Team
Talented laboratory scientists, medicinal chemists, and biotech leaders with successful track records in oncological drug development.
Science and Operations
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Greg Crimmins
Greg has a PhD in molecular biology from University of California, Berkeley, where he helped invent a promising new way to treat cancer with immunotherapy. He has 20 years of experience in biomedical research, including phenotypic screening, cell biology, and immunology. Greg has led Remedy Plan from inception through development of its drug screening platform to the optimization of novel first-in-class cancer therapeutics.
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Dennise A. De Jesús-Díaz
Dennise provides project leadership for our scientific operations and is responsible for development and implementation of effective research practices. She has worked in biomedical research for over 10 years, most recently at the National Institutes of Health. She holds a BS from the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey and a PhD from Tufts University School of Medicine.
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Michael Schelle
Michael brings over 15 years of diverse experience leading biotech research, development, and commercialization efforts. At Remedy Plan, he leads the R&D team and works with external collaborators. He received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley studying under future Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi.
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Banu Cole
Banu has over a decade of experience leading drug discovery programs and initiatives, with expertise across a wide range of diseases spanning immune, metabolic, and rare diseases and in developing in vitro human surrogate models to advance preclinical programs. Banu earned her PhD in cell/cancer biology from Harvard Medical School and her BS from The College of William & Mary.
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Min Wu
Min earned her MS in chemistry from University of Maryland at Baltimore County and her PhD in molecular biology and genetics from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She conducted postdoctoral research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on the crucial mechanisms of DNA replication and repair, and later at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine on translational studies of acute myeloid leukemia with a focus on identifying novel therapeutic targets.
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Tim Jarvela
Tim has a PhD in biology from Carnegie Mellon University and performed his postdoctoral work at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. His research background is in the underlying cellular and molecular biology of proteins that maintain proper cell health. He has applied this to the study of diverse research topics such as diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Caroline Robb
Caroline joins the Remedy Plan team with a strong background in oncology drug discovery. She received her PhD in Cancer Research from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and conducted her postdoctoral research as a fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. Throughout her training, Caroline has focused on characterization of mechanisms of action and target identification studies to identify new cancer therapies.
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Dexter Davis
Dexter joins the Remedy Plan team with more than three years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and a strong background in medicinal chemistry. He has successfully optimized and developed clinical drug candidates in the area of small molecule antivirals targeting hepatitis B and SARS-CoV-2. He received his PhD in organic chemistry from Purdue University and carried out postdoctoral work at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Vanderbilt University.
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Parisa Moghaddam-Taaheri
Parisa joins the Remedy Plan team with an extensive background in biomedical research and healthcare and life sciences consulting. She received her PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Maryland, College Park where her research focused on protein and peptide engineering for therapeutic applications. At Remedy Plan, she manages business development activities including external partnerships and strategic communications.
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Frank Roushar
Frank has a PhD in Chemistry from Indiana University-Bloomington and performed his postdoctoral work at the NIH Clinical Center. His research background focuses on membrane protein folding and disease as well as cellular signaling. He has applied his skills to problems ranging from the underlying principles of membrane protein misfolding to developing approaches for precision medicine.
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James Digel
James received his BS in Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a focus on evolutionary development and molecular biology. His past research includes risk assessment for using dsRNA in agricultural settings as a species-specific pesticide through RNA interference. At Remedy Plan, James supports mechanism of action and target engagement studies.
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Claudia Fabiola Ramos
Fabie earned a BS in Biological Science at the University of Maryland, College Park, with a focus on Physiology and Neurobiology, with a minor in Criminal Justice. At Remedy Plan, she supports compound management, inventory management, and laboratory operations.
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Asra Rehan
Asra joins Remedy Plan with several years of experience in project management and professional services. She successfully led cross-functional teams and projects, ranging from product & development to sales & marketing, from launch to completion. She has built lasting relationships with long-term and high-profile clients resulting in higher customer retention and brand loyalty. Asra earned her BS in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her MBA from Emory University. With her background in the biomedical sciences and business degree and experience, Asra supports business development at Remedy Plan.
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Kelechi Joe-Nweke
Kelechi is an accomplished professional with a background in bioprocess engineering and pharmaceutical manufacturing. With a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and an MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Maryland College Park, Kelechi brings a wealth of technical expertise and analytical skills to her new position. Her experience includes managing CMO tech-transfer and process development in pharmaceutical and biotech settings, as well as leading tech transfers and supporting audits in similar environments. At Remedy plan Kelechi supports the DMPK CMC Team.
Scientific Advisory Board
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Frank McCormick
Frank is a Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Comprehensive Cancer Center and founder of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, where he initiated drug discovery efforts that led to the approval of multiple cancer treatments (renal cell, liver, and nasopharyngeal). Frank is a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and member of the National Academies of Science.
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Daniel Portnoy
Daniel is a Distinguished Chair in Global Public Health and Infectious Diseases and Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology at the University of California Berkeley. He is a member of the National Academies of Science, an NIH Merit Award recipient, and serves on the advisory board of Aduro Biotech, a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company.
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Vahe Bedian
Vahe is retired from a career in cancer pharmaceutical R&D, biotherapeutics, and immuno-oncology. He is currently serving as a consultant and advisor to biotechs and non-profits.
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Tom Dubensky
Tom is the President and CEO of ImmuneSensor Therapeutics. Previously he served as the President of Tempest Therapeutics and the CSO at Aduro, Immune Design, and Anza.
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Steve Abella
Steve has been in the oncology clinical research field for 35 years, including over 12 years in the pharmaceutical industry. Steve is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Shasqi, and previously held roles as the CMO at Vida Development Sciences and BioClin Therapeutics. He also previously served as Executive Director at Amgen, where he led global development efforts across clinical research and medical affairs.
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Erika Pearce
Erika is an expert and leader in the field of immunology research and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Distinguished Professor whose research focuses on the impact that immune cell metabolism has on immunity, infection, and cancer.
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Ed Pearce
Ed is an immunobiology expert and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Distinguished Professor whose research focuses on investigating immune cell metabolic reprogramming and type 2 immune responses.
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Saul H. Rosenberg
Saul retired from the pharmaceutical industry with over 35 years of experience in drug discovery. He has overseen the discovery and advancement of more than twenty compounds to clinical candidate status, including the FDA-approved Bcl-2 family inhibitor venetoclax.
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Jay S. Skyler
Jay is a Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, & Psychology, and Deputy Director for Clinical Research and Academic Programs at the Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami. For 22 years, he was chairman of the NIH clinical trials networks aimed at preventing Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) or interdicting the T1D disease process. He is past President of the American Diabetes Association, International Diabetes Immunotherapy Group, Southern Society for Clinical Investigation, and past Vice-President of International Diabetes Federation. He was founding Editor of Diabetes Care.
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Ronald Parchem
Ron is a professor in Baylor's Department of Neuroscience at the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center, where his research focuses on neural development, stem cells, and cancer biology. He received his PhD from UC Berkeley and did his post-doctoral fellowship at UC San Francisco.
Partnerships and Alliances
- Maryland Venture Mentor Program
- Frank McCormick Lab, UCSF
- QB3 Biotech Incubator
- Harvard Medical School’s ICCB-L Lab