Sanjana Manja is a Principal Associate Scientist within the Translational Biology Team at Strand Therapeutics. In her role, she will be executing in vivo and ex vivo oncology studies to support pre-clinical development efforts. She will also be executing multiparameter spectral flow cytometry assays to analyze the response of immune cells for drug discovery. Prior to Strand, Sanjana was a Senior Research Associate at SQZ Biotechnologies, where she worked on developing mRNA-based cell therapy for HPV-16 positive tumors. Being a key contributor in IND-enabling studies at her previous company, she brings extensive expertise in cell and product characterization via Flow cytometry along with other luminescent/ luciferase-based assays. She is experienced in designing and performing functional assays to characterize immune cells. She also brings 4+ years of experience in in vivo handling, rodent behavior studies, as well as ex vivo studies. Sanjana received her Master’s in Biotechnology with a Thesis track from University of Central Florida and holds a Bachelor’s in Biotechnology Engineering.
Sarah is a Senior Scientist leading Vector Engineering efforts at Strand Therapeutics. Driven by an interest in how parts work together, whether in a biological system or a research team, Sarah works with other members of the Molecular Biology department to develop Strand’s mRNA vector toolkit. Prior to joining Strand Therapeutics, Sarah was a Siebel Scholar and NSF Graduate Research Fellow at MIT, where she received her Ph.D. in Biological Engineering. At MIT, Sarah’s research focused on microbial systems biology, using genetic and metabolic perturbations to understand and ultimately enhance antibiotic efficacy. Sarah received her B.S. from the University of Minnesota in Biomedical Engineering.
Shari Thomas is the Vice President of Clinical Operations at Strand Therapeutics. With nearly three decades of extensive experience in Oncology Clinical Trial Research, Shari has established herself as a seasoned professional in the field. Her career began as a lab technician in the Army, where she supported the renowned Walter Reed Army Hospital. Over the years, Shari has taken on various pivotal roles, and her expertise is backed by her work with prestigious institutions such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Her experience also extends to large pharma, mid-sized companies, as well as small biotech firms. Shari holds a master’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Maryland and dual B.A/B.S. degrees in Sociology and Psychology from Mary Baldwin College.
Shivani Gaikwad is a Senior Associate Scientist in the LNP Discovery group. She has experience working with mRNA nanoparticles. She is looking forward to contributing and learning more along the way. Her internship at Cipla Research and Development and the undergraduate research have been the driving force in her career path. She received her M.S. degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Mumbai.
Subhawana Subba is an Associate Scientist I in the Bioanalytical Sciences group. She holds a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Northeastern University in Boston. Previously, Subhawana worked as a bioanalytical co-op at Strand. She has worked as a graduate student researcher at Dr. Amiji’s lab at Northeastern University on the oral gene delivery project. She has a Bachelor of Engineering in Biotechnology and transitioned from her role as an R&D Associate in sustainable agriculture to pursue her passion for innovative science that improves patient health and quality of life.
Sushmit is an Associate Scientist in Strand Therapeutics’ mRNA Process Development Team, focusing on mRNA production and process optimization. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Mumbai and a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery from Northeastern University, Boston. His background includes significant experience at Moderna in their RNA Process Development team, where he developed next-generation processes and improved process robustness. Sushmit has over two years of experience in Downstream Process Development and Purification and is committed to leveraging his skills and experience to drive innovation and efficiency in mRNA production at Strand Therapeutics.
Tej is an Associate Scientist of Analytical Operations who received a Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Science with concentration in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery from Northeastern University. Before Strand, Tej worked at Moderna running and optimizing plate and HPLC-based assays. Tej is excitedly looking forward to contributing to amazing science and learning through her career.
Weiyu is a Principal Scientist in the LNP discovery group at Strand Therapeutics. Her research expertise involves the development of functional drug/gene delivery systems. Weiyu received her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Ohio State University, where she worked on developing lipid nanoparticles for mRNA based therapeutics. She also holds an M.S. degree in Pharmaceutics and a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from Peking University Health Science Center. Weiyu has authored and co-authored peer-reviewed publications in journals, such as Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Cancer, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Science Advances, and Chemical Science and Biomaterials.
Wuhbet is a Senior Associate Manager, In Vivo Discovery at Strand Therapeutics. She is an experienced researcher with a demonstrated history of contributing to the development of novel vaccine platforms. Her primary focus as a former member of the Irvine Lab in the Koch Institute at MIT was targeted and temporally controlled delivery of cancer immunotherapies and HIV vaccines. Her background includes extensive experience as Environmental Health and Safety personnel to ensure compliance of lab practices, a certificate in Biomedical Laboratory Sciences from Boston University, and B.S. in Biology from University Of Asmara.
Zach Webb is an Associate Scientist of Process Development and he is working cross-functionally to support mRNA production and LNP Formulation scale up efforts. Zach completed his B.S. in Biochemistry at Northeastern University in 2023. During his time at Northeastern he completed two co-ops in process development, one at Wave Life Sciences and the second here at Strand.
