The Zelarion Group is the owner of the novel monoclonal antibody TCD601 (also known as siplizumab) as well as the pharmaceutical company ITB-MED which is driving the development and clinical studies of TCD601. Specifically, TCD601 is being broadly developed for applications within transplantation and autoimmunity. Clinical Trials are being executed globally with a particular focus on the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) with an aim to submit applications for market authorization. To this effect, the group has secured regulatory incentives to increase the chances of market approval, such as Orphan Drug Designation both in the US and the EU. In addition, second generation treatments are being developed that can further broaden the use of the group’s immune modulating approach.

To this effect, the group has secured regulatory incentives to increase the chances of market approval, such as Orphan Drug Designation both in the US and the EU. In addition, second generation treatments are being developed that can further broaden the use of the group’s immune modulating approach.

Christopher Zergebel joined ITBMed in June of 2023 and brings over 25 years of experience in drug development in both Project Management and Clinical Operations in all phases of drug development.  Prior to joining ITBMed, he served as Aileron Therapeutics’ Vice President of Program Management and Clinical Operations providing strategic leadership to teams and moving development efforts forward globally within the oncology space. Prior to Aileron, Chris spent more than 15 years in roles of increasing responsibility at Taiho Oncology, Inc., most recently as Vice President, R&amp;D Services, overseeing Clinical Project Management, Clinical Operations, Data Management, Medical Writing, and Clinical Supplies through all phases of Clinical Development and through regulatory approvals. He also served as Vice President, Project Management at Taiho Oncology, responsible for global project management of all oncology development programs, as well as consistent project planning and management across all Global Project Teams and all phases of clinical and post-marketing drug development. Earlier in his career, Chris also held project management roles at PRA International,  Organon, Inc., and Quintiles. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Boston University.

Vice President, Head of Operations and Program Management

Christopher Zergebel

David Sachs is an immunologist renowned for his work in transplant immune tolerance and xenotransplantation. He graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Medical School and discovered MHC class II in 1973. He developed the first clinical protocol for organ transplantation tolerance induction in the early 2000s. He has served on the board of the Zelarion Group since 2016.

Director

David Sachs

Jan Ståhlberg is the CEO of Trill Impact and a board member of Bactiguard AB, ITB-MED, and Trelleborg AB. He started his professional career at Ovako Steel for 10 years and then transitioned to private equity in 1995, when he was a part of the initial team at EQT Partners. At EQT, he served in several senior positions such as Deputy CEO and Vice Chairman before leaving in 2018. He has served on the board of the Zelarion Group since 2019.

Jan Ståhlberg

Molly Chiaramonte is a former VP, Research &amp; Investments at RoyalyPharma. She previously served as a biotechnology equity research associate at Jefferies &amp; Company and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She holds a BA in mathematics from Providence College, an MA in mathematics from the University of Colorado, and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Colorado. She has served on the board of the Zelarion Group since 2018.

Molly Chiaramonte

Pablo Legorreta is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Royalty Pharma plc. He has deployed over $20 billion for funding biopharmaceutical advancements and serves as a board member of ITB-MED. Pablo co-founded Pharmakon Advisors and ProKidney, LLC, and founded and chairs Alianza Médica para la Salud. He also serves on the boards of the New York Academy of Sciences and Rockefeller University. Prior to Royalty Pharma, he was an investment banker at Lazard Frères in Paris and New York. He has served on the board of the Zelarion Group since 2018.

Chairman of the Board

Pablo Legorreta

Shefali Agarwal is the President and CEO of Valerio Therapeutics. Previously she served as Chief Medical Officer at Epizyme, Inc., leading development strategies for cancer therapy tazemetostat. Her extensive background includes leadership roles at SQZ Biotech, Curis, and Tesaro, focusing on clinical development and regulatory submissions for cancer treatments. With previous positions at Covidien, AVEO Oncology, and Pfizer, Dr. Agarwal&#8217;s experience spans medical research and clinical operations. She holds a medical degree, a Master&#8217;s of Public Health, and a Master&#8217;s of Science in Business, reflecting her comprehensive expertise in both healthcare and business. She has served on the board of the Zelarion Group since 2020.

Shefali Agarwal

Alan Slade joined ITBMed in January 2019 and has over 15+ years of experience in global drug development across Phase I – III.  Alan holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from Purdue University and completed a Post-Doc Fellowship in clinical pharmacology with Rutgers University.  His development experience has primarily been on immunosuppression and immunomodulation in solid-organ transplantation as well as rheumatology, ophthalmology and nephrology.
Alan is the inventor on several patents and has authored over 30 publications and book chapters in the field of transplantation and nephrology.  Prior to joining ITBMed, Alan was with Novartis Pharmaceuticals, most recently as Director, Clinical Development for Transplantation and Rheumatology responsible for Phase II-IV clinical development and submissions for both novel and marketed compounds in transplantation, autoimmunity and autoinflammatory indications.

Senior VP, Global Head Clinical Development

Alan Slade

Alexandra graduated from the University of Gothenburg with a Master of Medical Science in Global Health. Prior to joining ITB-MED in 2023, Alexandra worked in phase III clinical trials at a CRO and was involved in various research projects

TMF Associate

Alexandra Ingman

Anna-Karin joined ITBMed in 2019 as a Financial Controller and has over 20 years of experience in finance, leadership and administration in various industries, mainly in smaller as well as major international listed group companies. She has a degree in management &amp; finance and in addition to this, she is also a certified coach.

Financial Controller

Anna-Karin Lindblad

Benedetta Maria Sala holds a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Milan and has over ten years of research experience in protein biology, biophysics, and structural biology. Prior to joining ITB-Med in June 2023, Benedetta Maria worked as an Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institute.

Research Scientist

Benedetta Maria Sala

Britain graduated from Georgetown University with a Master’s in Physiology. Prior to joining ITBMed in 2021, Britain worked primarily in phase II and III clinical trials at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Clinical Trial Manager

Britain Javens

Chase holds Bachelor&#8217;s degrees in Molecular Biology and Integrated Life Sciences from Kent State University, as well as a Master&#8217;s Degree in Medical Physiology from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to joining ITB-MED in 2023, Chase worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator for the GWU Medical Faculty Associates, and most recently as a Human Subjects Research Protections Analyst supporting the US Department of Homeland Security.

Clinical Research Associate

Chase Schertzinger

Desiree Shrode, MA, SHRM-CP, PHR, joined ITB-MED in February 2024, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise in supporting international companies across various industries and organizations, ranging from start-ups to Top 10 S&amp;P 500 companies, within the Human Resources function. Desiree holds a Bachelor&#8217;s degree in Psychology from Oregon State University, a Master&#8217;s degree in Education, Leadership, and Policy from Portland State University, and a Master&#8217;s degree in International Education from the School for International Training. She is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management and holds both SHRM-CP and PHR certifications, underscoring her comprehensive knowledge and commitment to the HR field.
Throughout her career, Desiree has demonstrated expertise in building HR departments from the ground up. Her skills encompass HR strategy and operations, performance management, recruitment, employee relations, compensation and benefits strategy, payroll, and employment laws and regulations.
In her current role at ITB-MED, Desiree drives the HR strategy to ensure alignment with organizational goals. She is responsible for strategic HR planning and policy development, while fostering a positive and collaborative work environment. Desiree is passionate about her work and is dedicated to ITB-MED’s meaningful mission of improving patient outcomes.

Associate Human Resources Director & Executive Assistant

Desiree Shrode

<div class="elementToProof" data-ogsc="black">Jacqueline is a seasoned Executive Assistant with over 20 years of experience in supporting C-suite leaders across both public and private sectors. Originally from Europe, she has called New York City home since her tenure at UNESCO in Paris brought her to the Big Apple, where she served as the Executive Assistant to the Director of the UNESCO New York Office.</div>
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Her private sector experience includes roles at Sustainable Insight Capital Management, Fiera Capital and B. Jaffe Real Estate.
 
Jacqueline studied in Heidelberg and Cologne earning a degree in teaching from the University of Cologne. 
Her ability to communicate effectively in English, French, Swedish and German showcases her cultural adaptability and has been an asset in her career. 
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Executive Assistant

Jacqueline Frey

Jennifer joined ITB-MED in August of 2023 and has over 20 years of industry experience. She has worked in the Quality space for a majority of those years, with a focus on Quality Management Systems. She holds an BA in Business Administration from Baldwin Wallace College.

Senior Manager, Quality and Regulatory Systems

Jennifer Sutkus

David Berglund, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., is an Associate Professor of Immunology that has published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in areas ranging from transplant immunology and oncology to transfusion medicine and biomaterials. David also received clinical training in transplant and reconstructive plastic surgery at Uppsala University Hospital and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden. He has worked with drug development for more than 10 years focusing on strategic leadership of both early- and late-stage pharmaceutical companies. David holds an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business with specializations in Corporate Finance and Leadership &amp; Change Management.

Founder & President 

David Berglund

Karin Sewerin, PhD, initially worked with ITB-MED as a consultant in CMC regulatory affairs and Quality Assurance, and joined the company in 2024 as an advisor in CMC regulatory affairs. She has over 40 years of experience in international biopharmaceutical industry. Before joining ITB-MED she worked as a CMC and regulatory consultant in development of biotechnology derived products. She has previously worked at Kabi-Pharmacia and AstraZeneca in Sweden, holding positions as Sr scientist, Head of QC, Global Head of Regulatory CMC for Biologics, and at Genentech in USA as Head of QC for Development Products and Director of CMC Regulatory Affairs.
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Karin has worked with product design and selection of candidate drugs, protein characterization, development and validation of analytical methods for products in clinical trials and for commercial use. She has worked with design of control strategies including process validation, process characterization, technology transfers of clinical and marketed products and control of biotechnology derived products, and with regulatory submissions for clinical trials, registration and for life cycle management. She holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Biochemistry at the University of Uppsala, Sweden.

Strategic Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls Advisor

Karin Sewerin

Katelyn Mulligan, MS, joined ITB-MED in April 2024. She brings with her 17 years of experience in regulatory affairs (primarily regulatory operations) in the pharmaceutical industry.  Her last role was as a senior submission manager at Bristol Myers Squibb. She has worked on small molecules and biologics in all stages of development across several different therapeutic areas.  Katelyn has a master&#8217;s degree from Northeastern University in Regulatory Affairs for Drugs, Biologics, and Medical Devices.  She has a bachelor&#8217;s in journalism from Ramapo College of NJ and is currently enrolled in an executive MBA program through Quantic School of Business.

Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs

Katelyn Mulligan

Elina joined the ITB-MED team in October 2023. 
As Workplace Coordinator, she adeptly manages various aspects of workplace matters, including office operations, employee support and serving as the primary point of contact for vendors and partners. Elina&#8217;s role extends across all departments, providing assistance to employees and teams. 
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Elina has several years of experience in customer service and various administrative roles. Her background encompasses working for both startup companies and larger multinational corporations.
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Workplace Coordinator

Elina Tusach Chacana

Elizabeth holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry &amp; Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining ITBMed in September 2022, Elizabeth worked as a clinical laboratory technologist, specializing in molecular diagnostic testing.

Elizabeth Boelter

Elma holds a Master´s in Experimental and Medical Bioscience for Linköping University in Sweden. Elma joined ITB-MED in August 2022 and has experience across all drug development phases but has mainly worked with phase II and III clinical trials. Most recently she worked with clinical trial start-ups as a Clinical Operations Manager at Merck.

Associate Clinical Trial Manager

Elma Redzic

Erik Berglund, M.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Transplantation Surgery with extensive drug discovery and clinical development experience. Dr. Berglund´s expertise spans therapeutic areas including transplantation surgery, tolerance induction, xenotransplantation, autoimmunity, immuno-oncology, machine perfusion and biomaterials. He has authored more than 35 peer-reviewed publications and 16 patents.
Trained at Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, Dr. Berglund specialized in transplantation surgery, immunology, and oncology. He has served on the faculty of Columbia University Center for Translational Immunology, has been a member of the scientific committee for the European Society for Organ Transplantation, and has consulted the European Commission and Swedish Government on transplantation. Dr. Berglund earned both his medical and doctorate degrees from Karolinska Institute, has been the recipient of multiple awards, and is a frequently hired speaker. With over 12 years in drug development, he has contributed to several early and late-stage pharmaceutical companies as a founding executive and strategic advisor.

CEO & Founder

Erik Berglund

Filip Cvetkovski received a BSc in Molecular Biotechnology from Heidelberg University, Germany, and a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Columbia University in New York. Filip has over ten years of research experience in immunology and animal models of human disease.

Laboratory Director Research and Development

Filip Cvetkovski

Fredrik holds a Master of Science in Pharmacy, University of Uppsala and has 25 years of experience from Clinical Operations, including big pharma companies, large CRO and Biotech start-up. Fredrik has worked in all phases of clinical trials and has led both local, regional and global clinical studies. Fredrik joined ITB-MED in January 2023 and most recently come from a Clinical Study Lead/Director role at Calliditas Therapeutics AB.

Clinical Operations Director

Fredrik Juhlin

Gemma holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Studies from Worcester University, UK. Gemma joined ITB-MED in 2020 with 10+ years of experience in clinical operations within clinical monitoring and study start up, primarily in small biopharmaceutical companies. Gemma has also worked for Asklepion Pharmaceuticals and NHS, UK.

Senior Clinical Trial Associate

Gemma Hodgson

Jesse holds a Master’s of Public Health and Applied Epidemiology and a Bachelor’s in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona. Jesse joined ITBMed in September 2021 after working for Banner Health, Tucson Medical Center, and the Arizona Trauma Association.

Jesse Scott

Malin Robin, BSc, PhL joined ITB-MED in November 2023 and brings nearly 30 years of pharmaceutical industry experience in all phases of drug development including launch to the commercial phase.
Prior to joining ITB-MED, she served as a Senior Quality Consultant at SDS MedteQ/Prevas with a focus on supporting companies in early development to develop their Quality Management Systems and providing leadership during authority inspections.
Malin has also held global and other senior positions within AstraZeneca where she spent 26 years in different roles with increasing responsibility both in drug development, manufacturing, supplier management and Quality Assurance. In the most recent role within AstraZeneca, Malin served as the Head of Quality for the Steriles and Respiratory areas with Sweden Operations, with the strategic and operational responsibility for Quality within these areas. Before this role, Malin served as Global Quality Director within the Global External Sourcing organization within AstraZeneca with responsibility for Quality Assurance of critical suppliers and contract organizations.
Malin holds a PhL in Cellbiology from the Stockholm University, and a BSc in Chemistry and Molecular Biology also from Stockholm University.

VP, Head of Quality Assurance

Malin Robin

M.Sc. in Business and Economics, Finance from Stockholm University. Kasper was appointed CFO in 2018 but has been working with ITBMed as an external finance consultant since the company was founded in 2016. Prior to joining ITBMed Kasper has worked with corporate finance in Stockholm and has experience from IPOs, equity and debt financings as well as M&amp;A transactions.

Chief Financial Officer

Kasper Granlund

Leslie has 20+ years of life sciences legal and compliance experience.  He has served as the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for publicly-traded and privately held biopharmaceutical companies.  His legal, strategic, transactional, intellectual property and compliance experience spans the research, development, approval, launch and commercialization of innovative products.  Leslie holds a juris doctor degree from the University of Florida.

Chief Legal and Compliance Officer

Leslie Zacks

Lindsey holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Research Administration from George Washington University (GWU). Prior to joining ITBMed in November 2022, Lindsey worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator for the GWU Medical Faculty Associates, and most recently as a Human Subjects Research Protections Analyst supporting the US Department of Homeland Security.

Clinical Trial Associate

Lindsey Dickerson

Lovisa Ringstad, PhD in Pharmacy from Uppsala University, has 15 years of experience in pharmaceutical research and development, project management and CMC from research institutes and industry. Lovisa joined ITB-MED in August 2023 and most recently come from a role as Head of CMC at Ilya Pharma AB.

Global CMC Regulatory Affairs, Associate Director

Lovisa Ringstad

Marsha Miller, MS, PhD joined ITBMed in July 2022 and brings nearly 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience in global regulatory affairs spanning all phases of drug development. Prior to joining ITBMed, she served as an Executive Director and Team Lead in global regulatory affairs at Bristol Myers Squibb providing strategic regulatory guidance and leadership to teams developing products in immunology, neurology and fibrosis.
Marsha has also held global regulatory positions with increasing responsibilities at Celgene, Sanofi and AstraZeneca in support of development activities and health authority approvals for products in a variety of therapeutic areas and indications including metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, rheumatology, and gastroenterology. Marsha holds a PhD in Pathology from the University of Pennsylvania, an MS in Chemistry from Lehigh University, and a BS in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Pittsburgh.

VP, Head of Regulatory Affairs

Marsha Miller

Michael Chrobok obtained his Ph.D. in Immunology and Cell Therapy from Karolinska Institutet in 2019, where he engineered genetically modified natural killer (NK) cells and advanced adoptive cell therapy protocols for multiple myeloma. Following his doctoral training, he expanded his scope at Karolinska Institutet’s preGMP facility, coordinating projects that established clinical-grade protocols for modifying primary human T cells. Subsequent roles as a consultant and scientist involved directing quality control assays, conducting validation assays, and integrating manufacturing processes for early-phase (I/II) clinical trials at both academic and industry sites.

Research Scientist 

Michael Chrobok

Michael Price has spent 40 years in investment banking (at Evercore, Lazard and Morgan Stanley) and has advised senior management and board of directors on strategic matters including corporate transactions.  He has been an active investor in many industries including biotechnology.
He received a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.  He sits on the board of trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and Rockefeller University. He created the Center for the Social Brain at Rockefeller.  He previously sat on several public company boards.

SVP of Strategy and Business Development

Michael J. Price

Mikael has an educational background in Biotechnology Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Prior to joining ITBMed, Mikael worked at a CRO, most recently as an IT Manager overseeing the company’s IT expansion from a start-up to a scale-up.

Head of IT

Mikael Holmqvist

Miriam Casacuberta holds a PhD in Biomedicine from the Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. Prior to joining ITB-MED in June 2023, Miriam worked in interventional studies in human parasitology, both in the Netherlands and Ivory Coast.

Miriam Casacuberta-Partal

Pallavi holds two Master of Science degrees: one in Drug Delivery from the London School of Pharmacy, UK, and another in Regulatory Affairs for Drugs, Biologics, and Medical Devices from Northeastern University, Boston, USA. Pallavi joined ITB-MED in 2023 with over six years of experience in clinical operations within study start-up and regulatory affairs, primarily at site and CRO levels. Before joining ITB-MED, Pallavi worked for Moffitt Cancer Center, ICON plc, and University College London.

Pallavi Purohit

Nick joined ITBMed in October 2019 with 10+ years of experience in clinical operations within clinical monitoring and trial management in both large CROs and small biopharmaceutical companies. Most recently Nick worked for Axsome Therapeutics as a Sr. Clinical Trial Manager where he was responsible for the oversight of several phase 2/3 programs.

Associate Director

Nick Hryciw

Paul Reiss Joined ITB-MED in August of 2023 and brings over 25 years of Project Management experience in all phases of drug development.  Prior to joining ITB-MED, Paul created the Project Management Office and led PM activities for Maia Biotechnology to manage the Pre-Clinical, non-Clinical, and Clinical activities of Phase 1-2 clinical trials for several cancer therapies.  Prior to Maia, Paul served as Clinical Project Lead at Taiho Oncology responsible for managing the execution of clinical trials which led to the successful NDA Submission and Approval of an anti-cancer medication to treat cholangiocarcinoma.
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Earlier in his career, Paul held Project Management roles in manufacturing, information technology, and Clinical Project Management at Merck and Johnson &amp; Johnson.  He received his Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from New York Institute of Technology, Masters of Science in Information Systems from Stevens Institute of Technology, and is a Project Management Institute Certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Director, Project Management

Paul Reiss

Peter Frank, M.Sc in engineering working over 15 years with CMC as Senior Scientist, production manager&amp;project manager. Previously positioned as CMC project Manager for DS&amp;DP in biologics including clinical trial manufacturing as well as constructing and implementing a commercial DS and aseptic DP manufacturing facility.

Head of CMC

Peter Frank

Sara holds a Master of Science degree in Biology from Linköpings university and have 15 years of experience from clinical research both from Pharmaceutical and CRO companies. Sara Joined ITB-MED in August 2023 and came from a role as director of clinical operations from a Biotech start-up company.

Sara Lavasani

Stefan Berg has broad experience from leading positions in the pharmaceutical industry, including drug discovery and development, and business development. He has previously served as Associate Director and Discovery Project Leader, AstraZeneca AB; Executive Vice President, Northern Light Pharmaceuticals AB; Project Director at Karolinska Institutet Science Park AB. Stefan has filed more than 40 patent applications and has authored around 15 publications and book chapters. Stefan has worked within different indications e.g immunology, cancer, neuroscience, psychology and pain.

Head of Supply Chain Management & Logistics and Founder

Stefan Berg

Susanne joined ITBMed in October 2018 and tends to HR &amp; Workplace matters within the organization. She is also responsible for handling the day-to-day operations in the Stockholm office. She has extensive experience from various administrative roles in different industries.

HR & Workplace Manager

Susanne Svärd

Terese joined ITBMed in 2022 as an Accountant, working mostly with Accounts Payables and Legal Administration. She has extensive experience from finance and administration from various industries, mainly in smaller and midsized companies in both the private as well as the public sector.

Accountant

Terese Bylund

The Board of Directors has extensive experience from business development, pharmaceutical development, investments and research.

About The Zelarion Group

Board Of Directors