Tozaro announces formation of Technical Advisory Board to support commercialization of Smart Polymers in cell and gene therapy bioprocessing

Tozaro, an emerging technology provider in the field of cell and gene therapy manufacturing, today announced the formation of its Technical Advisory Board (TAB). The group will provide strategic guidance around commercialization and further development of the Company’s Smart Polymer platform, and its innovative application to significantly improve cell and gene therapy (CGT) chromatography and bioseparation processes. Members of the TAB include Phil Vanek, PhD as Chair, alongside Carl Schoellhammer, PhD, Daniel C. Smith, PhD and Nick Clarkson, D.Phil.

Tozaro’s Smart Polymers are rationally designed and chemically produced to go beyond the limits of their biological counterparts. Utilizing a combination of molecular modelling, machine learning and advanced chemistry, the reagents are strategically designed to target a specific region of a virus or cell to best suit the end application. Smart Polymers can be developed with affinities ranging from millimolar to picomolar depending on the application, with high affinity polymers best suited to analytical applications while lower affinity polymers allow for capture chromatography with gentle elution of viral vectors.

The formation of Tozaro’s TAB follows the recent appointment of established biotech leader, Jason Slingsby, as Tozaro’s CEO.

“The TAB members bring deep knowledge and experience of the advanced therapy landscape, including the significant pain points that exist, especially around viral vector manufacturing,” said Dr. Jason Slingsby MBA, CEO, Tozaro. “Our Smart Polymer platform can support advanced medicine manufacturing in many ways but our current focus is on improving viral vector purification to increase efficiencies and lower manufacturing costs. The TAB will play a pivotal role in steering our technical development and market engagement in the most productive direction. We are thankful to have such an esteemed group of sector specialists advising us to deliver a new era in bioprocessing.”

“Cell and gene therapies offer exciting and potentially curative treatments for patients, but are currently constrained by complex and inefficient manufacturing strategies. Improved viral vectors specific reagents will make a significant difference,” said Michele Pedrocchi PhD, Chair of the Board, Tozaro. “With the right strategy and guidance, we know that Tozaro can help change this. We look forward to working with the TAB to help drive our mission forward.”  

Phil Vanek, PhD is an entrepreneurial and strategic international business leader. Currently Partner and CTO at Gamma Biosciences, he previously held a leadership position within Cytiva’s cell and gene therapy business. He is also a Board member of CCRM Enterprises in Toronto, Canada, and the Foundation for Cell and Gene Medicine, as well as serving as a mentor for the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) entrepreneurship program, and an advisor to several other life sciences companies. Phil earned his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Georgetown University Medical Center, and completed his postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland.

Carl Schoellhammer, PhD has many years of experience across biopharma, manufacturing/bioprocessing, and supply chain considerations. Currently leading DeciBio’s advanced therapies practice, he has executed projects ranging from pipeline prioritization/life cycle management, indication road mapping, growth strategy, and M&A projects across healthcare, life science tools, and pharma (cell and gene therapies). Prior to DeciBio, Carl co-founded and led Suono Bio, a venture-backed startup where he drove fundraising and secured multiple partnerships and strategic transactions. Carl holds a B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD from MIT where he trained with Professor Robert Langer.

Daniel C. Smith, PhD has extensive experience in biochemistry, molecular cell biology, and leadership roles within the scientific and business sectors. Daniel was Chief Scientific Officer at the UK/Sweden based CDMO Cobra Biologics, both prior to and during its acquisitions by Cognate Bioservices and Charles River Laboratories. Currently Chief Science Officer of That’s Nice, an agency specializing in marketing in the life sciences, Daniel oversees the scientific direction of the market insights division, supports the strategic marketing function and leads the consultancy arm. He is also owner and principal consultant at BIOCODEX Limited, offering strategic support to clients in innovation and technology. Daniel earned his PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Warwick.

Nick Clarkson, D.Phil. has over 20 years of expertise in research and development in cell and gene therapy and immunology, including basic research and development in viral vector manufacturing platforms, through to scale-up for GMP manufacturing and validation for commercial products. He is currently Vice President and Head of Process Development at OXB, a world leading viral vector CDMO, where he has also held senior leadership roles in innovation and analytical development. Nick completed his Doctorate in Philosophy in Molecular Immunology at the University of Oxford.