketball in his spare time.
CEO & Co-founder
Alex Mok
CEO & Co-founder
Alex is an entrepreneur with over a decade’s experience in building life science businesses. He was head of commercialization at CellASIC (acquired by Merck KgAA), a UC Berkeley microfluidic organ-on-chip technology spin-out, and has also held senior product management and strategy positions within multiple life science companies including Millipore Sigma and Fluidigm. Alex is proud to have worked with strong technical teams and led the development of platforms that have been awarded R&D100’s New Product Award, the Laboratory Automation New Product Award, and The Scientist’s Top 10 Innovations Award. Alex holds a B.S. in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley. As part of his morning routine, you’ll find Alex practicing mindfulness in the Soto Zen Buddhism tradition and passing coffee up for a cold shower and a sparring session.
CFO
Ed O'Sullivan, M.B.A.
CFO
Ed is the founder and Managing Partner of CFO Connect®. CFO Connect® is a business management and financial services firm providing part-time CFO services to early stage, venture backed, life sciences and technology companies.
Prior to CFO Connect®, Ed served as CFO for Nextec Applications, Inc., a thin film polymer company. Prior to that he was CFO at Newpoint, Inc., a power products company. And prior to that, served as Director of Finance at Fluid Systems, Inc., a division of Allied Signal, Inc., now Honeywell, Inc., a thin film polymer company.
Ed currently serves on the Board of Directors for DCS, Inc., Let’s Go Robotics, Inc. and serves on the Advisory Board of Endeavor Bank, Inc..
Ed has a BA degree from the University of California, San Diego, Revelle College and an MBA degree from the University of San Diego. He has also completed executive education courses in Corporate Governance at Harvard Business School.
Staff Scientist I
Natalia Santos, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist I
Natalia leads analytical development as part of the Process Sciences team at Mantra Bio. Her efforts drive the development and qualification of Mantra’s in-house exosome therapeutic characterization assays. Natalia’s previous experiences include the development of a cell-free protein expression platform at an early stage startup, and establishing an analytical lab to support drug discovery efforts at the Oligonucleotide Center of Excellence, part of Alios Biopharma (acquired by Johnson and Johnson). Natalia holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology & Biophysical Chemistry from Uppsala University, Sweden as well as two Master’s degrees in Molecular & Microbiology Biology and Environmental Biology from Sofia University, Bulgaria. Natalia’s passions outside of work include dance, traveling, hiking and martial arts.
Scientist
Zachary Swinney
Scientist
Zachary is part of Mantra’s process sciences team working on downstream process development. He brings an intimate knowledge of process sciences from his time at Stemcentrx, and later AbbVie, where he developed antibody drug conjugate therapeutics that went on to clinical trials. Zachary earned B.S. degrees in both Microbiology and Molecular & Cellular biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His passions outside of work include eating food, exploring the mountains, and the Green Bay Packers.
Sr. Research Associate
Christian Torres, M.S.
Sr. Research Associate
At Mantra Bio, Christian is responsible for the optimization of production parameters and assays related to targeted exosomes. Holding a Masters of Science in Stem Cell Biology from Sacramento State University, Christian is passionate about creating ways to support diversity and inclusion in science. One of his achievements includes the creation of a scholarship at his alma mater for students of color to pursue a graduate degree in science.
Chief of Staff
Oliver Wueseke, Ph.D.
Chief of Staff
Oliver’s passion is building high performing R&D teams. At Mantra Bio he leads cultural and organizational development initiatives that make Mantra Bio a fun and exciting place to work, driving Mantra Bio’s exceptional level of innovation. Oliver, an HSFP Fellowship awardee, backs up his operational leadership with a Ph.D from the Max Planck Institute in Cell and Molecular Biology, and 12 years of research experience on organoid development and protein dynamics. Oliver previously worked as the R&D lead at System1 Biosciences, in charge of developing their “brain-in-a-dish” science. He is also the founder if Impulse Science Inc., a biotech start-up coaching firm. Outside of work, Oliver can be found windsurfing across the Bay, unleashing his creativity through photography and digital art, or traveling the world.
Data Scientist II
Patricia Vera-Gonzalez
Data Scientist II
An expert in statistical analysis, Patricia consults with and trains scientists on statistical tools, methods, and experimental design. She also develops templates for in vivo studies and assay analyses. Patricia holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and a Master’s in Biostatistics from Brown University.
While at Brown, Patricia used machine learning models and developed simulations in genome-wide association studies to identify key genetic variants associated with complex traits and diseases, with a focus in health disparities. At the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, she developed multivariate predictive models to study the effects of various cancer therapies on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human genome. In a previous position at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Patricia worked to quantify and identify trends that described the decline and disruption of neural networks in normal cognitive aging. For her devotion and achievement in the field of public health, she was inducted into Brown’s Epsilon Iota Chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society.
Outside of work Patricia enjoys cooking, painting and sculpting, solving puzzles, basketball, and spending time at the beach.
