< Back to Press Release List

Notch Therapeutics Enhances Cell Therapy Expertise with Updates to Scientific Advisory Board

— Newly appointed members include experts in the fields of
CD34 and HSC, CAR design and synthetic biology, and bioprocess development —

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, September 14, 2022— Notch Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing renewable, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cell therapies for cancer, is pleased to welcome new members to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Joining existing SAB members—Peter Zandstra, PhD; Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker, PhD; and Yvonne Chen, PhD—are Kris Saha, PhD; Hanna Mikkola, MD, PhD; and Robert Zweigerdt, PhD; who will review and provide input, opinion, and expertise into Notch’s research endeavors. Notch thanks outgoing SAB members Chris Sturgeon, PhD; Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD; and Jeff Hubbell, PhD for their contributions.

“Notch’s leadership team, at every level, comprises some of the best minds in preclinical science, advanced cell manufacturing, bioengineering, and systems biology,” observes David Main, Notch’s President and CEO. “The members of our SAB are working at the frontiers of scientific and technology discovery, responding to unique, complex challenges that are highly relevant to our work at Notch. As we advance our research mission and hone our corporate focus, we are grateful for the valuable perspectives, insight, and encouragement they each bring as we tackle new challenges and opportunities on our path toward commercialization.”

About Notch’s Scientific Advisory Board
Notch’s SAB represents world-leading expertise in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) design and synthetic biology; CD34 and hematopoietic stem cells (HSC); genome editing, biomanufacturing, and disease modeling; T cell developmental biology; and bioprocess development.

  • Yvonne Chen, PhD | Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA: Dr. Chen is a world leader in synthetic biology and biomolecular engineering techniques to develop robust cell-based therapies. She is an expert in engineering T cells to overcome tumor microenvironment and other cancer defense mechanisms. Learn more at http://yvchen.bol.ucla.edu/

  • Hanna Mikkola, MD, PhD | Professor of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, UCLA: Dr. Mikkola’s research focuses on the microenvironmental cues driving blood lineage development. She has made novel discoveries in transcriptional mechanisms and niche signals that regulate mesoderm divergence to hematopoietic and cardiac stem/progenitor cells and protect HSCs in the placenta and fetal hematopoietic niches. Learn more at https://www.hmikkolalab.com/home

  • Kris Saha, PhD | Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Dr. Saha’s research is focused on the development of new tools and insights into the editing of the human genome. This includes the monitoring and controlling of heterogeneity during gene modification and scale-up of stem cells and T cell immunotherapies (e.g., CAR T cells) as well as customized biomaterials and genome editing to generate new human cell-based models of inherited disorders. Learn more at https://sahalab.bme.wisc.edu/

  • Peter Zandstra, PhD | Notch Therapeutics Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder, Founding Director and Director and Professor, University of British Columbia School of Biomedical Engineering: Dr. Zandstra’s research focuses on understanding how functional tissue forms from stem cells and how this information can be applied to design novel therapeutic technologies based on living cells. Learn more at https://www.bme.ubc.ca/person/peter-zandstra/

  • Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker, PhD | SAB Chair, Professor of Immunology, University of Toronto: One of Notch’s scientific co-founders, Dr. Zúñiga-Pflücker is the world expert in T cell developmental biology and the inventor of the widely used OP9-DL4 feeder cell line. Learn more at https://www.jczplab.com/

  • Robert Zweigerdt, PhD | Principal Investigator, Hannover Medical School: Dr. Zweigerdt’s research focuses on the clinical and industry-compliant production of hPSC progenies centered on the use of stirred tank bioreactor (STBR) technologies to ensure robustness, scalability, automation and, ultimately, GMP-compliant cell production processes. Learn more at https://www.mhh.de/en/lebao/research-groups/rg-zweigerdt

About Notch Therapeutics
Notch is an early-stage biotechnology company working to maximize the benefit of cell therapies through a proprietary T cell-production platform that combines sophisticated product design with commercial-compatible processes to enhance patient outcomes. Notch’s iPSC-based technology platform allows for precision control of notch signaling, which removes several critical limiting factors in the development of cell therapies, delivering the ability to design and manufacture a uniform and unlimited supply of therapeutic T cells. www.notchtx.com.

Media Contact:
Megan Helmer
Puzzlewood Communication Inc.
1.604.240.5223
megan@puzzlewood.ca