Targeting the

Lynn Biderman

Associate Director, Drug Discovery

Lynn is driven by using cutting edge science for improving human health, with over 15 years of research experience in cancer biology, immuno-oncology and drug discovery. Lynn joined Stelexis in 2020 and is leading Stelexis drug discovery and development programs. Prior to Stelexis, she worked as a Scientist at Inzen Therapeutics, as part of the immuno-oncology team. Lynn trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Rockefeller University, and holds a B.A. in Natural Sciences (Biochemistry) from the University of Cambridge, UK and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Columbia University.

Bozena Bugaj-Gaweda

Research Scientist

Bozena is a passionate scientist with multi-disciplinary expertise in molecular, cell and cancer biology. She obtained a Master’s in Arts from New York City University. Prior to joining Stelexis, Bozena was a part of the ADC Biology group at Pfizer Oncology R&D (Pearl River, NY) under Dr. Chad May and later the Immunotherapeutic group under Dr. Divya Mathur where she supported the bispecific program currently in clinical trials at Stelexis. She is utilizing her expertise in the field of drug discovery.

Lumie Benard

Research Scientist and Lab Manager

Lumie is a dedicated scientist with over 20 years of experience in biochemistry and molecular biology. She received her master’s degree in Biochemistry from Bharathidasan University in India. Prior to Stelexis, she was a lab manager and scientist in pharmacodynamics research in the field of hematology/oncology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Lumie joined Stelexis in January 2020 as a part of the TumorOrigin™ Platform team.

Jiahao Chen

Associate Director TumorOrigin™ Platform

Jiahao is a talented molecular biologist and stem cell expert with over 10 years of experience in the cancer genomics and hematology/oncology discovery. Prior to Stelexis, Jiahao did his Ph.D. and postdoctoral research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he extensively studied the mechanism of leukemic stem cells formation. Before Einstein, he was a research scientist at BGI for three years, focused on oncology biomarker and target discovery. He joined Stelexis in March 2019, now is the Associate Director leading the TumorOrigin™ cancer stem cell platform for novel target and drug discovery.

Alice Tang

Research Scientist

Alice is an enthusiastic scientist with the desire to improve health and has over 10 years of experience in molecular biology and stem cell research. Prior to joining Stelexis, she worked on Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and stem cell research as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the New York Blood Center, studying how SCD affects the microenvironment and interactions between hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells. She has a background in cardiac stem cells and the differentiation process from her graduate work. Alice has a B.S in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and received her Ph.D. from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

Zhuoxun Wu

Research Scientist

Zhuoxun Wu is a highly motivated scientist with experience in cancer pharmacology. Zhuoxun received his bachelor’s degree in China and earned his Ph.D. degree at St. John’s University where he studied the drug resistance mechanism of small molecule inhibitors and the strategies to overcome efflux transporter-mediated multidrug resistance. He joined Stelexis in June 2022 as a Research Scientist to work on the TumorOrigin™ platform team for drug discovery and development.

Jason Fuller

Jason Fuller, Ph.D., is a Partner on the Biotherapeutics group at Deerfield and joined the Firm in 2021. Prior to Deerfield, Dr. Fuller was an investor at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), where he co-managed several investments in therapeutics, as well as in tools and diagnostics. Previous to NEA, he served as Head of Corporate Development at Jounce Therapeutics, one of several company formation projects he helped initiate in his role as Principal at Third Rock Ventures before joining Jounce. Dr. Fuller holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University, an M.Phil. from Cambridge University, and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he completed his degree in the lab of Robert Langer.

Mark Shtilerman

Mark Shtilerman, Ph.D., is Senior Counsel on the Legal team at Deerfield and joined the Firm in 2014. Dr. Shtilerman has experience counseling companies in all aspects of intellectual property procurement, enforcement and licensing. He is a technically trained patent attorney registered to practice before the USPTO. Prior to Deerfield, Dr. Shtilerman was an attorney in nationally recognized law firms, and before that, was a patent agent at a biotechnology firm. Dr. Shtilerman holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from Fordham University, and a B.S. in Physics from St. Petersburg State University in Russia. He completed his post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital.

Jonathan Ramos

Jonathan Ramos is a Principal on the External Operations team and joined the Firm in 2017. Prior to Deerfield, Mr. Ramos worked at LEO Pharma, where he spent six years in various finance roles, most recently as LEO’s US Director of Accounting and Compliance. Before LEO, he was Senior Director of Financial Accounting at Triax Pharmaceuticals for three years and a member of Deloitte’s audit practice for four years. Mr. Ramos holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and a Master’s in Professional Accounting from Seton Hall University. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Uli Steidl

Dr. Steidl trained at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and held a junior faculty position at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center prior to joining the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he is now a tenured Professor of Cell Biology and Medicine (Oncology), Program Leader at the NCI-designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center, and a faculty member of the Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Research. Dr. Steidl’s work has pioneered mechanistic studies and target identification in pre-cancerous and leukemia stem cells, and has resulted in numerous high-profile publications, patents, preclinical development and testing of novel drugs, and clinical trials. Dr. Steidl’s research is supported by the NIH, NYSTEM, NYSCF, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and several other private foundations. He has served as an advisor to numerous large pharma and small/mid sized biotech companies.

Derrick Rossi

Derrick Rossi received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the University of Toronto, Canada in the 1990s, and his Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki, Finland, followed by post-doctoral training at Stanford University. Dr. Rossi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He is also an investigator in the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Rossi has been a principal faculty member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute since 2008.

Dr. Rossi’s lab at Harvard Medical School focuses on diverse aspects of hematopoietic stem cell biology, including how aging of the stem cell compartment contributes to disease pathogenesis and aging-associated hematopoietic decline. His efforts in the development of cutting-edge technologies and new therapeutic strategies are at the forefront of regenerative medicine and biotechnology. Discoveries made in Dr. Rossi’s lab have led to the formation of several leading biotechnology companies. In 2010, Derrick Rossi founded Moderna Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company focused on developing modified-mRNA therapeutics. In 2015, Dr. Rossi co-founded Intellia Therapeutics, a Cambridge-based company focused on developing CRISPR/Cas9 based therapeutics. In 2016, he co-founded Magenta Therapeutics, which is focused on transforming transplantation medicine. Dr. Rossi is currently serving as the founding CEO of Convelo Therapeutics where he leads a team that is developing regenerative therapies for demyelination diseases of the central nervous system. Time magazine cited Dr. Rossi’s discovery of modified-mRNA reprogramming as one of the top ten medical breakthroughs of 2010. Time also named Dr. Rossi as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world (Time 100) in 2011.

Amit Verma

Dr. Verma is the Director of Division of Hemato-Oncology and Professor of Medicine and Oncology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center. He also heads the MDS Center of excellence clinic at Montefiore. He earned his medical degree at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India and finished his postgraduate internal medicine training at the University of Illinois. In addition to clinical duties, Dr. Verma conducts laboratory research exploring the stem cell alterations, epigenomic changes and signaling abnormalities in the pathogenesis of MDS and AML. He is a scholar of the Leukemia and Lymphoma society and his research is funded by the NIH, Department of Defense, American Cancer Society and various private foundations.

Evripids (Evris) Gavathiotis

Evripidis (Evris) Gavathiotis, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and faculty member of the Albert Einstein Cancer Center and the Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research among other institutes. He is conducting innovative research on mechanisms of protein interactions in cell death and cell survival signaling that cause cancer and other diseases and the discovery and optimization of small molecule modulators with the goal of developing new therapeutics. Dr. Gavathiotis’ research has yielded novel signaling mechanisms and pharmacological strategies illustrated in numerous scientific publications and United States patent applications. He has received prestigious awards including the Sidney Kimmel Scholar Award, the 2014 Young Chemical Biologist Award and the Pershing Square Sohn Prize. Dr. Gavathiotis performed postdoctoral research at Rockefeller University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and was a junior faculty at Harvard Medical School. He received his Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Nottingham.

Roman Perez-Soler

Roman Perez-Soler is chairman of the Department of Oncology and chief of the Division of Medical Oncology at Montefiore. He is a professor of Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. A native of Spain, Dr. Perez-Soler received his medical degree from Universidad Autonoma in Barcelona, where he also completed a residency in Internal Medicine. He completed his fellowship in Medical Oncology at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Hospital Cancer Center. Dr. Perez-Soler has received numerous awards for his accomplishments, particularly in lung cancer research, and is considered an international key opinion leader.

Uli Steidl

Dr. Steidl trained at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and held a junior faculty position at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center prior to joining the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he is now a tenured Professor of Cell Biology and Medicine (Oncology), Program Leader at the NCI-designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center, and a faculty member of the Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Research. Dr. Steidl’s work has pioneered mechanistic studies and target identification in pre-cancerous and leukemia stem cells, and has resulted in numerous high-profile publications, patents, preclinical development and testing of novel drugs, and clinical trials. Dr. Steidl’s research is supported by the NIH, NYSTEM, NYSCF, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and several other private foundations. He has served as an advisor to numerous large pharma and small/mid sized biotech companies.

Derrick Rossi

Derrick Rossi received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the University of Toronto, Canada in the 1990s, and his Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki, Finland, followed by post-doctoral training at Stanford University. Dr. Rossi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He is also an investigator in the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Rossi has been a principal faculty member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute since 2008.

Dr. Rossi’s lab at Harvard Medical School focuses on diverse aspects of hematopoietic stem cell biology, including how aging of the stem cell compartment contributes to disease pathogenesis and aging-associated hematopoietic decline. His efforts in the development of cutting-edge technologies and new therapeutic strategies are at the forefront of regenerative medicine and biotechnology. Discoveries made in Dr. Rossi’s lab have led to the formation of several leading biotechnology companies. In 2010, Derrick Rossi founded Moderna Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company focused on developing modified-mRNA therapeutics. In 2015, Dr. Rossi co-founded Intellia Therapeutics, a Cambridge-based company focused on developing CRISPR/Cas9 based therapeutics. In 2016, he co-founded Magenta Therapeutics, which is focused on transforming transplantation medicine. Dr. Rossi is currently serving as the founding CEO of Convelo Therapeutics where he leads a team that is developing regenerative therapies for demyelination diseases of the central nervous system. Time magazine cited Dr. Rossi’s discovery of modified-mRNA reprogramming as one of the top ten medical breakthroughs of 2010. Time also named Dr. Rossi as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world (Time 100) in 2011.