Kincell Bio leverages extensive scientific expertise and industry knowledge to partner with cell therapy innovators.
Our core values of transparency, accountability, and accuracy are at the heart of what makes us a trusted partner for process and analytical development, CMC support, and high-quality clinical cell therapy manufacturing services.
Meet our innovative team leading the industry in CMC, project management, and early-phase cell therapy manufacturing.
Bruce is the CEO of Kincell Bio, bringing over 28 years of experience to his position. Prior to his role with Kincell Bio, LLC., Bruce was Vice President and Technical Lead for the Cell Therapy Franchise at Resilience, Inc., where he helped to build the development and GMP manufacturing capabilities and served as a technical advisor both internally and externally.
He has over 18 years of CMC strategy, product development and cell therapy manufacturing experience. In his first startup role, he was Vice President of Process Sciences at Lyell Immunopharma, where he was responsible for Process and Analytical Development, as well as tech transfer of processes and methods to a newly built state-of-the-art cGMP facility. Prior to Lyell, Bruce served as the Sr. Director of the Therapeutic Products Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC), where he led GMP manufacturing of cell and gene therapy products. He was responsible for supporting >15 active clinical programs and contributed to the filing of 6 INDs for various cell therapy programs.
As part of his early career development, Bruce spent nearly 10 years at Pfizer in the Pharmaceutical Sciences division where he gained expertise in analytical and process development.
Bruce received his B.A. in Biology, an M.S. in Biochemistry from The Ohio State University and Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Louisville.
XDr. Carmen has over 15 years of experience in the cell and gene therapy industry. Recently she was Executive Vice President of Science & Technology at Adjuvant Partners; supporting companies in the cell and gene therapy space with their strategy, partnering, and business development needs. In a consulting capacity, she has supported the business development team at Oxford Biomedica, a manufacturer of clinical and commercial viral vectors. She has a broad technical knowledge base in cell and gene therapies with deep understanding of manufacturing of these innovative medicines and unique insights into the commercialization of tools and services to support the manufacture of these therapies.
In her prior roles she has been responsible for out-licensing a non-viral enabling technology for cellular engineering at MaxCyte. She also has been responsible for establishing partnerships with developers of cell-based medicines in order to expand the cell therapy contract manufacturing business at Lonza. Dr. Carmen has been instrumental in the establishment of the Standards Coordinating Body for Regenerative Medicines and is currently serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors. She has been a member of the Science and Technology Committee of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine and has served on the Commercialization Committee for the International Society of Cellular Therapy. Dr. Carmen earned a Doctorate from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida.
XAshley Jacobs is the Head of Human Resources and People Operations at Kincell Bio. Prior to Kincell Bio, she’s held leadership roles such as Director of HR and People Operations at Inceptor Bio and Assistant Director for Career and Industry Engagement at the University of Florida. She brings experience in HR operations, talent management, employee engagement, full-cycle talent acquisition and retention strategy, employee relations, and human and organizational development. Ashley is driven to make an impact in the cell and gene therapy space through developing workforce strategy, coaching towards org effectiveness, and the providing best-in-class resources for individuals and teams within Kincell Bio.
Ashley earned her B.S. in Psychology, M.Ed. in Human Development and Organizational Studies, and Ed.S. in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Florida. She earned her MBA from the University of South Florida and holds the Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional credential.
XMatt Haines is the VP of Manufacturing Operations at Kincell Bio where he is leading the buildout and operation of Kincell's Advanced Manufacturing Platform (AMP+). Prior to joining Inceptor Bio, he was the Senior Director of Manufacturing at AveXis/Novartis Gene Therapies where he played a key role in the successful approval and launch of a commercial gene therapy as well as the expansion of their manufacturing network. In his 20+ years in the biotech industry he has held various roles within Manufacturing, Engineering, Manufacturing Sciences and Quality at multiple companies such as Biogen, Amgen and Merck. Matt earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University.
XPeggy Owens has 30+ years experience in Quality Control and Quality Assurance in the biologics CMC arena and worked at both Abbott and Amgen to help support the clinical to commercialization of monoclonal antibodies for many indications. Since 2007 Peggy’s Quality leadership roles have been supporting Cell and Gene therapy facilities both large and small in Phase 1-3 stages of their product lifecycle. By participating in helping to Cure Cancer is the main driver for Peggy. Peggy has lived in several areas of the country and now resides in Gainesville, FL supporting the Inceptor Quality initiatives and assisting in the start up activities of the AMP+ Gainesville site.
XRoger Herr, PhD, is the Associate Director of Analytical Development at Kincell, leveraging his extensive knowledge, strategic thinking, and scientific expertise to push the boundaries of analytical development. He was previously the Associate Director of Analytical Development following the acquisition of the Gainesville site by Inceptor Bio. He also managed the Analytical Development team at Arranta Bio, demonstrating exceptional leadership, guided his team towards innovative solutions, and maintained a strong focus on client delivery.
After completing his Ph.D. at the University of Toledo, Roger pursued a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Washington University in Saint Louis, focusing on viral immunevasins and their impact on the MHCI presentation pathway. His subsequent academic work involved characterizing virulence factors in medically important fungi and studying the myeloperoxidase mediated modification of mammalian proteins with chlorolipids.
XJennifer Keister, PhD is the Chief of Staff to the CEO. Jen brings a range of expertise to her work at Kincell, including experience as a consultant helping corporate clients, state governments, national governments, international development organizations, and nonprofits achieve strategic and operational success.
Jen received her BA in Government from the College of William & Mary, and her MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego, and has held research fellowships at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the US Institute of Peace, the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Center, and the Cato Institute.
XShailesh Maingi is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Kineticos Life Sciences. He is also the Founder, Chairman and CEO of a stealth mode start-up Cell and Gene Therapy biotech focused on oncology. Shailesh has served on the Board of Directors of a number of biotechs, including Locus Biosciences, Gallus Biopharmaceuticals and Arranta Bio. Additionally, Shailesh is Adjunct Faculty at the UNC’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business.
In 2015, Shailesh started a fund to invest in innovative biotechnology companies. Recently, he announced a second investment fund, Kineticos Ventures. In 2018, he co-founded the InVincible Cancer Research Fund, a non-profit funding breakthrough science.
Prior to founding Kineticos Life Sciences, Shailesh was a senior executive at Cardinal Health and Sigma-Aldrich. He began his career as an R&D scientist with Roche Diagnostics after earning a BS in Chemistry from UNC, Chapel Hill and an MBA from Golden Gate University.
XPrior to his role with Kincell Bio, LLC., Bruce was Vice President and Technical Lead for the Cell Therapy Franchise at Resilience, Inc., where he helped to build the development and GMP manufacturing capabilities and served as a technical advisor both internally and externally. He has over 18 years of CMC strategy, product development and cell therapy manufacturing experience. In his first startup role, he was Vice President of Process Sciences at Lyell Immunopharma, where he was responsible for Process and Analytical Development, as well as tech transfer of processes and methods to a newly built state-of-the-art cGMP facility. Prior to Lyell, Bruce served as the Sr. Director of the Therapeutic Products Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC), where he led GMP manufacturing of cell and gene therapy products. He was responsible for supporting >15 active clinical programs and contributed to the filing of 6 INDs for various cell therapy programs.
As part of his early career development, Bruce spent nearly 10 years at Pfizer in the Pharmaceutical Sciences division where he gained expertise in analytical and process development.
Bruce received his B.A. in Biology, an M.S. in Biochemistry from The Ohio State University and Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Louisville.
XDerek was the Founder and CEO of Xcelience, a Florida-based contract development and manufacturing company that specialized in developing clinical Phase I-III drug product. He started the company in 2006 and sold it to a large multinational in 2016. He is currently a Board Member for The Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance. Derek received his BSC from the University of Alberta and his MBA from RSM Erasmus University.
XGeorge Fotiades is currently co-founder and executive chairman of Elio Health, a private equity backed firm which invests in opportunities across the health care continuum. Prior to Elio Health, he was CEO of Cantel Medical a leader in healthcare infection prevention solutions until its sale to Steris in June 2021 for $4.6B. Earlier in his career, George was president and COO of Cardinal Health as well as CEO and executive chairman of Catalent prior to its IPO.
George serves on the boards of AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) the leading global supplier of dispensing systems for pharmaceutical and consumer products, Prologis (NYSE:PLD) the leading global provider of distribution facilities and services, Curia Global, a leading contract research, development and manufacturing organization and Inceptor Bio, a biotech company advancing cell therapies in oncology. George holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Amherst College and a master’s degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.
XJack is a managing partner at Ridgemont Equity Partners, a Charlotte-based middle market private equity firm. His current focus areas are general firm management, business & tech-enabled services, and industrial growth. He is actively involved in the portfolio management for Allredi, Crete Mechanical Group, Fleetpride Corporation, Munch’s Supply & Marcone, and Worldwide Produce. He was previously at Banc of America Capital Investors and related entities. His prior portfolio involvement includes Amerit Fleet Solutions, Aurora Parts & Accessories, Backstage, Clairus Group, Dickinson Fleet Services, Gallus Biopharmaceuticals, and J.A.M. Distributing Company. Jack received his M.B.A in Finance from University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School and his B.A. in Economics from Davidson College.
XWalker is the Vice Chairman at Ridgemont Equity Partners, a Charlotte-based middle market private equity firm. He previously founded Banc of America Capital Investors and related entities. Additionally, he has prior experience at NCNB Corporation and Bankers Trust Company. His current area of focus is healthcare. He is actively involved in the portfolio management for Agape Care Group, American Outcomes Management, Anne Arundel Dermatology, HemaSource, Sunvera Group, Perimeter Healthcare, and Unison Therapy Services. His prior portfolio work includes Allied 100, eviCore, Gallus Biopharmaceuticals, Optical Resources Group, OrthoNet, SP Pharmaceuticals. Walker was a Morehead-Cain Scholar and received his B.S. at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Kincell Bio expands capacity with late-phase facility | Read the press release » |