Celloram is awarded $0.2M DOD Grant to improve Post-Trauma-Induced Osteoarthritis
Celloram was awarded a $0.2M grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to improve post-trauma induced osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of mobility-related disability and is usually induced by the gradual wearing-down of joint cartilage over time. Post-trauma induced osteoarthritis, or PTOA, is a subtype of osteoarthritis that develops after joint injury and therefore disproportionality effects a young population.
Many PTOA cases recover within 6 months, but some cases can develop into chronic disease. The activation of inflammatory mechanisms is thought to play an important role in the progression of acute to chronic disease, so early interventions are of interest. Celloram hopes that by applying its innovative cell therapy technologies that work with the power of the immune system, we can develop early-intervention therapies to treat this debilitating chronic condition.
Dr. Letterio is a renowned physician-scientist who earned his M.D. from Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed his training in Pediatric Oncology in the Pediatric Branch of the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, where he became a Principal Investigator and section head of the Laboratory of Immunoregulation. Currently, John is the Jane and Lee Seidman Chair in Pediatric Cancer Innovation, Chief of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, and Director of the Angie Fowler Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Institute at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. Dr. Letterio is also a Professor of Pediatrics in the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and co-Leader of the Developmental Therapeutics Program in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Letterio is co-founder and Board Director of Celloram where he advises the team on clinical translation of the product pipeline.
Dr. Kim has an extensive career in oncology beginning at the National Cancer Institute. He is the first one to identify the deletion and mutation of TGF-β receptor genes in cancer cells and decode the Korean genome sequence. Currently, Dr. Kim is serving as the Vice-Chairman and CSO of Theragen Etex Co. and the CEO of MedPacto, Inc. Dr. Kim also served as the Director of the Precision Medicine Research Center in the Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology at Seoul National University in South Korea, the Director for the Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute in South Korea, and senior investigator at the Laboratory of Cell Regulation and Carcinogenesis of the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Kim has published almost 300 peer-reviewed research studies in international journals regarding cancer, inflammation, and TGF-β. His work is extensively cited and has been the basis of developing cancer therapeutics. Dr. Kim is co-founder and Board Director of Celloram where he advises the team on scientific innovation and therapeutic development.
Tej Pareek, PhD, MBA, MPH
President, CEO, Board Director
Dr. Pareek is a highly regarded research scientist and successful bioentrepreneur. After completing his Ph.D. at the Indian Institutes of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, India, he pursued postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, and subsequently earned both a Masters in Public Health from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and a Masters in Business Administration from the Weatherhead School of Management, at CWRU in Cleveland, OH. His scientific discoveries have contributed significantly to the fields of basic neuroscience, endocrinology, immunology, and cancer research and have led to numerous high-impact publications cited extensively by the scientific community. These discoveries were the basis for multiple inventions and new biotech ventures and have been recognized by national and international awards. Dr. Pareek serves as President, CEO, and Board Director at Celloram, where he is responsible for business and scientific operations.
Ms. Kim received her education from College of the Holly Arts and University of San Diego, California with major focus on biomedicine, finance and accounting. In the past she has worked at Ernest and Young and Deloitte Consulting. Currently, she is appointed as Chief Licensing and Planning Officer of MedPacto Inc and Business development advisor to Celloram.
Seunghwan Lim, PhD
VP and Director Scientific Operations, Cell Therapy Program
Dr. Lim is an accomplished research scientist with expertise in molecular biology and cancer research. Dr. Lim completed his Ph.D. training in cancer biology and therapeutics development at SUNY Upstate Medical University, N.Y., and his postdoctoral training at both the National Cancer Institute, NIH in Bethesda, M.D. and Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland Ohio. Dr. Lim’s innovative research efforts have been supported by numerous research awards, including support from the US Department of Defense, and are reported in numerous high-impact publications. Dr. Lim is advancing the development of next-generation technologies that form the foundation of the Celloram product pipeline. He now serves as the Vice President and Scientific Director of the Cell Therapy Program.
VP and Director Scientific Operations, Small Molecule Program
Dr. Levi is a highly accomplished leader who is widely recognized for her research on lipid metabolism, including how natural products and dietary components influence metabolism in health and disease. Dr. Levi obtained her Ph.D. from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and previously served as a principal investigator in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University, where she led a team focused on the biology and treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. Her discoveries have shed light on the roles of lipid-binding proteins in cancer, metabolic and central nervous system disorders and her work has been supported by the US Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Levi serves as the Vice President and Scientific Director of the Small Molecule Drug Development Program at Celloram.
Dr. Elizabeth Meyers is a highly talented chemist and a project leader in the Celloram small molecule drug development program. Dr. Meyers earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Smith College and completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University. Before joining Celloram, she pursued research as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at CWRU.
Mary Rose Winiecki
Director, Accounting and HR
Ms. Winiecki has more than two decades industry experience working in various business lines including corporate accounting functions, IT, corporate tax, and HR working with multinational companies like BFGoodrich. Ms. Winiecki earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Penn State University. Currently, Ms. Winecki is serving as Director of Accounting and Human Resource.
William Greenlee, PhD
Scientific Advisor, Small Molecule Program
Dr. Greenlee is a world renowned medicinal chemist and has decades of industry experience working with numerous multinational pharmaceutical companies bringing multiple drugs to market from their early discovery phase. Dr. Greenlee received his B.S. degree in chemistry at The Ohio State University and his Ph.D. degree in chemistry from Harvard University, and completed postdoctoral work at Columbia University. He began his career in medicinal chemistry at Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ, where he was Senior Director, Basic Medicinal Chemistry. He later joined the Schering-Plough Research Institute, Kenilworth, NJ where he was Vice President of Chemistry, CNS and Cardiovascular/Metabolic Diseases. For the past six years, he has worked as an independent medicinal chemistry consultant, and serves on several scientific advisory boards. His career spans over 35 years and includes contributions to the discovery of the antihypertensive drugs enalapril (Vasotec™), lisinopril (Prinivil™) and the antithrombotic drug vorapaxar (Zontivity™) as well as to the BACE1 inhibitor verubecestat (MK-8931), which completed Phase III clinical trials for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Bill has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards including the Alfred Burger Award in Medicinal Chemistry from the ACS in 2004. He has chaired both the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and the Division of Organic Chemistry. He was inducted into the Division of Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame and was elected an ACS Fellow and an AAAS Fellow in 2006. Bill served as Perspectives Editor for the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2006-2017) and now serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters. He is co-author of over 200 research publications, and an inventor of over 90 issued U.S. patents. Dr. Greenlee is chief advisor for Celoram's small molecule development program.
Yusuke Nakamura, MD, PhD
Scientific Advisor, Cell Therapy Program
Dr. Nakamura is a prominent geneticist and cancer researcher in Japan and best known for developing the Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS). He is one of the world’s pioneers in applying genetic variations (Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers) and whole genome sequencing, leading the research field of personalized medicine. Dr. Nakamura successfully identified VNTR markers in 1987 and tumor suppressor gene APC in 1991. Furthermore, several genetic polymorphic markers developed and mapped by his research groups at the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research and the University of Tokyo, have contributed to map and clone genes responsible for hereditary diseases, as well as those related to drug response and involvement in cancer. In 2001, Nakamura and his colleagues of RIKEN SNP Research Center developed the methodology of Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS), and using this method his research group first discovered functional SNP in the lymphotoxin-α gene that are associated with susceptibility to myocardial infarction in 2002, which was a breakthrough in the research field of medical genetics. Furthermore, the RIKEN SNP Research Center led by him made the largest contribution in the Phase 1 HapMap project of the International HapMap Consortium published in the scientific journal Nature in 2005. Nakamura has also focused on applying genetic information to improve the care of cancer patients, working to bring his laboratory’s discoveries into clinical practice. In 2001, his cancer research at the University of Tokyo led to the formation of OncoTherapy Science, a successful public Japanese biotechnology company that concentrates on new cancer therapies. Currently, Dr. Nakamura is advising Celloram's cell therapy development program team.
Jin-Kyu Choi, PhD
Research Scientist
Dr. Jin-Kyu Choi studied for over 20 years in the field of neurodegenerative diseases and significantly contributed to identifying key molecular mechanisms of diseases. Dr. Choi acquired his Ph. D. degree in the Department of the Interdisciplinary Program of Biomedical Gerontology at Hallym University in South Korea. His research career continued at Case Western Reserve University in the Department of Physiology & Biophysics. Since he has joined Celloram, he is playing an essential role in the development of cell-based therapy and the characterization of the lead small molecules.
