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.
Maria Croyle, RPh, PhD
Scientific Founder & CSO
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
Director of 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 of 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.
Polina Matre, PhD
Principal Scientist
Dr. Polina Matre has expertise in molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry, with many years of experience in several fields of academic research, as well as R&D in the biotechnology industry. Dr. Matre received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Stavanger (Norway). Her work spans oncology drug discovery at MD Anderson Cancer Center, in addition to studying healing and regeneration of various musculoskeletal tissues, stem cell therapies, and developing novel therapeutic antibodies. Additionally, Dr. Matre earned her MBA from the University of Houston. She brings this diverse expertise to Jurata to support studies of its thin film technology with various API.