Jennifer Manning, MPA
Founder CEO
Jennifer is the Founding CEO of KOMO BIOSCIENCES and Venture Partner at Genesis BioCapital. She is a seasoned commercial executive, strategic advisor, and biotech entrepreneur with 28 years of experience in startup Biotech, Large Pharma, and Contract Development and Manufacturing.
Most recently, she served as Chief Commercial Officer of BioCentriq and previously served as Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Partnerships at the Center for Breakthrough Medicines and Executive Director, Commercial Development, North America at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies.
Jennifer brings a wealth of commercial experience to KOMO BIOSCIENCES from working for some of the world’s most respected companies, including Lonza, AbbVie, and Human Genome Sciences, and as a Strategic Advisory Board member for Kyttaro Therapeutics.
Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from Clemson University and a Master of Public Administration in Health Policy and Management from New York University. She is a four-time cancer survivor, avid yogi, and nature lover who enjoys running, reading, traveling, and writing.
Thomas Page, PhD
Acting CTO
Dr. Thomas Page has over 35 years of Life Sciences experience in biotechnology and CDMO companies supporting product and process development, operations, engineering, and business development. His product expertise includes blood-based products, vaccines, recombinant proteins, mAbs, and advanced therapy medicinal products. Dr. Page has led the design, construction, validation, and operations for over $1 Billion in assets in both the public and private sector over the course of his career. He has numerous patents and publications and is passionate about enabling faster, better, cheaper responses to pandemics and emerging threats and supporting the next generation of bioprocess technologies, biotechnologists and biotechnology hubs.
Matt Farabaugh
Acting CFO
Matt Farabaugh is a strategic, results-oriented leader with nearly 25 years of experience in clinical development, manufacturing, and finance, focusing on advanced therapies (cell and gene therapy, immunology, oncology, and infectious disease). His career highlights include significant capital raising and operations management in the advanced therapy space.
He recently led a successful $500 million capital raise with the parent company SK Pharmteco and a $350 million Series A capital raise as a founding member of The Center for Breakthrough Medicines. Previously, Matt managed a $100 million P&L in advanced therapy manufacturing at WuXi Advanced Therapies and helped prepare for their IPO.
Matt was a key member of the UPENN-Novartis team focused on the FDA approval of the CAR T cell therapy, Kymriah. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Duquesne University, a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology, and an Executive Business Administration program certification from the University of Pennsylvania.
Jesse B. Owens, PhD
Acting CSA
Dr. Jesse B. Owens is an Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaii specializing in genome engineering vectors. Dr. Owens has published proof-of-concept technologies demonstrating transposase targeting to the human genome. Recently, Dr. Owens has focused on using laboratory evolution to improve the efficiency of large serine integrases.
Dr. Owens splits his lab into two methods for improving gene editing vectors: rational design and directed evolution. Using enzyme structure as a guide, molecular engineering efforts are underway in his lab to improve the specificity and efficiency of targetable recombinases. Additionally, his team uses evolution to discover unknown beneficial mutations and novel mechanisms.
Dr. Owens studied at the University of California—Santa Cruz and the University of Hawaii, where he is now a faculty member of the Cell and Molecular Biology Department.
Raised in Hawaii, he is an avid outdoorsman and loves hiking, kayaking, sailing, foiling, and rappelling down waterfalls.
His recent success in generating record-breaking hyperactive integrases inspired the founding of KOMO BIOSCIENCES. Dr. Owens, along with his team, are excited to transform cell-based manufacturing of biologics and advanced therapies using this novel technology.
Ray Tabibiazar, MD
Chairman of the board
Dr. Tabibiazar is a Managing Partner at Genesis BioCapital. He is a seasoned executive with leadership experience in the healthcare and biopharma industry, including venture capital, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and life sciences. As a clinician-entrepreneur turned investor, Ray’s efforts have focused on creating new ventures in the form of new companies or spinouts to translate innovative science into commercially viable products.
Throughout his venture capital and finance experience, Ray has also evaluated and managed novel technologies and investment opportunities and founded several successful new ventures. A select list of companies Ray has been involved with include Trusted Health Advisors, SalioGen Therapeutics, Aravive Biologics, Twist Biosciences, Twist BioPharma, VIA Pharmaceutics (later became Madrigal Pharmaceuticals), and Bay City Capital.
Before moving to the industry, Dr. Tabibiazar was a practicing cardiologist and an adjunct faculty member at Stanford University, having trained as a physician-scientist at Harvard Medical School and a cardiologist at Stanford Medical Center. He has recently published a new book called “The Secrets of Ordinary Heroes,” about the multi-generational odyssey of an Iranian-Jewish family and their escape from Khomeini’s Revolution to Israel and redemption in America.