Meet the team

Raphaël is a pharma/biotech executive with more than 25 years of commercial, drug development, product lifecycle, and strategy expertise. Throughout his career, he has developed extensive expertise in oncology/hematology, immuno-oncology, and cell therapy as a result of his recognized leadership skills in strategy and operations.
Raphaël has a master’s degree and a DEA (master’s) of physiology and neurosciences from the Universities of Bordeaux I and II and a master’s of business administration in strategic marketing and enterprise management from the Institut d’Administration des Entreprises (IAE) of Tours University.
Besides fighting cancer, his passions are vintage wines, playing music in his family band, pushing himself rock climbing with his wife, and traveling the world with friends and family.

Hank has extensive experience in the development of new approaches to chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) and CAR natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapy from discovery to translation in the clinic from his work as a scientist and executive at Bellicum Pharmaceuticals. Previously he was an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. He received his PhD in molecular biology from Princeton University and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Simon has published more than 230 papers in virology and cancer. Working with Luc Montagnier, he was first to sequence the genome of the AIDS virus HIV. He holds patents for the AIDS virus and 10 others. In addition to co-founding NKILT Therapeutics, he is a co-founder of Invectys, a US biotech company vaccinating against cancer. Simon received his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Oxford and completed postdoctoral work in immunology at the Weizmann Institute. He was a tenured researcher, then professor, at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. He is an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), the Academia Europaea, and the US National Academy of Inventors. His accolades include Laureate, André Lwoff Prize; Laureate, Athena Prize, French Academy of Sciences; Officier de la Légion d’Honneur; and Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

With over 2 decades of experience, Chris comes with a deep industry knowledge, creative problem-solving skills, and a wealth of experience as a seasoned consultant and executive recruiter. By collaborating closely with executives and startup teams, she contributed to the creation of strong and thriving companies, thanks to an extensive network among key pharma/biotech executives, investors, academics, and other major stakeholders. She is highly skilled in assembling effective boards and executive teams.
Previously, she was a partner at Heritage Partners, spent 10 years as Life Sciences Practice Leader in an executive search firm, and held positions in marketing, alliance management, chief of staff, and corporate/business development.
Besides her role at NKILT Therapeutics, Chris is on the advisory board of Springhood Ventures, a board member at IES Life Sciences, and a committee member of Music Beats Cancer.

MyLinh has over 8 years of experience in the field of cell and gene therapy from her work on CAR-T and CAR-NK cells with Bellicum Pharma and NKILT Therapeutics. She produced numerous publications, and she was the key developer of dual-switch CAR-T cell and CAR-NK cell technology. MyLinh leads our lab as a principal scientist and has significantly contributed to the initial constructs developed by NKILT Therapeutics. She has a BS in biochemistry and cell biology from Rice University, completed her PhD training in cancer biology from The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Baylor College of Medicine.

Jihyun is a highly enthusiastic and experienced cancer research scientist in the field of immunotherapy based on engineered immune cells (T and NK) and gene editing. During her postdoctoral fellowship, she extensively worked on oncogenic molecular events within triple-negative breast cancer. She earned a master’s degree in animal health and biomedical science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then completed a PhD from The University of Texas at Austin in cell and molecular biology. She was a postdoctoral fellow for 5 years at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Raphaël is a pharma/biotech executive with more than 25 years of commercial, drug development, product lifecycle, and strategy expertise. Throughout his career, he has developed extensive expertise in oncology/hematology, immuno-oncology, and cell therapy as a result of his recognized leadership skills in strategy and operations.
Raphaël has a master’s degree and a DEA (master’s) of physiology and neurosciences from the Universities of Bordeaux I and II and a master’s of business administration in strategic marketing and enterprise management from the Institut d’Administration des Entreprises (IAE) of Tours University.
Besides fighting cancer, his passions are vintage wines, playing music in his family band, pushing himself rock climbing with his wife, and traveling the world with friends and family.

Carlos, senior vice president and chief commercial officer at Rocket Pharmaceuticals, is responsible for leading the development of commercial strategy, building a best-in-class commercial organization, and working closely with research & development, technical operations, and other key functions to ensure the successful launch of Rocket’s breakthrough gene therapies.
Before joining Rocket in April 2021, Carlos served as the US commercial head of Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA), a Novartis Company. His responsibilities included leading commercial strategy and new product launches as well as transforming their go-to-market model. While at Novartis, Carlos held roles of increasing responsibility across the US, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. He brings extensive global and local experience in commercial strategy and operations across various modalities and disease areas, including oncology, cardiovascular, metabolism, and complex therapeutics.
Carlos holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Esade and the Polytechnic University of Barcelona, Spain, and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. He is deeply passionate about extending and improving patients’ lives through scientific and technological advancements.

Hank has extensive experience in the development of new approaches to chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) and CAR natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapy from discovery to translation in the clinic from his work as a scientist and executive at Bellicum Pharmaceuticals. Previously he was an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. He received his PhD in molecular biology from Princeton University and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Simon has published more than 230 papers in virology and cancer. Working with Luc Montagnier, he was first to sequence the genome of the AIDS virus HIV. He holds patents for the AIDS virus and 10 others. In addition to co-founding NKILT Therapeutics, he is a co-founder of Invectys, a US biotech company vaccinating against cancer. Simon received his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Oxford and completed postdoctoral work in immunology at the Weizmann Institute. He was a tenured researcher, then professor, at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. He is an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), the Academia Europaea, and the US National Academy of Inventors. His accolades include Laureate, André Lwoff Prize; Laureate, Athena Prize, French Academy of Sciences; Officier de la Légion d’Honneur; and Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of Pennsylvania
ChairmanDr. Gill received training in clinical hematology in his native Australia, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. Since 2011, he has been working on the development of genetically engineered immune cells for cancer treatment. Dr. Gill is a physician-scientist who places strong emphasis on translational research; concepts developed in his laboratory have already led to several clinical trials for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. He specializes in treating patients with leukemia and performing bone marrow transplantation. Furthermore, he has led clinical trials involving CAR-T cells for chronic and acute leukemias.
With a research laboratory focused on the interface between adoptive cellular therapy and genetic engineering, Dr. Gill stands as a foremost innovator in the field of cell and gene therapy. This is evident through his status as one of the most prolific patent inventors globally in the field and his creation of 2 biotherapeutics companies: Carisma Therapeutics, a developer of macrophage-based cellular therapeutics, and Interius BioTherapeutics, which is focused on in vivo delivery of gene therapies. Through his tireless efforts and exceptional achievements, Dr. Gill continues to push the boundaries of scientific knowledge and make significant contributions to the field of cancer treatment.

Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Center for Cell & Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine
MemberDr. Mamonkin received a PhD and postdoctoral training from Baylor College of Medicine, where he is leading a team focused on preclinical, manufacturing, and translational development of highly innovative engineered T-cell therapies for hematologic malignancies and alloimmunity.
Dr. Mamonkin’s research has yielded significant outcomes, including the initiation of 4 phase 1 clinical trials in leukemia and lymphoma, both in collaboration with academic institutions and sponsored by the industry. Additionally, his work has resulted in the licensing of multiple patents to biotech companies. With his expertise and contributions to the field, Dr. Mamonkin plays a vital role in advancing the understanding and application of engineered T-cell therapies, bringing new hope for patients with hematologic malignancies and alloimmune disorders.

Hank has extensive experience in the development of new approaches to chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) and CAR natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapy from discovery to translation in the clinic from his work as a scientist and executive at Bellicum Pharmaceuticals. Previously he was an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. He received his PhD in molecular biology from Princeton University and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Simon has published more than 230 papers in virology and cancer. Working with Luc Montagnier, he was first to sequence the genome of the AIDS virus HIV. He holds patents for the AIDS virus and 10 others. In addition to co-founding NKILT Therapeutics, he is a co-founder of Invectys, a US biotech company vaccinating against cancer. Simon received his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Oxford and completed postdoctoral work in immunology at the Weizmann Institute. He was a tenured researcher, then professor, at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. He is an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), the Academia Europaea, and the US National Academy of Inventors. His accolades include Laureate, André Lwoff Prize; Laureate, Athena Prize, French Academy of Sciences; Officier de la Légion d’Honneur; and Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
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