About us

Our mission to expand the reach of cell therapy to patients with autoimmune diseases is deeply rooted in our core values, which drive our dedication to excellence and inspire every aspect of our work.

Leadership

Carsten Brunn, PhD

President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman, Board of Directors

Carsten Brunn, PhD

President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman, Board of Directors

Carsten Brunn, Ph.D. serves as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cartesian Therapeutics. Prior to Cartesian’s merger with Selecta in November 2023, Carsten served in this role at Selecta. Before joining Selecta, he was the President of Pharmaceuticals for the Americas Region at Bayer and a member of the Global Pharmaceutical Executive Committee. Before being appointed to that role in 2017, he was the President of Bayer Pharmaceuticals in Japan, a role he had held since 2013. Carsten also served as the Chairman of the European federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) Japan, an organization representing innovative pharmaceutical companies in Japan.

Over the last 25 years, Carsten has held a number of senior leadership positions in Europe, Asia and the United States at leading companies such as Eli Lily, Novartis, Basilea, and Bausch & Lomb. Carsten graduated from the University of Freiburg in Germany with a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences. In addition, he studied at the University of Washington under a research scholarship. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Hamberg, Germany, and completed his executive education at London Business School. Carsten serves as a director on the board of Surface Oncology.

Blaine Davis

Chief Financial Officer

Blaine Davis

Chief Financial Officer

Blaine Davis serves as Chief Financial Officer of Cartesian Therapeutics. He brings more than 25 years of executive leadership experience in investor relations, corporate affairs, and sales and marketing at life sciences companies. Prior to Cartesian’s merger with Selecta in November 2023, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Selecta. Before joining Selecta, Blaine was the Chief Financial Officer of Protara Therapeutic. Prior to joining Protara, Blaine served as Vice President, Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Insmed starting in July 2017. Previously, he held multiple executive leadership positions at Endo International, including Senior Vice President and General Manager, Specialty Pharmaceuticals; President of Endo Ventures; and Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications. Prior to Endo, Blaine held senior positions in corporate and business development and investor relations at Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Blaine holds a BA in Biology and Psychology with a minor in Economics from Middlebury College.

Miloš Miljković, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Miloš Miljković, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Miljković is the company’s Chief Medical Officer. He is board-certified in hematology, medical oncology, and internal medicine. Prior to joining Cartesian, he was at the National Cancer Institute for over seven years, where as Staff Clinician he specialized in early-stage trials in immuno-oncology. Dr. Miljković has served as Principal Investigator on 6 clinical trials of immunotherapy and targeted agents and as Associate Investigator on more than 20 others. He completed residency at the Johns Hopkins University and Sinai Hospital of Baltimore program in internal medicine, followed by clinical and research fellowships in the joint NCI/NHLBI program at the NIH, where he also served as Chief Fellow.

Emily English, PhD

Chief Operations Officer

Emily English, PhD

Chief Operations Officer

Emily P. English, PhD, Chief Operations Officer, joined Cartesian Therapeutics in 2021. She oversees Cartesian’s Quality Assurance and Quality Control teams and guides the development and implementation of Cartesian’s Quality Management System. Prior to Cartesian, she was a Venture Partner with a Baltimore family office life science investment firm. She was previously the CEO of Johns Hopkins University spinout, Gemstone Biotherapeutics, and she spent eight years at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where she was the Global Communications Program Manager and led a team of 35 scientists and engineers. Dr. English is a proven innovator with a passion for transitioning early-stage technologies to operational capabilities and commercial products. She holds a Bachelor’s degree, Magna cum laude, in chemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Outside of work, Dr. English enjoys spending time with her family, and she is an avid curler.

Matthew Bartholomae

General Counsel, Secretary

Matthew Bartholomae

General Counsel, Secretary

Matthew Bartholomae serves as General Counsel of Cartesian Therapeutics. Prior to Cartesian’s merger with Selecta in November 2023, he served in this role at Selecta. Prior to joining Selecta, Matthew served as Counsel at Minerva Neurosciences, Inc., a clinical-stage developmental pharmaceutical company, where he focused his practice on corporate governance, SEC compliance, and management of the company’s intellectual property portfolio. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree in Political Science from Boston College, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.

Board of Directors

Carsten Brunn, PhD, Chairman

Timothy Barabe

Timothy C. Barabe joined our board of directors in July 2016. Mr. Barabe also serves on the boards of ArQule, Inc., Veeva Systems Inc., and Vigilant Biosciences, Inc., a private company. Mr. Barabe retired in June 2013 from his position as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Affymetrix, Inc. Prior to this, Mr. Barabe has served in senior executive positions in finance and management for companies including Human Genome Sciences, Inc, Regent Medical Limited, a U.K.-based, privately owned, surgical supply company, and Sandoz GmbH, the generic pharmaceutical subsidiary of Novartis. Mr. Barabe received his MBA degree from the University of Chicago.

Nishan de Silva, MD, MBA

Nishan de Silva, M.D., M.B.A. has served as a member of our Board of Directors since June 2021. Dr. de Silva most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Radionetics Oncology, a private company, from March 2022 to July 2023. Prior to joining Radionetics Oncology, Dr. de Silva had served as Chief Executive Officer of AFYX Therapeutics, a private biotechnology company from April 2018 to February 2022, and served as a director at AFYX Therapeutics since May 2020 to February 2022. Previously, Dr. de Silva served as President, Chief Operating Officer, and director of Poseida Therapeutics, a cell- and gene therapy-focused biopharmaceutical company, from June 2015 to March 2018. Dr. de Silva also previously served as Vice President Finance and Strategy, and Chief Financial Officer at Ligand Pharmaceuticals. Dr. de Silva also previously served on the board of directors at CONNECT, a private organization, until November 2019. Dr. de Silva graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Harvard University, and received his M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, as well as an M.B.A. degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. de Silva’s experience in the biotechnology industry, and his knowledge of gene therapies and clinical development contributed to our Board of Directors’ conclusion that he should serve as a director of our Company.

Murat Kalayoglu, MD, PhD

Dr. Kalayoglu is Co-Founder of Cartesian and served as the company’s President and CEO prior to its merger with Selecta in November 2023. Prior to Cartesian, Dr. Kalayoglu was co-founder and CEO of Topokine, which he led from concept to late-stage clinical trials, followed by a successful sale to Allergan (NYSE:AGN). Dr. Kalayoglu was also co-founder and COO of HealthHonors Corporation, which he led from concept to commercialization, followed by a successful sale to Healthways (NASDAQ:HWAY). Dr. Kalayoglu is a board-certified ophthalmologist who completed his residency and research Fellowship at Harvard, MD/PhD in immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Kemal Malik, MBBS

Dr. Kemal Malik has over 30 years of global development, regulatory, and commercial expertise at leading pharmaceutical organizations. He spent nearly 25 years in key leadership positions at Bayer, where he served for ten years as Head of Global Development and Chief Medical Officer, leading the company’s clinical development and regulatory functions, notably overseeing twenty consecutive positive Phase 3 trials and the approval of several blockbuster drugs across multiple therapeutic areas. Following his role as Head of Development, Dr. Malik was appointed to the Executive Board of Management at Bayer. In this role, he established Bayer LEAPS, a business unit responsible for strategic innovative medicine, including cell therapies and mRNA technology. Prior, he served as Head of Global Medical organization. Dr. Malik began his career at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he held various roles focused on medical affairs, clinical development, and new product commercialization. Dr. Malik studied at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London receiving a BSc in Pharmacology and an MBBS. He is a member of the Royal College of Physicians.

Michael Singer, MD, PhD

Dr. Singer is Co-Founder of Cartesian and previously served as the company’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Strategy Officer prior to its merger with Selecta in November 2023. He led clinical development for several monoclonal antibodies at Novartis. His research spans over 25 years in the basic and clinical sciences, with award of competitive grants and publications in journals such as Nature and PNAS. Prior to Cartesian, Dr. Singer was co-founder and CSO of Topokine and HealthHonors Corporation. Dr. Singer is a board-certified ophthalmologist and admitted to practice patent law. He has served as a Surgeon in the Veterans Health Administration and teaches at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Singer completed residency at Harvard and holds a BS, MD, and PhD from Yale University.

Timothy Springer, PhD

Timothy A. Springer, Ph.D., has served as a member of our board of directors since June 2016 and as a scientific advisor to us since December 2008. Dr. Springer has most recently served as the Latham Family Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Springer was the founder of LeukoSite, a biotechnology company acquired by Millennium Pharmaceuticals in 1999. Dr. Springer is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and his honors include the Crafoord Prize, the American Association of Immunologists Meritorious Career Award, the Stratton Medal from the American Society of Hematology, and the Basic Research Prize from the American Heart Association. Dr. Springer received his PhD from Harvard University.

Patrick Zenner, Lead Independent Director

Patrick Zenner served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., North America—the prescription drug unit of the Roche Group. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Zenner spent 32 years at Roche. Mr. Zenner currently serves as Chairman of the Board and a director of both ArQule, Inc., and West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. Mr. Zenner received his MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Scientific Advisors

Jennifer H. Elisseeff, PhD

Dr. Elisseeff is the Morton Goldberg Professor and Director of the Translational Tissue Engineering Center at Johns Hopkins University Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Wilmer Eye Institute, with appointments in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Orthopedic Surgery, and Materials Science. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Elisseeff’s research focuses on the impacts of immune and stromal environments on complex tissue during disease and tissue repair. In these areas she has founded several successful startups and published hundreds of peer reviewed studies.

Andrés J. García, PhD

Dr. García is the Executive Director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and Regents’ Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a co-founder of three successful start-up companies and an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors. His research program integrates innovative engineering and cell biology concepts to create cell-instructive technologies for regenerative medicine and cell engineering. Dr. García has published hundreds of papers in these areas and received many distinctions, including Georgia Tech’s Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award and the Founders Award from the Society for Biomaterials.

David J. Mooney, PhD

Dr. Mooney is the Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering in the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a Core Faculty Member of the Wyss Institute. His laboratory designs advanced technologies for immunotherapy and regenerative medicine. Dr. Mooney’s efforts have led to hundreds of papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors. His inventions have been licensed by over 20 companies, leading to several commercialized products. Dr. Mooney has founded a number of successful companies and is active on many industry scientific advisory boards.

Sun Hur, PhD

Dr. Hur is a Professor in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and the Oscar M. Schloss Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hur is also a Senior Investigator in the Program in Cellular & Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator. The Hur lab investigates immune mechanisms for self vs non-self discrimination and transcriptional regulation of T cell development. Her research on a family of viral RNA receptors, RIG-I-like receptors, has led to the discovery of key mechanistic principles of foreign nucleic acid sensing. Dr. Hur has received numerous distinctions in her career, including selection as a Pew Scholar, receipt of the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science, and receipt of the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award. She was recently elected to American Academy of Microbiology and American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Marco Colonna, MD

Dr. Colonna is the Robert Rock Belliveau Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine and a member of the National Academy of Science. His areas of research include innate lymphoid cells in mucosal immunity, plasmacytoid dendritic cells in host defense and autoimmunity, and TREM2 and innate immunoreceptors in Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Dr. Colonna has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers in top journals. He also holds editorial appointments with leading journals including Immunity and Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Clinical Advisors

Carolina Barnett-Tapia, MD

Dr. Barnett-Tapia is Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. Dr. Barnett-Tapia is a member of the medical advisory board for the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America and Myasthenia Gravis Society of Canada. Her research is focused on patient-centered outcomes research in neuromuscular disorders, aiming to incorporate the patients’ views and preferences into clinical trials and practice. She has received funding form US Department of Defense, MGNext and Muscular Dystrophy Canada. Dr. Barnett-Tapia’s work has been recognized by multiple awards, including the inaugural Surinderjit Singh Young Lectureship Award by the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM).

Michael Benatar, MD, PhD

Dr. Benatar is a Professor of Neurology and of Public Health Sciences, Chief of Neuromuscular Division, and Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research in the Department of Neurology. He is the Walter Bradley Chair in ALS Research and the Executive Director of the ALS Center at the University of Miami. He obtained his medical degree at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and is also trained in both basic neuroscience (DPhil, Oxford) and clinical research methods (Masters in the Science of Clinical Research Emory). He leads an active clinical and translational research program focused on biomarker and therapy development for ALS and MG. He is the PI of the ongoing Pre-Symptomatic Familial ALS (Pre-fALS) study as well as the CReATe Consortium, a rare diseases clinical research consortium focused on ALS and related neurodegenerative diseases.

James F. Howard Jr., MD

Dr. Howard is the former James F. Howard Distinguished Professor of Neuromuscular Disease and the prior Chief of the Neuromuscular Disorders Section at UNC. Currently, he is Professor of Neurology, Medicine, and Allied Health at UNC, Chapel Hill School of Medicine and directs the Myasthenia Gravis (MG) Clinical Trials and Translational Research Unit at UNC. A practicing neurologist for over 43 years and expert on MG and electromyography, Dr. Howard has authored more than 340 abstracts, 185 articles, 35 book chapters, and 3 books. He was the 2019 recipient of the European Academy of Neurology Investigator Award and is frequently invited to lecture on MG. Dr. Howard is a member of the NIH-funded rare disease clinical research network, MGNet.

Peter Libby, MD

Dr. Libby is a cardiovascular specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and holds the Mallinckrodt Professorship of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He served as Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at BWH from 1998 – 2014. His areas of clinical expertise include general and preventive cardiology. His current major research focus is the role of inflammation in vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. Dr. Libby has a particular devotion to translate his basic laboratory studies to pilot and then large-scale clinical cardiovascular outcome trials. He instigated and helped to lead the large scale Canakinumab Anti-Inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Trial (CANTOS) that provided clinical validation of the role of inflammation in atherosclerosis. Dr. Libby has received numerous awards and recognitions for his research accomplishments, including the Distinguished Scientist Award for Basic Research, American College of Cardiology, the Gold Medal of the European Society of Cardiology and the Basic Research Prize of the American Heart Association, the Anitschkow Prize in Atherosclerosis Research of the European Atherosclerosis Society, and the Special Award of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology.

Susan Manzi, MD

Dr. Manzi is Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Medicine Institute at Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Manzi received her MD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She completed her medical Internship and Residency at Duke University Medical Center, after which she completed her Fellowship in Rheumatology at UPMC, and received her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Dr. Manzi is recognized internationally as a pioneer in the investigation of premature cardiovascular disease in systemic lupus erythematosus and in the discovery of biomarkers for lupus diagnosis, monitoring and stratification. She has published over 250 scientific reports and book chapters and is inventor of the cell-bound complement activation products (CB- CAPs) technology platform for which she holds more than 20 patents. Her research program has received multimillion-dollar support from many organizations including the NIH, the Department of Defense, the Lupus Foundation of America and the Arthritis Foundation.

Tahseen Mozaffar, MD

Dr. Mozaffar is a Professor of Neurology and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California – Irvine, where he is also the Director of the Division of Neuromuscular Disorders and Associate Director for the Center for Translational Sciences Award (CTSA). Dr. Mozaffar is the Principal Investigator for UCI-NEXT, the NeuroNEXT award to the University of California, Irvine, one of 25 such NeuroNEXT sites funded by the NINDS/NIH. He is also the Lead Investigator for a multicenter NIH/NIAMS funded Natural History Study in sIBM (INSPIRE-IBM), which started April 2021. Dr. Mozaffar has been at UC Irvine since 2000 where he has built an internationally recognized clinical and research program in Neuromuscular Disorders. He is actively involved in clinical and translational research in Neuromuscular Disorders, including currently serving as Principal Site Investigator on over a dozen clinical trials in myasthenia gravis, rare and ultra-rare myopathies and in immune myopathies. He has co-authored over 190 peer-reviewed publications and has authored or co-authored over a dozen book chapters and invited reviews.

Tuan Vu, MD

Dr. Vu is a Professor of Neurology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and the Division Director for Neuromuscular Medicine and EMG. Dr. Vu’s current research focus is on treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; Lou Gehrig’s disease), myasthenia gravis, peripheral neuropathy, and myositis. He has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and has been the Principal or Co-Investigator on more than 90 NIH and industry-sponsored grants and clinical trials.