Executive Team
Christopher P. Marshall, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Chris Marshall is an experienced entrepreneur. Dr. Marshall is Calder’s founder, director and Chef Executive Officer. Prior to Calder, Dr. Marshall was CEO of Ophidion, Inc., a nicotinic receptor company with technology licensed from The Rockefeller University/HHMI, and prior to Ophidion, he worked as a management consultant with Oliver Wyman & Company. He received his PhD in biomedical research from the Rockefeller University.
Chief Executive Officer
Chris Marshall is an experienced entrepreneur. Dr. Marshall is Calder’s founder, director and Chef Executive Officer. Prior to Calder, Dr. Marshall was CEO of Ophidion, Inc., a nicotinic receptor company with technology licensed from The Rockefeller University/HHMI, and prior to Ophidion, he worked as a management consultant with Oliver Wyman & Company. He received his PhD in biomedical research from the Rockefeller University.
Mark Yondola, Ph.D.
Director of Research
Dr. Yondola, brings an extensive background in molecular virology, immunogen design and protein biochemistry to his role as Director of Research at Calder Biosciences. Following his PhD, which focused on the biochemical and biophysical analysis of an adenoviral protein, Dr. Yondola continued to develop his skills in vaccine immunogen design as a post-doctoral researcher in the laboratory of Peter Palese, at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. At Mount Sinai, Dr. Yondola worked on the generation of broadly-cross-reactive anti-influenza antibodies, as well as the design of broadly-protective/universal influenza vaccine antigens, acquiring the expertise and knowhow that underpin his role in leading Calder’s research programs.
Director of Research
Dr. Yondola, brings an extensive background in molecular virology, immunogen design and protein biochemistry to his role as Director of Research at Calder Biosciences. Following his PhD, which focused on the biochemical and biophysical analysis of an adenoviral protein, Dr. Yondola continued to develop his skills in vaccine immunogen design as a post-doctoral researcher in the laboratory of Peter Palese, at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. At Mount Sinai, Dr. Yondola worked on the generation of broadly-cross-reactive anti-influenza antibodies, as well as the design of broadly-protective/universal influenza vaccine antigens, acquiring the expertise and knowhow that underpin his role in leading Calder’s research programs.
Advisors
Claudio Bertuccioli, Ph.D.
Strategic Advisor
Claudio Bertuccioli is an experienced biotech entrepreneur with an extensive track record of building and financing successful biotech startups. Claudio was a principal with Rho Ventures (www.rho.com) and a partner with Ascent Biomedical Ventures (www.abvlp.com), where he invested >$200MM into 20+ biotech and medical device companies and realized a number of successful exits. Select investments include: Gloucester Pharma (acquired by Celgene), Anacor Pharmaceuticals (ANAC, acquired by Pfizer), Senomyx (SNMX), Tercica (TRCA – acquired by Insmed), Inotek (ITEK), CARA Therapeutics (CARA) and Vanda Pharmaceuticals (VNDA). Dr. Bertuccioli received his PhD in biomedical research from the Rockefeller University.
Strategic Advisor
Claudio Bertuccioli is an experienced biotech entrepreneur with an extensive track record of building and financing successful biotech startups. Claudio was a principal with Rho Ventures (www.rho.com) and a partner with Ascent Biomedical Ventures (www.abvlp.com), where he invested >$200MM into 20+ biotech and medical device companies and realized a number of successful exits. Select investments include: Gloucester Pharma (acquired by Celgene), Anacor Pharmaceuticals (ANAC, acquired by Pfizer), Senomyx (SNMX), Tercica (TRCA – acquired by Insmed), Inotek (ITEK), CARA Therapeutics (CARA) and Vanda Pharmaceuticals (VNDA). Dr. Bertuccioli received his PhD in biomedical research from the Rockefeller University.
Barry Buckland, Ph.D.
Senior Process Consultant
Dr. Buckland is leading expert on vaccine manufacturing processes, having run Merck Vaccines manufacturing for 26 years. Dr. Buckland earned his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering at University College London. His career in the pharmaceutical industry includes leadership of Merck’s Bioprocess Research and Development Group, which saw the market launch of major vaccine products, including Gardasil®, Rotateq®, and Zostavax®. He is the recipient of numerous awards, among them the Donald Medal, UK Institute of Chemical Engineering in 2002, Prix Galien award as a member of the team that received the Vaccine Award for Gardasil in 2007, the Marvin Johnson award by ACS for lifetime contribution to Biotechnology in 2008, and the PhRMA Discoverer of the Year for development of the Merck HPV vaccine, in 2009.
Dr. Buckland has been the Chief Executive Officer of BiologicB, a consulting firm working with biotechnology and vaccine products, since 2009. He has also been a Visiting Professor at University College London since 1995.
Senior Process Consultant
Dr. Buckland is leading expert on vaccine manufacturing processes, having run Merck Vaccines manufacturing for 26 years. Dr. Buckland earned his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering at University College London. His career in the pharmaceutical industry includes leadership of Merck’s Bioprocess Research and Development Group, which saw the market launch of major vaccine products, including Gardasil®, Rotateq®, and Zostavax®. He is the recipient of numerous awards, among them the Donald Medal, UK Institute of Chemical Engineering in 2002, Prix Galien award as a member of the team that received the Vaccine Award for Gardasil in 2007, the Marvin Johnson award by ACS for lifetime contribution to Biotechnology in 2008, and the PhRMA Discoverer of the Year for development of the Merck HPV vaccine, in 2009.
Dr. Buckland has been the Chief Executive Officer of BiologicB, a consulting firm working with biotechnology and vaccine products, since 2009. He has also been a Visiting Professor at University College London since 1995.
Dr. Florian Schödel, M.D.
Dr. Schödel served as Vice President, Vaccines Clinical Research, at Merck Research Laboratories and has > 30 years of experience leading teams in the development of vaccines and biologics at pharmaceutical and biotech companies and at academic institutions. He has a track record in strategic planning, all steps of pre-clinical and clinical development, running scientific organizations, and forming international strategic partnerships and alliances. He has directed the design and execution of clinical studies for licensure, routinely interacts with national and international regulatory agencies, and has led the clinical teams responsible for several successful vaccine filings. Dr. Schödel’s passion is preventative medicine and the use of modern science and technology for the improvement of public health – especially in the development of vaccines.
Dr. Schödel served as Vice President, Vaccines Clinical Research, at Merck Research Laboratories and has > 30 years of experience leading teams in the development of vaccines and biologics at pharmaceutical and biotech companies and at academic institutions. He has a track record in strategic planning, all steps of pre-clinical and clinical development, running scientific organizations, and forming international strategic partnerships and alliances. He has directed the design and execution of clinical studies for licensure, routinely interacts with national and international regulatory agencies, and has led the clinical teams responsible for several successful vaccine filings. Dr. Schödel’s passion is preventative medicine and the use of modern science and technology for the improvement of public health – especially in the development of vaccines.
Jason McLellan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Molecular Biosciences
College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas, Austin
Dr. McLellan is a structural biologist whose lab focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions, particularly those involving viral fusion proteins, with a view to the development of novel vaccine immunogens. He solved the X-ray crystal structure of the prefusion conformation of the RSV F protein and continues to play a key role in the field of RSV preF immunogen design.
Dr. McLellan earned a BS in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry from Wayne State University and a PhD in biophysics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He carried out postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health's Vaccine Research Center before first joining the faculty at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in 2013 as Assistant Professor, and subsequently the University of Texas, Austin, as Associate Professor in 2018.
Click to read more about McLellan Laboratory.
Associate Professor of Molecular Biosciences
College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas, Austin
Dr. McLellan is a structural biologist whose lab focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions, particularly those involving viral fusion proteins, with a view to the development of novel vaccine immunogens. He solved the X-ray crystal structure of the prefusion conformation of the RSV F protein and continues to play a key role in the field of RSV preF immunogen design.
Dr. McLellan earned a BS in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry from Wayne State University and a PhD in biophysics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He carried out postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health's Vaccine Research Center before first joining the faculty at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in 2013 as Assistant Professor, and subsequently the University of Texas, Austin, as Associate Professor in 2018.
Click to read more about McLellan Laboratory.
Indresh Srivastava, Ph.D.
Vice President, Product Realization
Protein Sciences Corp., now Sanofi Pasteur
Dr. Srivastava joined Protein Sciences in 2012 as Vice President, Product Realization where he lead the manufacturing team that developed Flublok, the first licensed recombinant influenza vaccine product. Dr. Srivastava served on the NIH special emphasis study section focused on vaccine development for ten years, and in 2011 he co-edited the book, "Development of Vaccines: From Discovery to Clinical Testing."
Previously, Dr. Srivastava spent more than twelve years at Chiron Corporation/Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc. in various capacities, including Head (AI), Protein Biohemistry; Head, Vaccine Manufacturing; and Head, Protein Expression and Analytics.
Prior to joining the biotechnology industry, Dr. Srivastava was an Assistant Professor of Research in Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He holds a Ph.D. from the Kanpur University, India and completed his post-doctoral training with Prof. Luc Perrin at the Hospital Cantonal, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Vice President, Product Realization
Protein Sciences Corp., now Sanofi Pasteur
Dr. Srivastava joined Protein Sciences in 2012 as Vice President, Product Realization where he lead the manufacturing team that developed Flublok, the first licensed recombinant influenza vaccine product. Dr. Srivastava served on the NIH special emphasis study section focused on vaccine development for ten years, and in 2011 he co-edited the book, "Development of Vaccines: From Discovery to Clinical Testing."
Previously, Dr. Srivastava spent more than twelve years at Chiron Corporation/Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc. in various capacities, including Head (AI), Protein Biohemistry; Head, Vaccine Manufacturing; and Head, Protein Expression and Analytics.
Prior to joining the biotechnology industry, Dr. Srivastava was an Assistant Professor of Research in Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He holds a Ph.D. from the Kanpur University, India and completed his post-doctoral training with Prof. Luc Perrin at the Hospital Cantonal, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
James Crowe, M.D.
Director, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center.
Professor, Pediatrics, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Dr. Crowe is a leading vaccine researcher, with a specific focus on RSV, human metapneumovirus, rotavirus, HIV, influenza, and vaccinia. His lab focuses on studying the viral immunology and cell biology of key human viruses, with a view to developing novel vaccines.
Dr. Crowe received his MD degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also completed his pediatrics residency. Following his clinical training, Dr. Crowe received five years of post-doctoral training in the laboratory of Infectious Diseases at the NIH. He completed infectious diseases fellowship training in 1996 at Vanderbilt and has run an independent laboratory at Vanderbilt since that time.
In addition, Dr. Crowe directs two institutional core laboratories: the Human Immunology Core and the Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Core.
Click to read more about Crowe Lab.
Director, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center.
Professor, Pediatrics, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Dr. Crowe is a leading vaccine researcher, with a specific focus on RSV, human metapneumovirus, rotavirus, HIV, influenza, and vaccinia. His lab focuses on studying the viral immunology and cell biology of key human viruses, with a view to developing novel vaccines.
Dr. Crowe received his MD degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also completed his pediatrics residency. Following his clinical training, Dr. Crowe received five years of post-doctoral training in the laboratory of Infectious Diseases at the NIH. He completed infectious diseases fellowship training in 1996 at Vanderbilt and has run an independent laboratory at Vanderbilt since that time.
In addition, Dr. Crowe directs two institutional core laboratories: the Human Immunology Core and the Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Core.
Click to read more about Crowe Lab.
Kerry M. Empey, PharmD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pharmacy and Therapeutics
Dr. Empey conducts clinical and translational research aimed at understanding critical immune targets involved in inefficient neonatal host immune responses to pulmonary infections with the primary goal of improving disease outcomes through immune modulating therapies.
Dr. Empey received her PharmD from the University of Rhode Island and completed PGY1 and PGY2 residencies in Pharmacy Practice and Infectious Diseases at the University of Kentucky. She earned a PhD in Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Kentucky before accepting a faculty position at the University of Pittsburgh.
Click here to read more about the Empey Lab
Assistant Professor, Pharmacy and Therapeutics
Dr. Empey conducts clinical and translational research aimed at understanding critical immune targets involved in inefficient neonatal host immune responses to pulmonary infections with the primary goal of improving disease outcomes through immune modulating therapies.
Dr. Empey received her PharmD from the University of Rhode Island and completed PGY1 and PGY2 residencies in Pharmacy Practice and Infectious Diseases at the University of Kentucky. She earned a PhD in Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Kentucky before accepting a faculty position at the University of Pittsburgh.
Click here to read more about the Empey Lab
Profs Bonnie Blomberg, PhD and Daniela Frasca, PhD
Drs. Blomberg and Frasca are faculty at the University of Miami in the Department of Microbiology. Their research focuses on characterizing and defining the molecular and cellular defects that cause the aged immune system to mount diminished responses to vaccines, leaving the elderly poorly protected against infection. They have a particular focus on B lymphocytes because their intrinsic, age-related defects directly impact antibody responses to vaccines. Their research has led to the discovery of molecular and cellular biomarkers in mice and humans that predict the quality of the humoral response and that can now be used to reverse the negative effects of aging, improve antibody responses and better protect the elderly.
Drs. Blomberg and Frasca are faculty at the University of Miami in the Department of Microbiology. Their research focuses on characterizing and defining the molecular and cellular defects that cause the aged immune system to mount diminished responses to vaccines, leaving the elderly poorly protected against infection. They have a particular focus on B lymphocytes because their intrinsic, age-related defects directly impact antibody responses to vaccines. Their research has led to the discovery of molecular and cellular biomarkers in mice and humans that predict the quality of the humoral response and that can now be used to reverse the negative effects of aging, improve antibody responses and better protect the elderly.