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.
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 John Hopkins Hospital.
Rachel Salazar, D.H.Sc.
SVP, R&D Strategy & Operations
Rachel Salazar, D.H.Sc.
SVP, R&D Strategy & Operations
- Passionate and adaptive organizational leader with drug development experience across multiple modalities from pre-IND through life cycle management
- Skilled in strategy development, portfolio management and prioritization
- In-depth oncology & immuno-oncology experience acquired from various leadership roles at EMD Serono, Inc., Takeda Oncology and Pfizer
- D.H.Sc from Eastern Virginia Medical School; master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Tufts University
Sathish Hasige, Ph.D.
VP, Technical Operations & Supply Chain
Sathish Hasige, Ph.D.
VP, 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
- Experienced clinical operations head with a demonstrated history of accelerating and directing early phase oncology clinical development
- Skilled in trial design and management, CRO oversight, GXP compliance and regulatory filing
- Previously Clinical Trial Leader at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
- MBA from Boston University Questrom School of Business; master’s degree in Genomics and Molecular Biology from New York University; master’s degree in Public Health from Boston University
Lauretta Odogwu, M.D.
VP, Senior Medical Director
Lauretta Odogwu, M.D.
VP, Senior Medical Director
A board certified medical oncologist and hematologist, Dr. Odogwu brings over twenty years of clinical, research and drug product development experience to Bicara. A passionate patient advocate, thought leader and expert in oncology therapies with a particular emphasis on thoracic, head and neck and GI malignancies, Dr. Odogwu has worked in all aspects of early and late phase clinical drug development in academia, regulatory, and contract research organizations.
With a keen interest in development of new therapies to improve outcomes and the lives of patients living with cancer, she has successfully designed and executed US and global clinical studies to support product registration, new indication, and expanded access across multiple tumor types. Her research has been published in Thoracic Oncology, The Oncologist, Cancer Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Dr. Odogwu obtained her medical degree from The Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, S. Ireland. She completed an Oncology/Hematology Fellowship and the Developmental Therapeutics Program at Georgetown University Medical Center.
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
Controller
Gary Bostanxhi, MBA
Controller
- 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
Krishna Polu, M.D.
Board Director
Red Tree Venture Capital
Red Tree Venture Capital
Krishna Polu, M.D.
Board Director
Red Tree Venture Capital
Red Tree Venture Capital
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.
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
Anthony Melendez
Braidwell
Jason Fuller
Deerfield
Mike Powell
Omega Funds
Max DeNies
RA Capitol
Jon Edwards
Bioqube Ventures
Anders Hove
Acorn Bioventures
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
