Our Team: Driven & Diverse

Vijay Kuchroo, D.V.M., Ph.D.

• 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

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.

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.

Nils Lonberg, Ph.D.

• 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

• 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

Krishna Polu, M.D.

A Principal at Red Tree Venture Capital, Dr. Polu brings a wealth of operating experience to the investment team with a track record of pipeline advancement and drug approvals across multiple therapeutics areas.

Prior to Red Tree, Dr. Polu served as a clinical development executive at numerous public companies including Equillium (EQ), Raptor Pharmaceuticals (RPTP), CytomX Therapeutics (CTMX), Affymax (AFFY) and Amgen (AMGN). In addition to his operating roles, he has worked in varying capacities for leading venture capital firms, helping to found and finance companies. Previously, Dr. Polu was an entrepreneur-in-residence at Frazier Healthcare, where he founded the renal immunology search company, Expedition Therapeutics and served as interim CEO of Scout Bio, an animal health gene therapy company.  More recently he served as a board member at Frazier Lifesciences Acquisition Corporation (FLACU), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) organized by Frazier Healthcare, which led a successful business combination with New Amsterdam Pharma (NAMS). He has also served as an advisor to Catalys Pacific, a venture capital firm focused on new company creation, helping to found two clinical stage companies, Mineralys Therapeutics (MLYS) and Pathalys Pharma.

In addition to his role as a board director for Bicara Therapeutics, Dr. Polu also serves as a board observer for Magnus Medical. He received his B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and an M.D. from the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Colorado followed by a fellowship in nephrology at Harvard Medical School at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Jake Simson, Ph.D.

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

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.

F. Stephen Hodi, M.D.

Chaitanya Divgi, MBBS

• 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.

• 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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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

• 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