Our Partners

Dr. Bruce Levine, Barbara and Edward Netter Professor in Cancer Gene Therapy, is the Founding Director of the Clinical Cell and Vaccine Production Facility (CVPF) in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. He received a B.A. (Biology) from Penn and a Ph.D. in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from Johns Hopkins. First-in-human adoptive immunotherapy trials include the first use of a lentiviral vector, the first infusions of gene edited cells, and the first use of lentivirally-modified cells to treat cancer. Dr. Levine is co-inventor of the first FDA approved gene therapy (Kymriah), chimeric antigen receptor T cells for leukemia and lymphoma, licensed to Novartis. Dr. Levine is co-inventor on 33 issued US patents and co-author of >200 manuscripts and book chapters with a Google Scholar citation h-index of 116. He is a Co-Founder of Tmunity Therapeutics, and of Capstan Therapeutics both spinouts of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Levine is a recipient of the William Osler Patient Oriented Research Award, the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Healthcare Innovation, the National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match ONE Forum Dennis Confer Innovate Award, the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy Jerry Mendell Award for Translational Science, the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy Career Achievement Award in Cell and Gene Therapy, the Richard N. Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology, and is a Past-President of the ISCT. He has written for Scientific American and Wired and is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists, public outreach, and expanding global and equitable access to advanced therapies.

Dr Morimoto has nearly 30 years of industry experience in leading project teams in the development of innovative medicines, providing guidance in the design and execution of nonclinical, clinical and regulatory strategies with a therapeutic focus on CNS indications.

Bruce has previously held leadership roles at Alto Neuroscience, Cerecin, Alkahest, Celerion, and Allon Therapeutics, and is currently a scientific advisor to the Michael J Fox Foundation.

Bruce started his career on the faculty in the Chemistry Department at Purdue University where his independent research focused on neuronal signal transduction.  Bruce earned his doctorate in biochemistry from UCLA and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California Berkeley.

Eliot brings nearly two decades of experience spanning business development (BD), commercialization, corporate strategy, and competitive intelligence for both emerging biotech and global pharmaceutical companies in oncology, hematology, and immunology & inflammation. He advises founders and executive teams, provides fractional corporate leadership in BD & commercial strategy, and delivers highly customized market analysis and strategic recommendations for critical decision points. Eliot currently serves on the corporate advisory board of Kure.ai Therapeutics. He previously held senior leadership roles in BD and global marketing at Celgene, Kite Pharma (a Gilead company), Chimeric Therapeutics, and Adaptimmune, contributing to high-profile deals and CAR/TCR launches, including BREYANZI®, ABECMA®, YESCARTA®, TECARTUS®, TECELRA®, and >25 additional cell therapy development programs. Eliot began his career in strategy consulting and competitive intelligence as a research analyst at Deallus (now part of GlobalData), ultimately leading the North America business unit as Managing Partner. He earned his BA in Biochemistry with a minor in Artificial Intelligence from Case Western Reserve University, PhD in Molecular Pathology (specialization in cancer immunology) from UC San Diego, and completed executive education in business and financial strategy at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Floris van Delft graduated in organic chemistry from Leiden University (1996, with honors) in the Netherlands. After a post-doctoral stay at the Scripps Research Institute (San Diego, USA), he held professorship positions at the University of Amsterdam and Radboud University Nijmegen, as well as a special professorship at Wageningen University in the Netherlands (2015–2020). During his academic career, his research was focused primarily on click chemistry, carbohydrate chemistry and protein conjugation technologies. In 2010, Floris was a co-founder of Synaffix, of which he became the full-time chief scientific officer (CSO) in 2013. Since the acquisition of Synaffix by Lonza in 2023, Floris continued to be the driving force behind the invention of the proprietary technologies that form the basis of Synaffix’ best-in-class antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for targeted cancer therapy. Floris has (co)authored >150 peer-reviewed publications and is the (co)inventor of >45 patent applications.

Dr. Janice Reichert is an internationally recognized expert in the development of antibody therapeutics. She is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of mAbs, a peer-reviewed, PubMed-indexed biomedical journal that focuses on topics relevant to antibody research and development, and Founder and Managing Director of Reichert Biotechnology Consulting, a pharmaceutical business intelligence research firm. From 2010 to early 2025, she also served in various roles at The Antibody Society, a non-profit association representing individuals and organizations that engage in antibody research or development. Dr. Reichert regularly reports on development trends for antibody therapeutics, including the annual ‘Antibodies to Watch’ articles published in mAbs, and she has presented her research results as an invited speaker at conferences held worldwide. She received her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and trained as a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School.

PhD, Duke University; 15 years of ADC research experience. Work experience: Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (2005-2010), Pfizer (2010-2016); Binghamton University (2016-present). Over $3 million in ADC-related research grants; Industry consultant; Expert witness on ADC related cases. Primary research interest: Immunology-related ADCs.

Linda Pullan is the founder of Pullan Consulting, with business development for biotech focusing on partnering, including outreach, evaluation, valuation, negotiation, and strategy. Linda and her team have completed over 150 deals from company acquisitions to Phase III to preclinical candidates to technologies, with deals and clients in the US, Europe, and Asia. After a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Linda has over 30 years of industry experience, starting in drug discovery at Monsanto/Searle/Pfizer and ICI/Zeneca/AstraZeneca. Business development began with in-licensing technology and early drug candidates at Zeneca, and continued as head of oncology hematology licensing for Amgen. Beginning Pullan Consulting in 2006, she and her team serve as BD consultants to biotechnology and pharma companies, focusing on deals. She has served as an expert witness, grant reviewer, CEO, and on boards for several small companies, including NLC Health Ventures and the AUTM Foundation. Linda has spoken at many meetings, published papers and chapters, and taught many courses in BD.

Mike is currently President of Longrun Biotech Consulting, where he focuses on helping clients with their corporate and commercial strategy needs in the cell and gene therapy space, as well as other TAs and modalities. Previously, Mike was SVP, Corporate Strategy and New Product Planning at Catamaran Bio, where he provided early commercial and strategic insights to NK cell therapy development and led business development activities. Prior to this, Mike spent 11 years with GSK, the last 6 as VP and Global Commercial Lead for GSK’s oncology cell therapies, where he had responsibility for global marketing and commercial operations, and overall strategy for a portfolio of CAR-T and TCR-T therapies. He also played a key role in rebuilding GSK’s overall oncology business following the 2016 sale to Novartis, most prominently as a leader of the 2019 acquisition of Tesaro. Prior to this, Mike held roles of increasing responsibility in commercial and Business Development across a range of therapy areas including Neuroscience, Ophthalmology, and Rare Disease. Before he joined GSK, Mike was an Engagement Manager with LEK Consulting and he holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a BSE in Bioengineering from Tulane University.

Paul is a widely-known scientist and biotechnology executive with extensive strategic and leadership experience. His expertise covers bench to IND and clinical trial development of small molecule drugs, biologics, and cellular therapeutics. His recent accomplishments include the launch of successful new biotech companies. In 2012 he engaged in the strategic analysis of cancer IO therapeutics with CoStim Pharmaceuticals’ executive and investment team to prioritize and launch that company’s program portfolio. In 2013 he partnered with X-Chem Inc to create XRx Discovery, focused on drug discovery in oncology, inflammation and fibrosis. In 2016 he co-founded Aleta Biotherapeutics, a private cell therapy and biologics company that has quickly moved from bench to clinic, having won broad financial support for clinical development through Phase 2 from Cancer Research UK. Paul is deeply engaged in the biotech community through Board Director and SAB service and as a highly sought speaker and panelist in the IO, cell therapy and investment communities. His scientific innovation is highlighted by over 60 patents filed and granted, and more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. You can follow Paul’s biotech commentary on X, Bluesky and LinkedIn.

Dr. Sven Kili is a respected KOL in healthcare and biotechnology, boasting over 20 years of experience. He began as a surgeon in the NHS, where he gained valuable insights into patient care. Transitioning to Cell and Gene Therapies (CGT), Sven played key roles in leading the development, approval and commercialization of both a cell therapy and the first ex-vivo gene therapy. With expertise across all stages of CGT development, he has built companies and teams in both large pharma/ biotech and startups.

Sven is a partner at Saisei Ventures, a boutique therapeutic venture investment firm focussed on creating and growing innovative companies, including with a focus on the Japanese CGT ecosystem. He also heads his consulting firm, Sven Kili Consulting Ltd., oQering strategicguidance to organizations in the biotech and healthcare sectors. Most recently he served as the Chief Development OQicer for CCRM (Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine) and OmniaBio.

Sven actively contributes to industry boards and committees, including the BIA CGTAC, Innovation Hubs for Gene Therapy, ISCT, and ARM. Sven holds a visiting chair at UCL (University College London), where he heads the steering committee for a post-grad degree in Cell & Gene Therapy manufacturing and commercialisation. His dedication to advancing regenerative medicine and CGT is reflected in his multifaceted roles and ongoing eQorts to shape the future of healthcare through innovation and strategic collaboration.

Dr. Anthony Polverino has been a leader in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector for more than 30 years. He is currently a C-level executive/Board member/Consultant for multiple biotechnology companies. He served as CSO of Zymeworks Inc., from 2018 to 2022, where he was responsible for establishing the vision, strategy, and general management of the organization and overseeing the advancement of products from discovery research through early development. Prior to Zymeworks, he was the interim CSO of Kite Pharma from 2015 to 2018, where he was responsible for establishing Kite’s strategic non-clinical R&D roadmap. Dr. Polverino spent 20 years at Amgen, Inc., where he managed research programs in oncology, metabolic disease and inflammatory disease. Prior to Amgen, he was a postdoctoral scientist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he worked primarily on oncology research. He earned a B.Sc. in Biochemistry/Physiology and a B.Sc. (Honors) in Pharmacology, both from Adelaide University in Adelaide, Australia, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Flinders University, also in Adelaide.