Our Team: Driven & Diverse
Our experienced leadership and clinical development team in Cambridge has deep relationships with the world’s top cancer centers and extensive experience in company-building and drug development. Working towards a shared vision to provide first-in-class, meaningful therapies to cancer patients, we have partnered with skilled protein engineers, immunologists and CMC experts who have experience building highly complex molecules and a track record of developing FDA-approved drugs.
Leadership
Claire Mazumdar, Ph.D., MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Claire Mazumdar, Ph.D., MBA
Chief Executive Officer
The founding CEO of Bicara Therapeutics, Claire Mazumdar, led business development and corporate strategy at Rheos Medicines, where she supported a major partnership with Roche. As a Senior Associate at Third Rock Ventures, she focused on company formation and supported business development for TRV portfolio companies. She is also a Member of the Board of Directors for Noora Health, a global non-profit which works to improve patient outcomes and strengthen health systems by equipping family caregivers with the skills they need to care for their loved ones.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering from MIT, earned her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Stanford School of Medicine. Her research in tumor immunology and cancer epigenetics has been published in Nature, Cell Stem Cell and Cancer Cell.
Ryan Cohlhepp, Pharm.D.
President & Chief Operating Officer
Ryan Cohlhepp, Pharm.D.
President & Chief Operating Officer
Ryan brings to Bicara over 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry, driving early-stage drug development to commercial success. Prior to Bicara, Ryan was a founding executive of Rheos Medicines, an immuno-metabolism company launched by Third Rock Ventures. Previously, Ryan held multiple roles in both the R&D and Commercial organizations at Takeda including leading the company’s commercial oncology portfolio in the U.S. which included four approved compounds across both hematological and solid tumors.
An endurance athlete with a commitment to bringing transformative and life-extending therapies to cancer patients, he has worked with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, having summitted the renowned 19,341 foot Uhuru Peak on Mount Kilimanjaro to encourage patient advocacy and raise funds for multiple myeloma research.
Ryan holds his Doctor of Pharmacy from Purdue University where he continues to hold an appointment on the Dean’s Advisory Council.
Ivan Hyep, MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Ivan Hyep, MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Ivan brings over 15 years of experience in finance, strategy and operations. Prior to joining the founding executive team at Bicara in March 2021, Ivan was Head of Finance at MOMA Therapeutics and Director of Finance at Third Rock Ventures. Ivan began and spent the first decade of his career at Bain Capital in global private equity.
Ivan holds an MBA with High Honors from Boston University Questrom School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Bentley University.
Dr. David Raben, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. David Raben, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
A board-certified radiation oncologist, Dr. Raben joins Bicara with more than 25 years of biopharma and academic translational oncology experience, having most recently served as vice president of global product development and product general manager, of oncology, at Amgen. At Amgen, his work centered on driving the anti-DLL3 program in neuroendocrine cancers. Before that, Dr. Raben served as vice president and franchise leader, of clinical development oncology, at Genentech, focusing on precision medicine and immunotherapy trials in head and neck, thoracic, skin, and rare cancers, in both late-stage and locally advanced settings.
Dr. Raben has spent more than 20 years as a professor and an associate member of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, where his main areas of focus have been evaluating and combining novel biologic therapies in the laboratory and clinical trials for patients with locally advanced cancers of the head and neck and lung. His extensive clinical expertise in the management of head, neck, and thoracic cancers also extends to genitourinary cancers, along with translational experience in areas such as EGFR signaling, DNA damage repair, TGFb, and checkpoint inhibition.
Nationally, Dr. Raben served on the NRG Oncology Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) steering committee for over 15 years and established and led the Radiation Developmental Therapeutics Committee at the NRG. He remains an active member of the American Head and Neck Society, IASLC, ESMO, AACR, and ASTRO. Dr. Raben has authored over 180 publications, 13 book chapters, and his research has been published in high-impact journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Clinical Cancer Research, Nature Medicine, and Nature Biology Communications.
Dr. Raben holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and earned his M.D. from Wake Forest University. He completed his residency training in Radiation Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Lara Meisner, J.D.
Chief Legal Officer
Lara Meisner, J.D.
Chief Legal Officer
Lara Meisner joins Bicara with more than two decades of experience in providing counsel to public and private companies across key legal and operational functions. Prior to Bicara, Lara served as the Chief Legal Officer, Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Viridian Therapeutics, where as part of the executive team, she led all aspects of legal and compliance. Prior to that, Ms. Meisner served as Vice President of Legal at Astria Therapeutics, Inc. and as Senior Corporate Counsel at Verastem Oncology. She has also held a variety of in-house legal positions in both public and private technology companies.
Ms. Meisner received a J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law and a B.A. from University of Michigan.
Rachel Salazar, D.H.Sc.
SVP, R&D Strategy & Operations
Rachel Salazar, D.H.Sc.
SVP, R&D Strategy & Operations
As an accomplished drug development executive, Rachel brings to Bicara more than two decades of experience as a strategic leader in both early and late-stage clinical development, advancing novel drugs in the clinic and expanding the value of marketed products. Before joining Bicara, Rachel served as a global development lead at EMD Serono where her work centered on driving various early-stage IO clinical programs and leading key R&D pipeline collaborations. Before that, Rachel served at Takeda Oncology where she contributed to the development of various late-stage programs and expansion of approved products including Adcetris®. Earlier in her career, she worked in portfolio management across various therapeutic areas at Pfizer.
Skilled in R&D strategy and program leadership, Rachel is driven by science and dedicated to developing therapies that can transform patient care. She is passionate about building vibrant and adaptable teams that have a sense of purpose and aspire to make meaningful impacts on patient’s lives.
Rachel holds both a Bachelor’s and Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and Tufts University and earned her DHSc from Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Sathish Hasige, Ph.D.
SVP, Head of Technical Operations & Supply Chain
Sathish Hasige, Ph.D.
SVP, Head of Technical Operations & Supply Chain
Sathish Hasige brings over twenty years of leadership experience across the biopharmaceutical industry within process development, manufacturing, and clinical supply chain operations. At Bicara, he leads the Technical Operations division, encompassing manufacturing, process development, and global supply chain operations. Before Bicara, Sathish held various leadership roles with increasing responsibilities in development and operations at Medimmune, Hospira/Pfizer, and AstraZeneca.
Sathish holds an MS and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Mysore, India, and Postdoctoral training from Vanderbilt University and the University of Colorado.
David Bohr, MBA, MS
VP, Clinical Operations
David Bohr, MBA, MS
VP, Clinical Operations
With a passion for innovative therapy and a patient-centric approach, David Bohr continues to be a driving force in shaping the future of clinical operations. He believes in building strong cross-functional teams and fostering a collaborative environment that empowers individuals to excel in their roles. By aligning scientific excellence with operational efficiency, David has consistently delivered results that have a meaningful impact on patients’ lives.
Before joining our team, David played a pivotal role in managing Phase 1 assets at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. His time at Novartis was marked by innovative approaches to clinical development and a relentless commitment to advancing medical breakthroughs. His expertise in early-phase oncology clinical trials allowed the successful progression of numerous crucial projects.
David holds an MBA and MPH from Boston University and a master’s degree in Genomics and Molecular Biology from New York University. This multidisciplinary education has equipped him to navigate the complex challenges of clinical operations.
Angela Windt, Pharm.D.
VP, Head of Regulatory Affairs
Angela Windt, Pharm.D.
VP, Head of Regulatory Affairs
Angela brings over 20 years in the life science industry to Bicara, leveraging her diverse experience in regulatory affairs and drug development. Her global regulatory experience and leadership of health authority interactions across multiple therapeutic areas, notably in oncology, range from early development phase through marketing authorization and life-cycle management.
Before joining Bicara, Angela was a global regulatory indication lead at Novartis for tislelizumab. Angela held the role of Vice President of Regulatory Strategy at Advyzom, before joining Novartis, where she led the development and execution of regulatory strategy in large and small pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
A registered pharmacist, Angela earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from Rutgers University, was a post-doctoral pharmaceutical industry fellow at Hoffmann-La Roche in partnership with Rutgers Institute, and completed the Rutgers mini-MBA in BioPharma Innovation.
Gary Bostanxhi, MBA
VP, Finance
Gary Bostanxhi, MBA
VP, Finance
- Four years in biotech industry holding various roles in technical accounting and SEC reporting
- Public accounting at Ernst and Young LLP, Manager of Audit
- MBA from Bentley University
- CPA in Massachusetts
John Maraganore, Ph.D.
Executive Advisor
John Maraganore, Ph.D.
Executive Advisor
- Founding CEO and a Director of Alnylam from 2002 to 2021, where he built and led the company from early platform research on RNA interference through global approval and commercialization of the first four RNAi therapeutic medicines; led the company’s value creation strategy, building $25B in market capitalization and forming over 20 major pharmaceutical alliances
- Serves as Venture Partner at ARCH Venture Partners, a Venture Advisor at Atlas Ventures, an Executive Partner at RTW Investments, Senior Advisor for Blackstone Life Sciences, and Board Member for numerous publicly traded and private companies
- Past leadership, managerial, and scientific roles with Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, Zymogenetics, and the Upjohn Company
- Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Chicago
Board of Directors
Nils Lonberg, Ph.D.
Chairman of the Board
Canaan Partners
Canaan Partners
Nils Lonberg, Ph.D.
Chairman of the Board
Canaan Partners
Canaan Partners
• Three decades of experience in the biotech and pharma industries, focused on platform innovation, drug discovery and drug development
• A leader in the use of genetically engineered mice for antibody drug discovery, resulting in multiple FDA-approved antibody products; conducted substantial research involving transgenic mice in order to discover new medicines that could be effective for humans
• Currently an Executive in Residence at Canaan Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm; previously served as Senior Vice President of Biologics Discovery and led oncology discovery at Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard University
Claire Mazumdar, Ph.D., MBA
Board Director
Bicara Therapeutics
Bicara Therapeutics
Claire Mazumdar, Ph.D., MBA
Board Director
Bicara Therapeutics
Bicara Therapeutics
The founding CEO of Bicara Therapeutics, Claire Mazumdar, led business development and corporate strategy at Rheos Medicines, where she supported a major partnership with Roche. As a Senior Associate at Third Rock Ventures, she focused on company formation and supported business development for TRV portfolio companies. She is also a Member of the Board of Directors for Noora Health, a global non-profit which works to improve patient outcomes and strengthen health systems by equipping family caregivers with the skills they need to care for their loved ones.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering from MIT, earned her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Stanford School of Medicine. Her research in tumor immunology and cancer epigenetics has been published in Nature, Cell Stem Cell and Cancer Cell.
Carolyn Ng, Ph.D.
Board Director
TPG Life Sciences Innovations
TPG Life Sciences Innovations
Carolyn Ng, Ph.D.
Board Director
TPG Life Sciences Innovations
TPG Life Sciences Innovations
Dr. Ng is a Partner and Managing Director at TPG Life Sciences Innovations based in San Francisco, where she leads investments into transformative companies of early to mid-stage in different therapeutic areas. She currently also serves on the board of directors of Mbrace Therapeutics. Prior to joining TPG, Dr. Ng was a Managing Director at Vertex Ventures HC, a global healthcare and life sciences venture fund, where she co-headed the investment team. In her venture career, Dr. Ng has served on the board of directors for several promising life sciences companies including, Bicycle Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BCYC), Boundless Bio, Obsidian Therapeutics, 28-7 Therapeutics, and a board observer to Visterra (acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical). She is also a mentor to the Women in Bio Boardroom Ready Program.
Dr. Ng holds a Ph.D. in Cancer Molecular Biology from the National University of Singapore, where she was the recipient of the prestigious NGS, Integrative Sciences and Technology, PhD scholarship.
Vijay Kuchroo, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Board Director
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Vijay Kuchroo, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Board Director
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
- Institute Member, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
- Inventor on 25 patents, founder of five biotech companies, and member of numerous scientific advisory boards, including those of Biocon, Pfizer, Novartis and GSK
- Founding Director of the Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Kuchroo Laboratory, a leader in research that created the basis for describing the TIM family of genes
- Ph.D. in Pathology from the University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia; bachelor’s degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Hisar, India
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Board Director
Biocon, Ltd.
Biocon, Ltd.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Board Director
Biocon, Ltd.
Biocon, Ltd.
- Pioneering biotech entrepreneur who founded and runs Biocon, India’s leading biotechnology enterprise
- Committed to innovation and affordability in delivering top-of-the-line therapeutics to patients around the world
- Named as one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for her work in the biotech space and her experience as a leader in business
- Master’s degree from the University of Melbourne; bachelor’s degree in Zoology and Animal Biology from Bangalore University
Heath Lukatch, Ph.D.
Board Director
Red Tree Venture Capital
Red Tree Venture Capital
Heath Lukatch, Ph.D.
Board Director
Red Tree Venture Capital
Red Tree Venture Capital
Dr. Lukatch co-founded Red Tree Venture Capital and serves as the firm’s managing partner. A highly regarded and accomplished life science industry investor, his 36 career investments have resulted in 22 value-creating exits including 11 companies entering the public market and 11 being acquired.
From 2015 -2020, Dr. Lukatch worked at TPG where he was partner, managing director and life sciences investment team leader in TPG’s Biotech, Growth and RISE platforms. In 2006, Dr. Lukatch co-founded Novo Ventures’ San Francisco office, where he was a partner through 2015. Prior to joining Novo Ventures, Dr. Lukatch was a managing director responsible for biotechnology venture investments at Piper Jaffray Ventures and SightLine Partners.
Dr. Lukatch currently serves as chairman of Acrigen Biosciences and Magnus Medical and is a board member at Bicara Therapeutics, Cargo Therapeutics, Excellergy Therapeutics, and Vaxcyte (PCVX), and is a board observer at Alladapt Immunotherapeutics and Ceribell. Previously Dr. Lukatch was chairman of Cianna Medical (acquired by Merit Medical), Engage Therapeutics (acquired by UCB), Inogen (INGN), Satsuma Pharmaceuticals (STSA), and Spinifex (acquired by Novartis), and served on multiple life sciences company boards, including Amira (acquired by BMS), AnaptysBio (ANAB), Ceribell, Elevation Pharma (acquired by Sunovion), Flexion (FLXN, then acquired by Pacira), FoldRx (acquired by Pfizer), InSound Medical (acquired by Sonova), Synosia Therapeutics (acquired by BioTie) and ViaCyte (acquired by Vertex). Dr. Lukatch was also a board observer at Alios BioPharma (acquired by J&J), Dynavax (DVAX), Fluidigm (FLDM) and SI-Bone (SIBN).
Prior to becoming an investor, Dr. Lukatch worked as a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company and was co‐founder and CEO of AutoMate Scientific, a biotechnology instrumentation company. In addition, he was a bench scientist at Chiron, Roche Bioscience and Cetus, doing molecular biology, electrophysiology and protein chemistry, respectively. Dr. Lukatch received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Stanford University where he was a DOD USAF Fellow, and his B.A. with high honors in Biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley.
Jake Simson, Ph.D.
Board Director
RA Capital
RA Capital
Jake Simson, Ph.D.
Board Director
RA Capital
RA Capital
A Partner at RA Capital Management, Jake Simson works on both public and private investments and also serves as a Board Director for Xenikos, B.V, Tyra Biosciences, AavantiBio, and DiCE Molecules. Previously, Jake covered solid tumor oncology landscapes. He holds a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. In his doctoral research, he investigated clinically translatable treatments for musculoskeletal tissue repair using injectable hydrogels.
Ketan Patel, M.D., MBA
Board Director
F-Prime Capital
F-Prime Capital
Ketan Patel, M.D., MBA
Board Director
F-Prime Capital
F-Prime Capital
A Partner with F-Prime Capital, Ketan Patel has worked in the healthcare sector as an investor, consultant, and physician. Prior to joining F-Prime Capital in 2007, Dr. Patel advised biopharmaceutical and medical device companies on brand strategy, clinical development plans, and business development activities in the corporate consulting division of Leerink Swann & Company. Dr. Patel served as a physician at the VA Boston Healthcare System and at Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital and Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where he completed his internal medicine training.
Dr. Patel focuses on investing in therapeutics and medical device companies and has served on the Board of Directors of ABK Biomedical, Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS), Avalyn Pharma, Caplin Steriles, Comanche Biopharma, Enzene Biosciences, Eywa Pharma, Ivenix (acquired by Fresenius Kabi), Laurus Labs (NSE:LAURUSLABS), Medwell Ventures, Menlo Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MNLO), NextWave Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer), NFlection Therapeutics, Pediatrix Therapeutics, Rallybio (NASDAQ:RLYB), and Vicept Therapeutics (acquired by Allergan).
Dr. Patel is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine, where he received both his MD and MBA as part of that institution’s Healthcare Management Program and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his undergraduate studies in biology and economics with highest honors at Rutgers University.
Kate Haviland, MBA
Board Director
Blueprint Medicines
Blueprint Medicines
Kate Haviland, MBA
Board Director
Blueprint Medicines
Blueprint Medicines
Kate brings an impressive breadth of experience and leadership within the biopharmaceutical industry, as well as a substantial background in business development, portfolio strategy, investor relations and commercial execution. Since April 2022, Kate has served as Chief Executive Officer of Blueprint Medicines. Previously, she served as Chief Operating Officer from January 2019 to April 2022, and as Chief Business Officer from January 2016 to January 2019. Over this time, she was the founding chair of the portfolio management team, formed and executed business development strategy, drove global capital investment plans, and played a key role in capital market financings. In addition, she worked to drive the transformative growth of the company and support its evolution into a fully integrated business by developing and providing ongoing management of critical functions, including portfolio strategy, corporate development, commercial strategy, international, technical operations, corporate affairs, and information systems. Prior to joining Blueprint Medicines, Kate held leadership roles focused on building emerging, high-growth companies and advancing the development of innovative therapies in oncology and rare diseases as Vice President, Rare Diseases and Oncology Program Leadership at Idera Pharmaceuticals, Head of Commercial Development at Sarepta Therapeutics, Executive Director of Commercial Development at PTC Therapeutics, and roles in both corporate development and project management at Genzyme.
She holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University with a double major in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Economics and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Kate also serves as chair of the board of directors at Fulcrum Therapeutics and is a member of the audit and nomination and corporate governance committees.
Scott Robertson, MBA
Board Director
Star Therapeutics
Star Therapeutics
Scott Robertson, MBA
Board Director
Star Therapeutics
Star Therapeutics
Scott Robertson is the Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Star Therapeutics. Prior to joining Star, Scott served as Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer of DICE Therapeutics, where he contributed to corporate strategy, raised more than $700 million in private and public financings, and led the business development interactions that resulted in the acquisition of the company by Eli Lilly for $2.4 billion. Previously, at DuPont, he served as Business Development Director for DuPont Pioneer, with responsibility for mergers and acquisitions and strategic partnerships, and Portfolio Manager for DuPont Ventures. Prior to joining DuPont, Scott was an investment professional at MPM Capital, a life sciences-dedicated venture capital fund, and earlier in his career, he was a member of the healthcare investment banking teams at Merrill Lynch & Co. and Thomas Weisel Partners.
Scott holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Board Observers
Anthony Melendez
Braidwell
Jason Fuller
Deerfield
Mike Powell
Omega Funds
Max DeNies
RA Capital
Jon Edwards
Bioqube Ventures
Anders Hove
Acorn Bioventures
