Our Team
Don Staunton, PhD : Founder and CSO.
Don Staunton, PhD, with over 25 years of experience, is a seasoned biotech professional and accomplished scientist. His career includes founding and leading as CSO at three biotech companies, CisThera, Arbele and Synergy IMT, where he developed multiple discovery platforms for novel immunotherapeutics. At Arbele, he designed a bispecific T-cell engager for colon cancer that is now in Phase 1 clinical trials.
As a Scientific Fellow at ICOS Corporation, Dr. Staunton's group was the first to discover and publish a small-molecule inhibitor of PI3 Kinase delta, which subsequently became an FDA-approved therapy for B-cell malignancies.
Before his career in industry, he was an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, conducting pioneering research on leukocyte adhesion and cloning of key immune response-associated molecules. He is a recognized leader in the field, with over 60 publications, 15,200 citations, and more than a dozen patents.
John Harlan, MD : CMO
John Harlan, MD, is a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Washington and a highly distinguished physician-scientist. He previously headed the Division of Hematology at UW and was Chief of Hematology-Oncology at Harborview Medical Center. Dr. Harlan is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology.
A recognized authority in his field, Dr. Harlan has received numerous accolades for his clinical excellence and academic contributions, including multiple awards and endowed professorships at UW Medicine and recognition as a "Best Doctor in America." His pioneering research on leukocyte and endothelial adhesion molecules, endothelial cell biology, and inflammation has resulted in over 275 publications with more than 38,000 citations. This work earned him a "Highly Cited" designation in Immunology, placing him in the top 0.5% of publishing researchers.
He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. Dr. Harlan has also lent his expertise to various scientific advisory boards and has consulted for several major biotech and pharmaceutical companies, including Cytel, Zymogenetics, Biogen and ICOS Corporation.
Ama Sikorski, PhD : Director
Dr. Sikorski is a highly accomplished Biotech Scientist with over two decades of experience driving the discovery and development of next-generation immunotherapies.
Her deep expertise lies in designing and advancing complex therapeutic modalities, including pioneering work on bi- and tri-specific antibodies and Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) cell therapies. Dr. Sikorski's contributions have been integral to successful company growth, consistently resulting in the generation of key patent applications and securing Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants.
She holds a PhD in Immunology from Tufts University and completed foundational research at the University of Washington, where her work involved generating cre-lox mouse models to elucidate the role of the RIIbeta subunit of PKA in energy homeostasis. She received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Wellesley College.
