Mandala Team:
David Larocca, PhD
Founder, Principal Scientist and CEO
Dr. Larocca brings a wealth of biotechnology, science and management experience to Mandala Biosciences. He is author of over 40 scientific publications and inventor of 18 patents and patent applications in the areas immunotherapy, gene therapy, gene discovery and pluripotent stem cell biology. Dr. Larocca holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Southern California and did his post-doctoral studies at Harvard University. He has focused his career on understanding and mapping cell surface receptors. He has developed novel methods of cell-targeting and gene discovery and is an inventor of phage mediated gene delivery. In the early 2000's he became interested in pluripotent stem cells because of their potential to revolutionize medicine. He joined Advanced Cell Technology in 2005, where he worked on the ACTcellerate Initiative aimed at discovering new and novel embryonic cell lines for use in stem cell research and development. The cell lines are now commercially available to the research community from Embryome Sciences and Millipore, Inc. He has developed novel phage display technology aimed at identification of surface markers on stem cell progenitors. His current interest is in mapping the surface proteins that are expressed during early embryogenesis and in developing methods of purifying specific types of human embryonic progenitor cells to enable their use in cell replacement therapies. He founded Mandala Biosciences LLC with the idea that forging strong academic and industry collaborations is an ideal way to bring innovative research tools to the marketplace.
Rachel Krupa, BS
Senior Research Associate, Stem Cell Biology
Rachel is contributing to multiple projects at Mandala with the common aim of identifying surface antigens that are unique to specific progenitor cell populations. Ms. Krupa received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology from the University of California Santa Barbara. She has held Research Technician and Research Associate positions at The Scripps Research Institute, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. She has contributed to research investigating the role of miRNA in C. elegans development (UCSD) and participated in projects to produce the anti-malaria drug Artemisinin (UCB) and biofuels (LBNL) in metabolically engineered microbes. Ms. Krupa is now a Senior Research Associate at Mandala Biosciences where she is using molecular and cellular biology to develop tools for the stem cell research community. Ms. Krupa also serves as the Mandala Lab Manager and Safety Officer.
Paola Bignone, PhD
Associate Scientist, Stem Cell Biology
Paola is involved in stem cell research aimed at the development of reagents to identify, isolate, and trace specific types of progenitor cells. Paola completed her 5-year degree in Chemical Sciences at Universidad del Salvador, Argentina. She received an MRes in Biotechnology and PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom. Dr. Bignone continued her career with postdoctoral positions at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom (2003-2006 in the Ovarian Cancer Group, led by Dr Trivadi S. Ganesan and 2006-2009 LRF/CRUK Haemato-oncology Group, led by Dr Alison H. Banham). In 2009, after 12 years of cold and damp English weather, Paola moved to sun filled San Diego, CA where she joined Mandala Biosciences.
Alan Chin, BS
Research Technician
Mr. Chin is a Mandala Biosciences funded research technician in the Snyder Laboratory working on development of antibodies against novel stem cell antigens. He received a B.S. in Human Biology with summa cum laude from the University of California, San Diego. His previous experiences have led him to laboratory positions at UC San Francisco, VA San Diego, VA Palo Alto, and the National Institutes of Health. He has participated in research of the effects of acute cadmium exposure on pancreatic stem cells and their rapid progression to cancer stem cells (NIH), been involved in a study regarding the roles of testosterone on PDE5 expression (UCSF), and evaluated the systemic risk factors following the progression of Peyronie’s Disease (UCSF). Alan is now a Research Associate at Mandala and is participating in the discovery of novel surface antigens unique to differentiating pluripotent stem cells. Postdoctoral Fellow, Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute Dr. Parsons is working on the CIRM funded collaboration in the Snyder Laboratory. The focus of Stephanie’s work is to better understand the differentiation potential of human embryonic progenitor cell lines that have been derived from pluripotent cells and to identify cell surface markers that will aid in the purification of these cells. Stephanie earned her Ph.D. in 2003 from the University of Cincinnati, Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology. She completed her graduate training, as well as two years postdoctoral training, under the mentorship of Dr. Jeffrey Molkentin. Stephanie did additional postdoctoral training with Dr. Lee Sweeney at the University of Pennsylvania before taking a position as a Translational Scientist at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (2006-2008). Postdoctoral Fellow, Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute Dr. Das is working on the CIRM funded collaboration in the Snyder Laboratory. She is working on cell-based assays for identifying cell lineage fates of various embryonic progenitor cell lines and methods of obtaining pure populations of lineage restricted progenitor cells. Previously, she was a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Cancer Institute in the Carcinogen-DNA Interactions Section of the Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics. She subsequently completed a Ph.D. in cancer biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research. Research Technician, Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute Mr. Davidovics is a Mandala Biosciences funded research technician in the Mercola Laboratory working on identifying surface markers on early cardiomyocyte progenitors using novel phage display techniques. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology from the University of California, San Diego. He is experienced is growing, maintaining, and differentiating mouse and human embryonic stem cells, specializing in methods to promote cardiogenesis. He has held multiple internships at the Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute, participating in time-lapse image analysis of cell fusion, enhancing an assay that quantifies ECM degradation by metalloproteases secreted by phenotypically aggressive types of cancer cells, as well as screening small molecules that induce cardiogenesis in mouse and human embryonic stem cells. Professor and Director of the Stem Cell and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute Dr. Snyder is collaborating with Mandala Biosciences as Co-Investigator on a phase 1 SBIR grant directed at developing antibody reagents that mark early differentiated cell types derived from induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs) and on a CIRM early translational grant focused on overcoming the bottleneck of how to obtain stem cell purity and identity suitable for regenerative therapies. At Sanford Burnham he is engaged in a multidisciplinary approach, simultaneously exploring the basic biology of stem cells, their role throughout the lifetime of an individual, as well as their therapeutic potential. He is founder and Director of the Southern California Stem Cell Consortium. He also is Director of the NIH sponsored Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center. Evan Y. Snyder earned his M.D. and Ph.D. (in neuroscience) from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980 as a member of NIH's Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). He has completed residencies in pediatrics and neurology as well as a clinical fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Children's Hospital-Boston, Harvard Medical School where he also served as Chief Resident in Medicine (1984-85) and Neurology (1987) and attending physician in the Department of Pediatrics (Division of Newborn Medicine). He was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School where he later became an instructor in 1992 and assistant professor in 1996. In 2003, Dr. Snyder was recruited to the Burnham Institute for Medical Research as Professor and Director of the Program in Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology. He was founding director of the Stem Cell Research Center and initiated the Southern California Stem Cell Consortium. Dr. Snyder is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP). He also received training in Philosophy and Linguistics at Oxford University. Professor, Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute Dr. Mercola is collaborating with Mandala Biosciences as Co-Investigator on a phase 1 SBIR project aimed at identification of surface markers on cardiac progenitor cells using novel phage display strategies. His research at Sanford Burnham is directed at discovering molecules that promote differentiation of cardiomyocyte progenitors that will ultimately be useful for regeneration of muscle cells that are lost in heart disease. Mark Mercola earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1985. Dr. Mercola trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Department of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. He was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School in 1991 and Associate Professor in 1996. Dr. Mercola joined the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in 2002 where he is Professor in the Neurodegeneration and Aging Center. He is also an adjunct Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Adjunct Professor, Department of Surgery, UCSD Medical Center Dr. Snyder is collaborating with Mandala Biosciences as Co-Investigator on a phase 1 SBIR grant directed at developing antibody reagents that mark early differentiated cell types derived from induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs) and on a CIRM early translational grant focused on overcoming the bottleneck of how to obtain stem cell purity and identity suitable for regenerative therapies. At Sanford Burnham he is engaged in a multidisciplinary approach, simultaneously exploring the basic biology of stem cells, their role throughout the lifetime of an individual, as well as their therapeutic potential. He is founder and Director of the Southern California Stem Cell Consortium. He also is Director of the NIH sponsored Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center. Evan Y. Snyder earned his M.D. and Ph.D. (in neuroscience) from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980 as a member of NIH's Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). He has completed residencies in pediatrics and neurology as well as a clinical fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Children's Hospital-Boston, Harvard Medical School where he also served as Chief Resident in Medicine (1984-85) and Neurology (1987) and attending physician in the Department of Pediatrics (Division of Newborn Medicine). He was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School where he later became an instructor in 1992 and assistant professor in 1996. In 2003, Dr. Snyder was recruited to the Burnham Institute for Medical Research as Professor and Director of the Program in Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology. He was founding director of the Stem Cell Research Center and initiated the Southern California Stem Cell Consortium. Dr. Snyder is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP). He also received training in Philosophy and Linguistics at Oxford University. CEO, BioTime and Embryome Sciences Dr. West is collaborating with Mandala Biosciences on the CIRM funded early translational research project aimed at addressing the translational bottleneck of stem cell purity and identity. Dr. West developed the ACTCellerate initiative, a technology for the multiplex derivation and characterization of clonal human embryonic progenitor cell lines. Mandala is currently working to identify distinguishing surface markers on many of these embryonic progenitor cell lines to enable purification of specific progenitors derived from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. Dr. West received his Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine in 1989 concentrating on the biology of cellular aging. He has focused his academic and business career on the application of developmental biology to developing treatments for age-related degenerative diseases He was the Founder of Geron Corporation of Menlo Park, California and from 1990 to 1998 he was a Director, and Vice President, where he initiated and managed programs in telomerase diagnostics, oligonucleotide-based telomerase inhibition as anti-tumor therapy, and the cloning and use of telomerase in telomerase-mediated therapy wherein telomerase is utilized to immortalize human cells. From 1995 to 1998 he organized and managed the research collaboration between Geron and its academic collaborators James Thomson and John Gearhart that led to the first isolation of human embryonic stem and human embryonic germ cells. From 1998 to 2007 he was President and Chief Scientific Officer at Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. where he managed programs in animal cloning, human somatic cell nuclear transfer, retinal differentiation, and ActCellerate. In 2007, he became CEO of BioTime and its subsidiary, Embryome Sciences.Stephanie Parsons, PhD
Shreyasi Das, PhD
Herman Davidovics, BS
Collaborators:
Evan Y. Snyder, MD, PhD
Mark Mercola, PhD
Andrew Baird, PhD
Michael West, PhD
