About Us

Rami joined Arcellx in 2021 and serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Most recently, Rami served as President and CEO of Nevro, where he joined in 2012. Under his leadership, Nevro grew from a small private company to a public company approaching $400m in revenue and a leader in neuromodulation. Prior to Nevro, Rami was an investor with Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC), where he led several investments including Nevro’s Series B Financing and served on the Board of Directors of several private companies including Nevro’s. Prior to joining JJDC, Rami was a Design Engineer for Advanced Neuromodulation Systems, Inc. where he led firmware design and development on several implantable spinal cord stimulators. Rami earned recognition as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year, as one of the top CEOs in the U.S. and as one of the top CEOs for women and diversity. He is a recipient of the Bill Campbell award by Watermark for his influence, impact, and advocacy in promoting women and women’s issues. Rami received a MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rutgers University School of Engineering.

David is the founder and Chief Technical Officer at Arcellx. David has spent the past 20 years combining his disciplined approach to science with the business of effective drug development and corporate management. Prior to Arcellx, David was a Director and Chief Scientific Officer at Zyngenia, Inc., where he led the development of multi-specific antibody-based therapeutics. Previously, David served as Vice President of Research at Cellective Therapeutics, a start-up antibody company acquired by MedImmune. Prior to joining Cellective, David worked at Human Genome Sciences and the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, where he investigated neoplastic transformation of B lymphocytes. David received his B.S. from Haverford College and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Heery has served as Chief Medical Officer of Precision BioSciences and Bavarian Nordic. At Precision, he oversaw the clinical development of one of the first allogeneic CAR T cell platforms and provided clinical insight into clinical efforts for gene editing therapeutics. While at Bavarian Nordic, he oversaw clinical development programs for its immune-oncology and infectious disease vaccine portfolio. Prior to his roles in biotech, he was head of the Clinical Trials Group of the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He joined the NCI Medical Oncology Branch as a Medical Oncology Fellow in 2009 and also held an Adjunct Appointment in the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch. At NCI, Dr. Heery was part of the larger effort of the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology to create new immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Dr. Heery is board certified in Medical Oncology and Internal Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago after receiving his M.D. from East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine. Dr. Heery also holds a B.A. in English Literature from Duke University.

Prior to joining Arcellx, Han worked in the Corporate Development and Ventures group at AstraZeneca, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, transformative deals, strategic equity investments and co-managing AstraZeneca’s equity portfolio of over 25 companies. Prior to AstraZeneca, Han was an integral part of two biotech start-ups, where his activities included conducting IND enabling animal studies, business development and leading fundraising efforts.  Other relevant experience for Han include being on the board of multiple companies and completing billions in business development deals and equity financings. Han received a B.A. in Genetics and minor in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, a Ph.D. in Genetics and an M.B.A. from Yale University.

Mike brings nearly twenty-five years of experience in pharma and biotech strategy and licensing. Most recently, Mike served as SVP of Corporate Development for Precision BioSciences, where he led transactions worth more than $2 billion, including a CAR-T co-development and co-promotion partnership with Baxalta that won the 2016 LES Deal of Distinction award, and in vivo gene editing collaborations with Gilead and The University of Pennsylvania’s Gene Therapy Program. Previously, Mike worked at GlaxoSmithKline in R&D Strategy and Portfolio Management, supporting portfolio analysis, business development, innovations in clinical trial design, evaluation and adoption of digital transformation initiatives, and optimization of global IP filings. Mike  has worked with a wide range of start-up, small, medium, and large therapeutics companies, both private and public, and was a co-founder of Cempra Pharmaceuticals. Mike holds an M.B.A. from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, an M.P.P. from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, and a B.S. in biology from the the Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Science.

Prior to Arcellx, Brian held multiple roles within Bristol Myers Squibb (formerly Celgene) where he worked over a decade on the development and commercialization of cellular therapies. Most recently, he was Senior Director of Process Engineering in Global Manufacturing Science and Technology, where he was responsible for late stage lifecycle management, facility design and technical transfer for multiple CAR-T assets. Brian has led technical transfers to internal sites and CMOs, oversaw the PPQ program for a CAR-T product, and contributed to BLA/MAA submissions. Brian previously led the Process Development department in the development of allogeneic cell therapies, represented Technical Operations on global project teams, and lead teams in Analytical Development. Brian oversaw the CMC sections for multiple IND submissions for new therapeutic candidates, and he has a history of working with health authorities on novel products from pre-IND through pre-BLA meetings.  Prior to working in cell and gene therapies, Brian worked in vaccine manufacturing at Merck. Brian has a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Shashi has over 25 years of experience in biological CMC development and manufacturing from pre-clinical development through commercialization. Prior to joining Arcellx, Shashi was head of Process Development at Jazz. Previously, Shashi held various CMC leadership positions at Alexion, Synageva, Zyngenia, Teva, Cogenesys and Human Genome Sciences. Shashi holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry.

David has over 20 years of biopharmaceutical research and drug development experience in oncology. Prior to joining Arcellx, David spent 18 years at MedImmune, the global biologics research and development unit of AstraZeneca, where he held roles of increasing responsibility. While serving as the head of the antibody drug conjugate strategic area at AstraZeneca, David managed a portfolio of over 20 pipeline projects spanning discovery to Phase I. Throughout his tenure at AstraZeneca, David had led the target discovery and validation group as well as several preclinical/clinical phase programs employing various therapeutic approaches including monoclonal antibodies, immunoconjugates, peptide mimetics, RNAi and cellular therapies targeting various molecules important in the development of cancer. Prior to this experience, David worked at Genentech where he focused on genomics-based target discovery and monoclonal antibody targeting in cancer. David received his B.S. in biology from Virginia Tech before receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

Neeraj joined Arcellx in 2021 and serves as our Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to joining Arcellx, Neeraj served as the Vice President of Marketing at Nevro. Over his seven years at Nevro, he and his team set and executed commercial plans for a business that grew to ~$400 M. His responsibilities included product and clinical portfolio strategy, branding, demand generation, key thought leader engagement, professional education, sales analytics and sales training. Prior to Nevro, Neeraj worked in the medical device sector at Johnson & Johnson for seventeen years where he had various roles within Marketing, Licensing & Acquisitions and Research & Development. Neeraj received an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Brad joined Arcellx in March 2021, bringing over 30 years of experience in developing, testing, and commercializing medical technologies. Most recently, Brad served as VP of Clinical and Regulatory for Nevro, leading the clinical trials and regulatory approvals to bring a more effective spinal cord stimulation system to patients with chronic pain. Prior to this, Brad was VP of Research at Northstar Neuroscience, investigating numerous neuromodulation applications such as hemiparesis following stroke, major depressive disorder, movement disorders, and tinnitus.  He was co-founder and Director of Research at Heartstream, which revolutionized automatic external defibrillators (AEDs), expanding their use from professional medical providers to ubiquitous availability. Brad received an M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

David is a senior finance executive with more than 25 years of experience in the life sciences industry. David served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ra Pharma until May 2020 following its acquisition by UCB. Prior to Ra Pharma, David was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals and was previously Chief Financial Officer of PharMetrics Inc., a leading patient-based pharmacy and medical claims data informatics company. He was also Chief Financial Officer at ProScript, where Velcade® (bortezomib), a therapy widely used for the treatment of the blood cancer multiple myeloma, was discovered. David serves on the Board of Directors of Dyne Therapeutics, Therapeutics Acquisition Corp., Gemini Therapeutics, Ichnos Sciences and Vor Biopharma. A Certified Public Accountant, David received his B.S. in business administration from Northeastern University and an M.S. in taxation from Bentley University.

Ali is a general partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Prior to NEA, he held positions at The Medicines Company, Morgan Stanley Venture Partners and Lehman Brothers. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Genocea Biosciences, Oyster Point Pharma, CRISPR Therapeutics, Adaptimmune Therapeutics, Black Diamond Therapeutics, and was on the board of Nevro Corp. Ali received a B.S. from Duke University, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Tiba is a senior partner at Novo Ventures A/S (US). Prior to joining Novo Ventures, Dr. Aynechi was employed by Burrill & Company, a financial firm specializing in biotechnology and life sciences investment. Tiba has been a member of the Board of Directors of Mirum Pharmaceuticals and currently serves on the boards of several private biotechnology and medical device companies. Tiba previously served as a director at iRhythm Technologies and AnaptysBio. Tiba received a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of California, San Francisco, and a B.S. from the University of California, Irvine.

Jill is a Partner at S.R. One. Previously, Jill’s background is in corporate development and partnering in biotech companies, including Dynavax Technologies (NASDAQ: DVAX). Jill also worked as a consultant, specializing in health care. Jill is a member of the Board of Directors of HotSpot Therapeutics, Pandion Therapeutics and Second Genome. Jill received her B.S. from Duke University and her M.S. in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins University.

Derek is President and Chief Executive Officer at Solasta Ventures and a member of the Board of Directors of Solasta. Derek is as member of the Board of Directors of Trefoil Therapeutics, and has served on the Board of Directors of Clearside Biomedical. Prior to Solasta, Derek managed investments with RBS Citizens, Berwind Private Equity and Kibo Capital. Derek received a Master of Finance from Boston College and a M.B.A. from Babson College. Derek also received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Yonsei University in South Korea.

Rusty is President and Chief Executive Officer of Walking Fish Therapeutics and Venture Partner at Quan Capital. Rusty founded Five Prime Therapeutics and has served as Five Prime’s Executive Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Rusty also co-founded COR Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on cardiovascular disease. Previously, Rusty worked at Chiron Corporation, now Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics. Rusty has served on the faculty of the University of California, San Francisco; Harvard Medical School; and Massachusetts General Hospital. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Rusty is currently on the Board of Directors of Protagonist Therapeutics and Neoleukin Therapeutics and has served on the Board of Directors of Chiron, COR Therapeutics and Beckman Coulter. Rusty received a B.S. from Rice University and M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Duke University.

Rami joined Arcellx in 2021 and serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Most recently, Rami served as President and CEO of Nevro, where he joined in 2012. Under his leadership, Nevro grew from a small private company to a public company approaching $400m in revenue and a leader in neuromodulation. Prior to Nevro, Rami was an investor with Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC), where he led several investments including Nevro’s Series B Financing and served on the Board of Directors of several private companies including Nevro’s. Prior to joining JJDC, Rami was a Design Engineer for Advanced Neuromodulation Systems, Inc. where he led firmware design and development on several implantable spinal cord stimulators. Rami earned recognition as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year, as one of the top CEOs in the U.S. and as one of the top CEOs for women and diversity. He is a recipient of the Bill Campbell award by Watermark for his influence, impact, and advocacy in promoting women and women’s issues. Rami received a MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rutgers University School of Engineering.