Michael Whitfield, PhD
Jake Reder, PhD.
Joana Mabaera, PhD.
Viktor Martyanov, PhD.
Julie Coleman, PhD.
Adam Schmucker, MS
ImmuType Inventor and Scientific Founder
Michael Whitfield, PhD
Department Chair, Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College
Co-Founder and CEO, Celdara Medical
Jake Reder, PhD.
Jake cofounded Celdara Medical with Prof. Michael Fanger as a way to bridge academic innovation and the marketplace, and currently serves as Director and CEO. Jake guided CM from a concept to the fastest growing company (across all sectors) in the state three years in a row, and is now applying these learnings to the Pandemic Security Initiative. He serves on the Boards of the New Hampshire Academy of Science, Virtici, and MBV, and is Chairman of CairnSurgical, and Javelin Oncology. Jake has lived, studied and worked in Canada, Germany, and the USA, with experiences in research, venture investing, corporate alliances and internal startups, academia, and startups. In 2017 Jake was selected by the US SBA as NH Small Business Person of the Year. Jake earned a B.Sc. with First Class Honors from the University of Waterloo, and a PhD in Chemistry as a Brown-Wetherill Fellow at Purdue University and Ludwig Maximilians Universität.
Technical Lead, Executive Director of R&D, Celdara Medical
Joana Mabaera, PhD.
Joana is an Executive Director of R&D at Celdara Medical where she acts as the operational lead of the company’s R&D effort in addition to developing and managing multiple projects. Joana has over 10 years of research and managerial experience in multiple scientific fields at Celdara, primarily in the area of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based cell therapies for oncology and auto-immune diseases. Prior to Celdara, she was a research scientist at Norris Cotton Cancer Center where she led multiple projects in the field of metabolic disorders. Joana received her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Bioinformaticist, Celdara Medical
Viktor Martyanov, PhD.
Viktor is a Bioinformaticist at Celdara Medical where he is working with academia and industry partners to analyze clinical trials using genomic data and bring Celdara’s pipeline to its full potential. Prior to Celdara, Viktor worked at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth to identify molecular biomarkers of clinical response in systemic sclerosis, a rare and deadly autoimmune disease. Viktor received his BS in Genetic Biology from Purdue University and his PhD in Biological Sciences from Dartmouth College.
Business Development Lead
Julie Coleman, PhD.
Julie is a project leader at Celdara Medical where she currently leads the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub and two R&D programs in antimicrobial resistance and autoimmune disease, respectively. Prior to Celdara, Julie was a consultant at Putnam Associates where she provided scientific and analytical insights to clients in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Julie consulted in therapeutic areas spanning gene therapy, molecular therapies, cell therapy, diagnostics, vaccines, and biosimilars; diseases included breast cancer, hematological malignancies, neurological disorders, infertility disorders, and meningitis. Julie received her BA in Biology and English from Bowdoin College and her PhD in Neuroscience from Tufts University.
Lead Scientist
Adam Schmucker, MS
Adam is a scientist at Celdara Medical, and has been with the company since 2013. Adam supports multiple programs with his background in general molecular and cellular biology, including regulated work in support of clinical trials. His past experience includes employment as a Scientific Associate at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) in Cambridge MA, and as a Research Assistant at Harvard Institutes of Medicine in Boston. He received his BS in biology from UMass Boston, and his MS in molecular and cellular biology from Dartmouth College, studying the transcriptional regulation of matrix metalloproteinases in the lab of Dr. Constance Brinckerhoff. Adam lives on a small farm in northern Vermont, and enjoys alpine ski racing, in particular competing in the United States Ski Association’s New England Masters league.