Who We Are
Meet the Team
We're working to create better, safer medicines for all
Founding Story
What if we could program medicines to act only at the site of disease?
A commitment to pioneering programmable, addressable new drugs
Founded in 2021 at Flagship Labs, Ampersand is taking on one of the most vexing challenges in biotech: most medicines act wherever they encounter their binding target, inevitably increasing on-target/off-tissue toxicity and limiting effectiveness. We asked: What if we could identify unique cell surface features to serve as localizing drug targets?
The answer existed in the growing multi-omics-based characterization of human biology, where we found previously overlooked targets that could be used exclusively to localize medicines. These new targets enable intentional, controlled biodistribution exclusively where needed, opening the door to new medicines that eliminate on-target/off-tissue effects.
A Flagship Pioneering Company
Founding Team
Noubar Afeyan has dedicated his career to improving the human condition by systematically creating science-based innovations that serve as the foundation for startup companies. At Flagship Pioneering, which he founded in 2000, Noubar has created an enterprise where entrepreneurially minded scientists invent seemingly unreasonable solutions to challenges facing human health and sustainability. They begin by asking “What if?” and iterate toward the unexpected answer “It turns out,” resulting in the creation of first-in-category companies with significant impact. Flagship has fostered the development of more than 100 scientific ventures resulting in over $140 billion in aggregate value, thousands of patents and patent applications, and more than 50 drugs in clinical development.
During his career as inventor, entrepreneur, and CEO, Noubar has cofounded and helped build over 50 life science and technology startups. Prior to founding Flagship Pioneering, Noubar was the founder and CEO of PerSeptive Biosystems, a leader in bio-instrumentation that grew to $100 million in annual revenues. After PerSeptive’s acquisition by Perkin Elmer/Applera Corporation in 1998, he became senior vice president and chief business officer of Applera, where he initiated and oversaw the creation of Celera Genomics.
He is the co-founder and chairman of the board of Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), the pioneering messenger RNA vaccine company addressing the global COVID-19 pandemic, Omega Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OMGA), Generate Biomedicines, Tessera Therapeutics, and Laronde. He is also co-founder and board member of Rubius Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RUBY) and YourBio Health. Previously, he was a member of the founding team, director, and investor in highly successful ventures including Chemgenics Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Millenium Pharmaceuticals), Color Kinetics (acquired by Philips), Adnexus Therapeutics (acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb), and Affinnova (acquired by AC Nielsen).
Noubar entered biotechnology during its emergence as an academic field and industry, completing his doctoral work in biochemical engineering at MIT in 1987. He has written numerous scientific publications and is the inventor of over 100 patents. He was a senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management from 2000 to 2016, and a lecturer at Harvard Business School until 2020. He teaches and speaks around the world on topics ranging from entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development to biological engineering, new medicines, and renewable energy.
Noubar’s commitment to improving the human condition through science and business goes hand in hand with social investments and a global humanitarian initiative. Together with his partners, he has launched philanthropic projects including the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, FAST Foundation, and the UWC Dilijan School. Noubar is a member of the Corporation of MIT (the Institute’s governing body) and a member of the board of trustees for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Noubar was born in Beirut to Armenian parents in 1962, did his undergraduate work at McGill University in Montreal, and completed his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering at MIT in 1987. A passionate advocate of the contributions of immigrants to economic and scientific progress, Noubar received the Golden Door Award in 2017 from the International Institute of New England, in honor of his outstanding contributions to American society as a U.S citizen of foreign birth. He was also awarded a Great Immigrant honor from the Carnegie Corporation in 2016, received a Technology Pioneer award from the World Economic Forum in 2012, and was presented with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2008. In 2022, Noubar was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Avak Kahvejian, Ph.D. is a life sciences inventor, entrepreneur, and CEO who has co-founded more than ten companies. Since 2011, he has been a partner at Flagship Pioneering, where he leads a team to invent and launch new therapeutic platforms. His work has led to the creation of multiple high-value public and private companies including Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), the first microbiome therapy platform; Ring Therapeutics (revolutionizing gene therapy with its commensal virome platform); Cellarity (designing medicines against the cell as opposed to a single molecular target); Laronde (a predecessor to Sail Biomedicines which pioneered endless RNA – eRNA™ – a new class of programmable medicines capable of expressing therapeutic proteins inside the body); Generate Biomedicines (pioneering Generative Biology™ to create breakthrough medicines); ProFound Therapeutics (pioneering the expanded human proteome); Ampersand Biomedicines (designing and programming medicines to act only where needed); Abiologics (reimagining biologics with Synteins™, a new class of supranatural medicines); Cygnal Therapeutics (now part of Sonata Tx, a company designing therapeutics that reprogram diseased cells to become the coordinators of cure); Rubius Therapeutics (red blood cell therapeutics); and Codiak BioSciences (engineered exosome therapeutics).
Avak served as founding President and CEO of Rubius from 2013 to 2017, as co-CEO of Generate from 2018 to 2021, and as founding CEO of Cellarity (2017 to 2020), Laronde (2017 to 2020), Ring (2017 to 2020), ProFound (2020 to 2023), Ampersand (2021 to 2023), and Abiologics (2021 to present). He is on the boards of Cellarity, Sail, and Ring and Chairman of Ampersand and ProFound.
Prior to Flagship, Avak was Vice President of Business Development at Helicos BioSciences. In this role, he developed and commercialized the world’s first single molecule DNA sequencer.
Avak serves as the Chairman of the Board of the International Institute of New England, an institution which creates opportunities for refugees and immigrants to succeed through resettlement, education, career advancement and pathways to citizenship. He is also on the Board of Genome Canada, the Advisory Board of the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), and the McGill University Regional Advisory Board US.
Avak earned his Ph.D. and B.Sc. in Biochemistry from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Yann Echelard joined Flagship Pioneering in 2018, focusing on internal biotechnology innovation and venture creation. Prior to Flagship, Yann was president and CEO at rEVO Biologics, which developed and commercialized therapeutics for thromboembolic disorders and critical care. At rEVO Biologics (and its predecessors Genzyme Transgenics and GTC Biotherapeutics) since 1994, Yann was initially involved with technology development leading to the commercial application of somatic cell nuclear transfer technology in large animals and to the regulatory approval of ATryn®, the first transgenically-derived therapeutic. Later, his involvement in business and corporate development culminated in the eventual acquisition of GTC by LFB SA, the French plasma fractionator. In addition to his role at rEVO and LFB, Yann was also engaged in spinning-out several companies out of the LFB group, such as Hema Biologics (focused on bleeding disorders), LFB-USA (transgenic platform), and TG Therapeutics.
Yann earned his Ph.D. from Université de Montréal in the laboratory of Dr. Alexandre Sasarman, working on the genetic characterization of heme biosyntesis pathway. After initial postdoctoral training in oncology at the Ludwig Institute Montreal branch (McGill University), he was a visiting scientist in the laboratory of Andy McMahon at the Roche Institute and at Harvard University where he worked on the regulation of Wnt-1 and on the isolation and functional characterization of the Hedgehog genes, the first identified vertebrate morphogens.
Yann is currently a director at TG Therapeutics (NASDAQ:TGTX), a New York City based biotechnology company focused the B-cell malignancies and auto-immune disorders.
Raffi is a Co-Founder and the Chief Innovation Officer at Ampersand Biomedicines, as well as a Senior Principal at Flagship Pioneering. He joined Flagship in 2021 and works as part of a team exploring innovative ideas to create and grow bio-platform companies based on cutting edge science and technology.
Raffi was an entrepreneurial fellow at Flagship in 2014, and subsequently spent several years at Axcella Health, joining just before their Series B fundraise. He drove the innovative strategy that ultimately led to the creation of several of the company’s assets and the successful IPO in 2019. He then worked across both Cellarity and Generate Biomedicines as VP of Product Strategy and Innovation, focusing on exploring how their respective platforms could be applied to create value across potential program areas.
He is an author on several published scientific articles, patents and notably is an inventor of Axcella’s declared candidate drug currently in clinical development for liver disease and long-Covid.
Raffi earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, specializing in synthetic biology in Jim Collins’ lab. He earned a B.Eng in Chemical Engineering from McGill University.
Charlotte Nicod joined Flagship Pioneering in 2020 after completing the Flagship Pioneering Fellowship. Charlotte works with a team of entrepreneurial scientists to drive ventures from origination to value imagining, creating and advancing the next generation of Flagship’s multi-product bioplatform companies. Since joining Flagship Pioneering, Charlotte has co-founded ProFound Therapeutics, where she focused on building and integrating a proteomics team, and Ampersand biomedicines to design a novel class of medicines that act only where needed. She was also involved in co-founding two other projects still in stealth mode.
Charlotte earned her Ph.D. in Systems Biology from ETH Zurich in Professor Ruedi Aebersold’s laboratory. During her doctoral studies, she worked on developing and applying mass-spectrometry-based methods to investigate protein-protein interactions in the context of infectious diseases. This work, in collaboration with the Swiss Tropical Health Institute, focused on how Mycobacterium tuberculosis modulates host immunity by hijacking cellular pathways. While pursuing her academic research, Charlotte was also involved in multiple entrepreneurial activities including participating in startup contests and organizing entrepreneurial competitions in collaboration with MIT and the National University of Singapore.
Charlotte obtained her B.S. and M.S. in Biology and Molecular Health Sciences from the University of Lausanne and ETH Zurich. During her undergraduate studies, she also interned at Moderna Therapeutics.
Nick is a member of the Ampersand Biomedicines Founding Team and a Senior Principal at Flagship Pioneering. Nick joined Flagship in 2017 and works on a venture-creation team to found and grow companies based on unappreciated biologies and new biotechnologies.
At Flagship, Nick’s work has led to the creation of several Flagship Labs companies including Ring Therapeutics (revolutionizing gene therapy with its commensal virome platform), Cellarity (designing medicines against the cell as opposed to a single molecular target) and Laronde (pioneering endless RNA – eRNA™ – a new class of programmable medicines capable of expressing therapeutic proteins inside the body). As the former Chief Innovation Officer at Cellarity, he created and led the company’s Drug Design Studio to pioneer new cell-centric chemical design capabilities that leverage systems biology, single-cell technologies and machine learning.
Before joining Flagship, Nick received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Stanford, working with Chaitan Khosla as a part of the ChEM-H innovation hub. At Stanford, Nick built and used chemical biology tools to investigate the molecular pathophysiology of celiac disease. Nick completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business’s Ignite Program and holds a B.A. in chemistry and economics from Middlebury College.
Nick’s work has resulted in multiple patents and publications. Nick was honored in 2021 in Business Insiders’ list of 12 serial entrepreneurs building the next generation of biotech startups.
Leadership
Jason Gardner joined Ampersand Biomedicines as Chief Executive Officer and Flagship Pioneering as CEO-Partner in August 2023.
Jason has over two decades of leadership experience across pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, with deep expertise in drug discovery and development, and a successful track record in securing strategic partnerships, scaling companies, and building teams. He was most recently the CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Magenta Therapeutics. At Magenta, he led the company as it advanced key programs into the clinic, completed a successful IPO, and scaled to more than 100 employees.
Prior to his role at Magenta, he held multiple positions of increasing responsibility at GSK, including serving as the head of Research & Development in Boston, creating and leading the Regenerative Medicine Unit, and establishing partnerships with Harvard’s Stem Cell Institute and The Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy. In addition, Jason was head of the Center of Excellence for External Drug Discovery at GSK, where he led a team that oversaw more than 40 programs across five therapeutic areas. Prior to GSK, Jason was Associate Director at Progenics Pharmaceuticals and a Principal Scientist at Chiron Corporation.
Jason holds a B.A. and M.A. in Natural Sciences (Biochemistry) from Cambridge University and a D. Phil. in Molecular Medicine from Oxford University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship studying hematopoietic stem cells at Harvard Medical School.
Yann Echelard joined Flagship Pioneering in 2018, focusing on internal biotechnology innovation and venture creation. Prior to Flagship, Yann was president and CEO at rEVO Biologics, which developed and commercialized therapeutics for thromboembolic disorders and critical care. At rEVO Biologics (and its predecessors Genzyme Transgenics and GTC Biotherapeutics) since 1994, Yann was initially involved with technology development leading to the commercial application of somatic cell nuclear transfer technology in large animals and to the regulatory approval of ATryn®, the first transgenically-derived therapeutic. Later, his involvement in business and corporate development culminated in the eventual acquisition of GTC by LFB SA, the French plasma fractionator. In addition to his role at rEVO and LFB, Yann was also engaged in spinning-out several companies out of the LFB group, such as Hema Biologics (focused on bleeding disorders), LFB-USA (transgenic platform), and TG Therapeutics.
Yann earned his Ph.D. from Université de Montréal in the laboratory of Dr. Alexandre Sasarman, working on the genetic characterization of heme biosyntesis pathway. After initial postdoctoral training in oncology at the Ludwig Institute Montreal branch (McGill University), he was a visiting scientist in the laboratory of Andy McMahon at the Roche Institute and at Harvard University where he worked on the regulation of Wnt-1 and on the isolation and functional characterization of the Hedgehog genes, the first identified vertebrate morphogens.
Yann is currently a director at TG Therapeutics (NASDAQ:TGTX), a New York City based biotechnology company focused the B-cell malignancies and auto-immune disorders.
Daniël joined Ampersand in January 2022, and is currently Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). As CSO, he is responsible for all platform development efforts, the generation and implementation of company strategies and for coordinating all preclinical research efforts. He was previously Ampersand’s Chief Technology Officer. Daniël has extensive experience in pharmaceutical drug discovery and development at both large Pharma and biotech for a combined 19 years. Daniël has led multiple monoclonal antibody and small molecule drug development program teams at Merck, GSK and Cygnal Therapeutics. He has contributed to the delivery of two monoclonal antibody clinical candidates and four small molecule clinical candidates, several of which are currently being tested in human clinical trials. His research experience spans multiple disease areas, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, lysosomal storage diseases, and neurosciences.
Daniël received an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Amsterdam and received his Master’s degree with honors in Chemistry, with a specialization in Biochemistry from the same university. He studied the mechanism and evolution of RNA editing in Trypanosomes as part of his Ph.D. thesis work at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Amsterdam. He then worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, on enzyme replacement therapy for patients suffering from Fabry and Gaucher disease, both lysosomal storage disorders. Subsequently, he trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School in the laboratory of Dr. Hidde Ploegh, where he worked on viral immune evasion and glycoprotein maturation and ER-associated degradation.
Raffi is a Co-Founder and the Chief Innovation Officer at Ampersand Biomedicines, as well as a Senior Principal at Flagship Pioneering. He joined Flagship in 2021 and works as part of a team exploring innovative ideas to create and grow bio-platform companies based on cutting edge science and technology.
Raffi was an entrepreneurial fellow at Flagship in 2014, and subsequently spent several years at Axcella Health, joining just before their Series B fundraise. He drove the innovative strategy that ultimately led to the creation of several of the company’s assets and the successful IPO in 2019. He then worked across both Cellarity and Generate Biomedicines as VP of Product Strategy and Innovation, focusing on exploring how their respective platforms could be applied to create value across potential program areas.
He is an author on several published scientific articles, patents and notably is an inventor of Axcella’s declared candidate drug currently in clinical development for liver disease and long-Covid.
Raffi earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, specializing in synthetic biology in Jim Collins’ lab. He earned a B.Eng in Chemical Engineering from McGill University.
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Dr. Volker Lang has more than 20 years of experience in development and commercialization of biotechnology products, encompassing basic research, R&D, business development and licensing, as well as commercial operations and management. Prior to joining AbCheck, an Ampersand Biomedicines company, Volker served as Chief Business Officer of Affimed Therapeutics AG (now Affimed N.V.), AbCheck’s parent company. Previous positions include Vice President for Corporate Development at Scil Technology GmbH, where he successfully partnered the company’s technology portfolio with two major pharmaceutical companies. Volker was also Vice President of Business Development & Licensing at Pieris AG, where he successfully closed key strategic partnership deals. Prior to Pieris, Volker served as Chief Operating Officer at Cosmix GmbH and Biotech Manager at Fresenius Kabi AG, where he gained considerable CMC and production experience. Volker holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Braunschweig, Germany.
Advisors
Luciano Rossetti, M.D., is Flagship Pioneering’s Chief Medical Officer and the Head of Research & Development for Flagship’s newly formed initiative Pioneering Medicines.
Luciano joined Flagship in January 2021, and his leadership brings significant relationships, clinical expertise, and industry insight to both Flagship and Pioneering Medicines. With deep experience in global clinical development, he will provide expert advice and direction on clinical assets and play a pivotal role in ensuring R&D and clinical operations excellence across the Flagship ecosystem. As head of R&D for Pioneering Medicines, he will support Flagship Pioneering’s Executive Partner, Paul Biondi and the Pioneering Medicines Leadership Team in conceiving and building a portfolio of unique medicines sourced from the broad spectrum of scientific platforms within the Flagship ecosystem of companies.
Prior to joining Flagship, he served for six years as Global Head of Research & Development at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, where he led the R&D organization’s rigorous pipeline prioritization; delivered global therapeutic approvals across several cancer indications and in multiple sclerosis; and played a leading role in establishing and directing global strategic alliances. He previously served as Merck & Co. Senior Vice President, late-stage clinical development and before that was in charge of end-to-end R&D strategy across all therapeutic areas as head of Global Scientific Strategy.
Prior to joining Merck & Co. in 2006, Luciano spent 18 years in academic medicine as Professor of Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology and leader of the Diabetes Research & Training Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications in leading journals.
Luciano was a Post-Doctoral Fellow of Rome University Medical School and of Yale University Medical School. He holds a Doctorate in Medicine from the Trieste University Medical School, Italy.
Tony is a biotech entrepreneur and renowned immunologist, with more than 25 years of experience in drug discovery and development, spanning academia, early-stage biotechnology companies and global pharmaceutical organizations. Prior to Repertoire, he was the Co-Founder, President and CEO of Pandion Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel bi-specific antibody therapeutics to locally modulate the immune system in a number of autoimmune disorders. Prior to Pandion, Tony was a Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Pfizer, where he launched Pfizer’s Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI), a collaborative Research and Development model between Pfizer and premier academic medical centers, patient advocacy groups and the National Institute of Health. Before Pfizer, he was Vice President and Global Head of Respiratory, Inflammation, and Autoimmunity Research at Medimmune Biologics, a Division of AstraZeneca. Tony also has held leadership positions at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Glaxo Institute in Geneva.
Tony has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and holds 13 issued U.S. patents and more than 30 published patent applications. He speaks globally on his research and on collaborative approaches to drug development, and he served on the Scientific Advisory Boards of Children’s Hospital Boston Technology Development Fund and the Lupus Research Alliance in New York.
A graduate of King’s College, University of London, Tony was a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute Pasteur in Paris, National Jewish Centre for Immunology in Denver, and CIBA in Basel, Switzerland.
Dr. Steve Ritland brings 25+ years of experience in pharmaceutical research and development with success in leading high performing, clinical stage drug development programs from IND to successful NDA/BLA/MAAs, lifecycle management, product approvals and launch. He has had a strong focus on creating and successfully executing therapeutic area and project-level strategy in hematology, oncology, and inflammation / fibrosis. He brings practical drug development experience, including integration of cross-functional scientific, clinical, regulatory, supply chain, and commercial strategies, as well as leading partnered programs.
Steve was previously VP of Global Drug Development Hematology at BMS/Celgene and Executive Director of Pharma Business Oncology at Roche Pharmaceuticals. Steve received his PhD in cancer biology from the Mayo Clinic and his MBA from Columbia University Business School.
Dr. Roland Baron received his DDS and his PhD in oral biology at the University of Paris (France). Upon receiving his degrees, Dr. Baron remained at the University of Paris, where he went on to become a member of the dental faculty. He was first appointed as an assistant professor in physiology, was soon promoted to an associate professor of physiology, and became chief of the Physiology Section. Dr. Baron has taken office as the new president of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), the world’s leading scientific organization for bone health research. Dr. Baron will serve as President of ASBMR until October 2015.
In 1975, Dr. Baron began a long career at Yale University School of Medicine. He held several positions at Yale, beginning as an assistant professor in pathology. He soon moved to the Department of Internal Medicine and Cell Biology and climbed through the ranks to eventually become a tenured full professor. In 2008, he left Yale to become the chair of the Department of Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. In addition to being chair, Dr. Baron is also a professor of oral medicine, infection, and immunity and a professor of internal medicine at Harvard Medical School and at the Endocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Baron is the founder and current editor-in-chief of Bone, the Official Journal of the International Bone and Mineral Society. Between 1994 and 2002, he also held the position of vice president and head of the Bone Diseases Group at Hoechst Marion Roussel and then Aventis. In 2002 he founded ProSkelia, a small pharmaceutical company devoted to the discovery and development of new drugs for bone and hormonal dependent diseases. He held the positions of president and chief scientific officer of ProSkelia and then ProStrakan, a merger between ProSkelia and Strakan, until April 2006.
Dr. Baron has published more than 250 scientific papers in the field of bone cell and molecular biology. He has also received numerous awards during his career, including the Thesis Prize, Silver Medal, Laureate of Paris V University for the PhD Thesis in 1972; MERIT Award, National Institutes of Health, NIDR, NIH, in 1993; Seymour J. Kreshover Lecture Award, NIDR, NIH, in 1997; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science travel grant in 2002; Louis V. Avioli Founders Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, in 2002; Doctor Honoris Causa, University René Descartes, Paris, France, also in 2002; and D. Harold Copp Award in Basic Research, International Bone and Mineral Society, Geneva, Switzerland, in 2005. He was a member of the Council of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research from 1991 to 1994 and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the International Bone and Mineral Society since 1995. Dr. Baron was elected president of the European Calcified Tissue Society in 2007.
Steve is an experienced and innovative leader of pharmaceutical Research and Development organizations. Most recently, Steve was Chief Research and Development Officer at Nektar Therapeutics where he led all aspects of Research and Clinical Development. Previously, he served as VP Research at FivePrime Therapeutics. Steve led the transition of FivePrime from a focus on its platform technology to its first clinical trial programs, setting the organization up for its IPO and eventual acquisition. Earlier, as VP Research at Xencor, he led the evolution of the company into next-generation antibody discovery and development.
Steve holds a BSChE from the University of Delaware in Chemical Engineering, and a PhD in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he studied in the laboratory of Dr. Thomas D. Pollard. He completed postdoctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley with Dr. Corey S. Goodman. Steve sits on the Board of Directors of Forte Biosciences, and served on the Board of Directors of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals prior to the company’s acquisition by Novo Nordisk. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Nektar India. Steve is a member of the University of Delaware Biopharma Advisory Board.
