Meet the Team
Sheila Ann Mikhail, JD, MBA
Founder & CEO
Sheila Mikhail has over 20 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience and is CEO and co-founder of Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a company she started in 2001. She has also served as CEO and co-founder of Bamboo Therapeutics, which in 20 months raised $50 million, advanced a therapeutic for GAN into the clinic, completed pre-IND studies for a Duchenne muscular dystrophy therapeutic, and built a GMP manufacturing facility. Bamboo was acquired by Pfizer in August 2016 in a deal valued at $827 million.
Irnela Bajrovic, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)
Dr. Irnela Bajrovic received her PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Texas at Austin. Her graduate work established the viability of the thin film technology as a superior method of vaccine stabilization, which bypasses cold-chain maintenance and has the potential to simplify the transportation of biologics. Since completing her PhD, Dr. Bajrovic established and led a formulation team at a leading biotechnology company, resulting in a patent and multiple publications.
Maria Croyle, RPh, PhD
Scientific Founder
Dr. Maria Croyle has over 25 years of experience in formulation and development of recombinant viruses for immunization and gene therapy. Her team was the first to report long-lasting protection from Ebola after administration of a single dose of the vaccine in non-human primates. Dr. Croyle has served on the USP Biologics and Biotechnology Expert Committee for Cell, Gene and Tissue Therapies and her laboratory has participated in international studies to characterize an IL-4 standard by the USP and an adenovirus reference standard by the FDA/CBER.
R. Jude Samulski, PhD
Co-Founder
Dr. Jude Samulski received his PhD in medical microbiology and immunology from the University of Florida. His graduate work (1978-82) demonstrated the first use of AAV as a viral vector and culminated in the first U.S. patent involving non-AAV genes inserted into AAV. Dr. Samulski has worked with AAV for 40 years, and for 25 years, he was director of the University of North Carolina Gene Therapy Center. He was the scientific founder of Bamboo Therapeutics, Inc. and served as the Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Chairman of the company until its acquisition by Pfizer in 2016. Dr. Samulski has advanced therapeutics into human clinical trials for hemophilia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, giant axonal neuropathy, and heart failure. He holds more than 200 patents related to AAV technology.
Megan Livingston, MSc
Senior Director, Business Development
Megan Livingston has over 10 years of laboratory experience developing biomaterials, drug delivery systems, tissue engineering constructs, and stem cell therapies. Ms. Livingston has also worked in new product development, helping cell and gene therapy developers scale up their GMP manufacturing and clinically translate their therapies. Ms. Livingston has contributed extensively to the growth of Jurata's client base, recruitment of investors, and design of its corporate growth and regulatory strategies.
Christopher M. Pavlos, PhD
Director, Research & Development
Dr. Christopher M. Pavlos holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. He has over 15 years of experience developing advanced materials and novel processes for a variety of pharmaceutical and biotech applications. His expertise lies at the intersection of polymer science, organic chemistry, surface science, and drug delivery. Working for a variety of small businesses and startups, he has developed significant experience taking technologies from the lab bench through pilot-scale and into full production. Dr. Pavlos leads the production scale up efforts for Jurata's thin film technology, as well as oversees the completion of API evaluation projects.