The team behind Cryptyx Bioscience.
Mohammad R. Seyedsayamdost, Ph.D.
CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Dr. Mohammad Seyedsayamdost was trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School before joining Princeton University in 2013 as an Assistant Professor. In 2021, he was promoted to Professor of Chemistry and Molecular Biology. Mo is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a MacArthur "Genius" Award in 2020.
Brett Covington, Ph.D.
CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER
Dr. Brett Covington obtained his PhD in Chemistry from Vanderbilt University where he received extensive training in natural product discovery, isolation, and characterization. Brett is passionate about natural product discovery and is currently developing new methods to unlock the hidden arsenal of biologically active molecules yet to be discovered from bacteria.
Jennifer Levine
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Jennifer Levine obtained her MBA from Rutgers University in Pharmaceutical Chemical Studies. She spent many years in the pharmaceutical industry both at the corporate level and in sales. Since 2018, Jennifer has worked with Dr. Seyedsayamdost at Princeton University and, since 2021, at Cryptyx Bioscience. She brings substantial experience in budget management and forecasting, communications, and grants/financial management.
Vanessa Ying
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Vanessa Ying obtained a B.S. in Chemistry from University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has expertise in isolation and total synthesis of natural products and drug leads.
At Cryptyx Bioscience, Vanessa is identifying new cryptic metabolite drug leads and scaling up production for further development.
Ximing Li, Ph.D.
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Dr. Ximing Li obtained his PhD in Organic Chemistry from Princeton University and MS in Physical Chemistry from University of Washington. With knowledge of total synthesis, he is dedicated to large-scale isolation and synthesis of cryptic metabolites with therapeutic potential.
Bonnie Bassler, Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
Dr. Bonnie Bassler is the Squibb Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. She has pioneered the field of bacterial quorum sensing, a cell-to-cell communication system in bacteria. Bonnie has received numerous awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship (2002), the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences (2009), the Richard Lounsbery Award (2011), the L’Oreal-UNESCO Award (2012), and the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize (2016).
Chari Smith, Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
Dr. Chari Smith is currently the VP of R&D in Metabolic Disease at Kriya Therapeutics and a consultant with biotech companies and universities on translational science. Prior to her current role, she worked at Glaxo Smith Kline focusing on cell biology and cellular biochemistry to help discover and develop numerous drugs. Additionally, she served as Biology Leader for GSK's Discovery Partnerships with Academia where she fostered collaborative partnerships with academia, focused on early stage drug discovery.
Robert Dobbins, M.D.
CLINICAL ADVISOR
Dr. Robert Dobbins is a physician scientist trained at Vanderbilt University's Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics. He has experience in early and late phase development for new drugs targeting indications in diabetes, obesity, neurosciences and liver disease. Robert brings a unique combination of technical expertise, clinical experience, and project leadership skills to drive planning and execution of clinical development.
Jon Clardy, Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
Dr. Jon Clardy is currently the Hsien Wu and Daisy Yen Wu Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School. His work has impacted every area of natural product research, and he has pioneered numerous directions, including discovery of new classes of natural products, their macromolecular targets, and their roles in biology and medicine.
Chari Smith, Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
Dr. Chari Smith is currently the VP of R&D in Metabolic Disease at Kriya Therapeutics and a consultant with biotech companies and universities on translational science. Prior to her current role, she worked at Glaxo Smith Kline focusing on cell biology and cellular biochemistry to help discover and develop numerous drugs. Additionally, she served as Biology Leader for GSK's Discovery Partnerships with Academia where she fostered collaborative partnerships with academia, focused on early stage drug discovery.
Robert Dobbins, M.D.
CLINICAL ADVISOR
Dr. Robert Dobbins is a physician scientist trained at Vanderbilt University's Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics. He has experience in early and late phase development for new drugs targeting indications in diabetes, obesity, neurosciences and liver disease. Robert brings a unique combination of technical expertise, clinical experience, and project leadership skills to drive planning and execution of clinical development.