ReConstruct

Dr. Luba Perry, Sr Staff Scientist, Wyss Institute

Harvard's Office of Technology Development and LabCentral invite you to the latest event in the Guppy Tank series, where Harvard life-science innovators will pitch their early-stage concepts to a panel of entrepreneurs and investors for constructive, in-depth feedback.

Please join us on Tuesday, May 7, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at LabCentral to hear the presentation, learn from experts on startup formation, and participate in giving audience feedback. The event is accompanied by a reception with food and drinks. All are welcome!

Dr. Luba Perry will be presenting a transformative approach to breast reconstruction, providing breast cancer survivors with a safer, more natural recovery option. This technology was developed out of Lewis Lab at Wyss Institute in collaboration with Prof. Christopher Chen at Boston University.

Drs. Perry welcomes constructive feedback from the Guppy Tank panelists, and from the audience, on the commercialization strategy for their innovation.

About The Project:

ReConstruct is a pioneering tissue therapeutic technology, initially targeting breast reconstruction for cancer survivors. Leveraging Harvard University's expertise and backed by successful proof-of-concept studies in small animals, ReConstruct is progressing to large animal trials, aiming to revolutionize reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries and set new standards in tissue restoration. Our innovative adipose tissue technology, utilizing customized vascularized fat tissues, provides a safer, more natural, and long-lasting alternative to current methods like artificial implants or autologous tissue flaps, which carry significant health risks and complications. Beyond breast reconstruction, our technology has potential applications in various reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries, as well as in treating metabolic disorders.

The Panel:

Yelena Wetherill - Venture Fellow & Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Santé Accel

Cassidy Blundell - Partner at MissionBio Capital

Darshana Zaveri - Managing Partner at Catalyst Health Ventures

Jenna Aronson - Principal at Two Bear Capital

About the Speaker:

Luba Perry has been working at the 3D Organ Engineering Initiative since 2018 and is leading a Wyss Validation Project aiming to fabricate vascularized functional tissues for transplantation. Her interest is in tissue and organ engineering, focusing on vascularization and implantation studies utilizing complex surgical models. Her background is in molecular biology, pharmacology, and biomedical engineering. Luba also has industry experience in a vascular gene therapy company (MGVS, now VESSL Therapeutics).

About the Panel:

Yelena Wetherill is a Venture Fellow / entrepreneur-in-residence at Santé Accel, a Santé start-up incubator. Yelena is passionate about bringing together business, strategy, and scientific innovation to make an impact on developing life-changing therapeutics. She is thrilled about the opportunity to work with the Santé team on translating scientific advances into potentially transformative medicines for devastating diseases. Yelena will focus on ideating new companies developing novel therapeutic approaches.

Prior to joining Santé, Yelena spent nearly six years at Novartis Institutes of BioMedical Research (now known as Novartis Biomedical Research) in Cambridge, MA, in the Business Development & Licensing Alliance Management team where she was responsible for structuring strategic alliances and managing early clinical stage/research strategic collaborations, with a wide range of biotech partners across therapeutic areas and stages of development (discovery stage to clinical assets). Prior to Novartis, Yelena worked for 10+ years in a variety of diverse roles with increasing responsibilities in clinical development, regulatory and scientific affairs, clinical sciences, and R&D in biotech and pharma with a focus on oncology, contributing to regulatory approvals of several novel cancer therapies.

Throughout her career and outside of work, Yelena is dedicated to promoting women in STEM careers. Yelena served on the board of directors of the Boston-based non-profit Women in the Enterprise of Science & Technology (WEST) and mentored junior scientists at Novartis.

Yelena earned her PhD in molecular cancer biology from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine under Dr. Karen E. Knudsen and completed undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh Honors College. Yelena received the NIH National Research Service Award, AACR Scholar-in-Training Award and Susan G. Komen for the Cure Fellowship for her post-doctorate studies at the Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center in Boston, MA.

---

Jenna Aronson is a Principal at Two Bear Capital where she is focused on investments in innovative life sciences therapeutics companies. Early in her career she was a researcher in the Genetics & Aging research unit of the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, working under Dr. Rudy Tanzi developing 3D human neural stem cell models of Alzheimer's disease. She completed her PhD in the Brain & Cognitive Sciences Department at MIT, advised by Dr. Ed Boyden in The McGovern Institute for Brain Research, developing biotechnology platforms for enhanced resolution into clinical samples including brain tissue and liquid biopsies with applications in cancer and neurodegeneration. Her doctoral training was supported by fellowships from the Singleton Foundation and Center for Neurobiological Engineering as well as a Koch Frontiers Award. During her time on campus she took coursework and was on the teaching team at MIT Sloan School of Management. Passionate about biotech innovation, Jenna enjoys supporting MIT entrepreneurs as a Sandbox Innovation Fund Mentor, formerly served on the executive board of the MIT Biotech Group as VP of Finance, was co-President of Nucleate, a leader of the MIT Global Startup Workshop, and was a former member of the executive board of GapSummit.

---

Cassidy Blundell, PhD is a Partner at Mission BioCapital based in Cambridge, MA. At Mission BioCapital, she focuses on investments in early-stage biotechnology companies as well as company building with interim operational roles at MBC portfolio companies. She is a Board Director at Volnay Therapeutics and ARase Therapeutics and a Board Observer at Mediar Therapeutics. Before joining the firm as an analyst in 2018, Cassidy completed her graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania in the HHMI Interfaces program. Cassidy holds a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, where she was a member of the Tau Beta Pi Honor Society.

---

Darshana Zaveri is a Founder and Managing Partner of Catalyst Health Ventures (CHV). She is actively involved in all aspects of fund management including investments and capital raising and has led several investments in the medical device, women’s health and diagnostics markets.

She led CHV’s investments in Augmenix (acquired by Boston Scientific), nVision Medical (acquired by Boston Scientific), Maxwell Health (acquired by SunLife), Aria CV, PanTher Therapeutics, AtaCor Medical, Instylla, Avive and Rejoni. She currently (or previously) represents CHV on the Boards of all companies.

Prior to joining CHV in 2007, Darshana was an Investigator at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and an integral part of drug development programs in oncology, metabolic disease, and immunology. Previously she worked at Genome Therapeutics, a Massachusetts-based biotechnology company and at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and completed an internship at the United Nations. She has authored several publications and scientific journal articles. Darshana currently serves as an advisor of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT, (a foundation that helps MIT students and faculty commercialize breakthrough technologies and inventions), as a Board Director of The New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA) and as a lead advisor to the Portfolia FemTech fund (an investment fund designed for women).

Darshana received an M.P.A. from Harvard University, an M.A. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Boston University, and a B.S. in Biochemistry from Bombay University in Bombay, India.

Directions to Lab Central:

LabCentral is located in a historic brick building at 700 Main Street (Google Maps link here). The main entrance can be found in the Osborne Triangle Courtyard accessed through a driveway that runs between Main Street and Albany Street and via Osborne Street. Osborn Street intersects with Main Street and Massachusetts Avenue. Main Street intersects with Massachusetts Avenue. Albany Street intersects with Portland Street and Massachusetts Avenue.

We encourage visitors to use the MBTA. LabCentral is a half mile walk directly down Main Street from the Kendall Square/MIT Station on the Red Line and a half mile walk down Mass Ave to Main Street from the Central Square Station on the Red Line.

Parking:

Garage parking is available at the following locations:

Osborne Triangle Parking – across from LabCentral, 700 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Technology Square Garage, 595 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139

55 Franklin St. Garage - 55 Franklin St, Cambridge, MA 02139