
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, oncology, at Amgen. At Amgen, his work centered on driving the anti-DLL3 program in neuroendocrine cancers. Prior to that, Dr. Raben served as vice president and franchise leader, 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 in clinical trials for patients with locally advanced cancers of the head and neck and lung. His extensive clinical expertise in the management of head and 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 is published in high impact journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Clinical Cancer Research, Nature Medicine, and Nature Biology Communications.
Throughout his career, Dr. Raben’s vision is one that has always sought to challenge dogma, enable risk taking and empower his colleagues and teams to transform the patient journey with transformative molecules.
Dr. Raben holds a Batchelor 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 John Hopkins Hospital.

Rachel Salazar, D.H.Sc.
SVP, R&D Strategy & Operations

Rachel Salazar, D.H.Sc.
SVP, R&D Strategy & Operations
A passionate and adaptive organizational leader, Rachel brings more than two decades of experience as a strategic drug development executive in both early and late-stage clinical development. Skilled in strategy development, portfolio management and prioritization, over the past 15 years, Rachel has driven various clinical-stage assets in the oncology and immuno-oncology space to advance therapeutically meaningful and differentiated assets to patients.
Prior to joining Bicara, Rachel has held various leadership roles with increasing responsibility in both R&D and Portfolio Management at Pfizer, Takeda Oncology and EMD Serono.
Rachel holds both a Bachelor 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
- Process development, manufacturing, and clinical supply chain operations leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry
- Previously, global head of drug product development for AstraZeneca Biologics and CMC and Operations team lead for multiple early and late-stage biologics at Medimmune, Hospira/Pfizer and AstraZeneca
- MS. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Mysore, India and Postdoctoral training from Vanderbilt University and 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.

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

Vijay Kuchroo, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Chairman of the Board
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School

Vijay Kuchroo, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Chairman of the Board
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

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.

Nils Lonberg, Ph.D.
Board Director
Canaan Partners
Canaan Partners

Nils Lonberg, Ph.D.
Board Director
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

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.
Board Observers
Jon Edwards
Red Tree Venture Capital
Anthony Arceci
RA Capital
Nico Vandervelpen
Bioqube Ventures
Anders Hove
Acorn Bioventures
Mike Powell
Omega Funds
Scientific Advisory Board

F. Stephen Hodi, M.D.
Chairman of the Clinical Advisory Board
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School

F. Stephen Hodi, M.D.
Chairman of the Clinical Advisory Board
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
- Director of the Melanoma Center and the Center for Immuno-oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
- Recognized leader in the development of immune therapy and melanoma therapeutics; known for leadership in research and clinical development of checkpoint inhibitors
- Clinical interests in gene therapy for cancer, melanoma research and tumor immunology; lead researcher on the study that resulted in the FDA approval of ipilimumab
- Chair of Bicara’s Clinical Advisory Board
- M.D. from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University; Internal Medicine residency at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Medical Oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Chaitanya Divgi, MBBS
CEO of Divgi Consulting

Chaitanya Divgi, MBBS
CEO of Divgi Consulting
- Nuclear medicine physician-scientist with more than 30 years of experience in top institutions leading programs in nuclear oncology imaging and therapy
- Has held positions at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University

Thomas F. Gajewski, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Chicago

Thomas F. Gajewski, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Chicago
- AbbVie Foundation Professor of Cancer Immunotherapy and Professor in both the Ben May Department for Cancer Research and the Department of Pathology at the University of Chicago
- Investigates and develops new treatments for patients with melanoma and in the development of immunotherapies against this disease
- Leads the development of immune-based therapies for cancers other than melanoma, using new laboratory data on how the immune system is regulated to develop novel clinical trials

Caetano Reis e Sousa, D.Phil
The Francis Crick Institute

Caetano Reis e Sousa, D.Phil
The Francis Crick Institute
- Senior group leader and assistant research director at the Crick and head of the Immunobiology Laboratory
- Professor of Immunology in the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London
- Holds honorary professorships at both University College London (UCL) and King’s College London

Arlene Sharpe, M.D., Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School

Arlene Sharpe, M.D., Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School
- George Fabyan Professor of Comparative Pathology and Chair of the Department of Immunology at Harvard Medical School
- Member of the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, and Co-Director of the Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Heads laboratory that discovered and elucidated the functions of T cell costimulatory pathways, including the immunoinhibitory functions of the CTLA-4 and PD-1 pathways, which have become exceptionally promising targets for cancer immunotherapy

Dario Vignali, Ph.D.
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Dario Vignali, Ph.D.
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- Frank Dixon Chair in Cancer Immunology, Vice Chair and Professor of Immunology at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- Director of Cancer Immunology Training Program, Co-Leader of the Cancer Immunology Program, Co-Director of the Tumor Microenvironment Center at University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI)
- Leads Vignali Laboratory at University of Pittsburgh

Jedd D. Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D., FASCO
Weill Cornell Medicine

Jedd D. Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D., FASCO
Weill Cornell Medicine
- Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.
- Lloyd J. Old/Virginia and Daniel K. Ludwig Chair in Clinical Investigation; Chief, Immuno-Oncology Service, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Director, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Associate Director, Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy; Member, Ludwig Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Professor of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University