About

Mr. Hastings is the Chief Executive Officer of Nkarta and a member of the company's Board of Directors. Prior to joining Nkarta in 2018, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of successive biopharmaceutical companies including Chairman and CEO of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, President and CEO of QLT, President and CEO of Axys Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Celera Corporation, President of Chiron BioPharmaceuticals, a division of Chiron Corporation, and President and CEO of LXR Biotechnology. Mr. Hastings also held a series of management positions of increasing responsibility at Genzyme Corporation, including President of Genzyme Therapeutics Europe as well as President, Genzyme Global Therapeutics. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hastings served as Vice President, Marketing and Sales and General Manager, Europe for Synergen and held a series of marketing and sales management positions with Hoffmann-La Roche.

He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of EnGene and chairs the Board of Directors of Pacira Biosciences. He recently served as the Chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Previously Mr. Hastings led as a Director or Chairman of the Board of Directors of multiple biopharmeaceutical companies, including ViaCyte (acquired by Vertex in 2022), Proteon Therapeutics, Relypsa (acquired by Galenica in 2016), Proteolix (acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals in 2010), and ViaCell (acquired by Perkin-Elmer in 2007). He is also the chair of the board of Youth Rally, Inc, a patient advocacy organization he co-founded and serves on the Board of teh Termeer Foundation. 

Mr. Hastings received a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island.

Dr. Brandenberger was named Chief Technical Officer in 2022 and oversees technical operations, including process and analytical development, supply chain, manufacturing, and quality for Nkarta’s engineered NK cell therapy candidates. He has more than 20 years of experience in process and analytical development and biopharmaceutical manufacturing with deep experience in end-to-end technical operations and the successful scale-up of complex cell therapy agents. Dr. Brandenberger joined Nkarta in April 2018 and most recently served as Senior Vice President, Technical Operations. Prior to joining Nkarta, he held leadership roles in process development, technical operations and manufacturing of cellular therapeutics at Neurona Therapeutics, Baxter Healthcare, and Geron Corp. Dr. Brandenberger started his scientific career at Celera Genomics.

He received his MS and PhD in cell biology from the Biocenter, University of Basel, Switzerland and completed postdoctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Hager joined Nkarta as Chief Legal Officer in 2020 and is responsible for directing the company’s legal affairs. She was previously at OncoMed Pharmaceuticals for nearly eleven years, where she held multiple roles of increasing responsibility, serving most recently as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. During her tenure at OncoMed, she negotiated major strategic partnerships, helped lead the company through its IPO, and oversaw a cross-border merger. Prior to joining OncoMed, Dr. Hager was an attorney at the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP, where she served as intellectual property counsel to biotech and pharmaceutical clients. Early in her career, Dr. Hager was a patent agent at the law firm of Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP.

Dr. Hager received a JD from Stanford Law School, a PhD in Chemistry from Harvard University, and an AB in Chemistry from Occidental College.

Alyssa Levin joined Nkarta as Chief Financial and Business Officer in 2023. Prior to Nkarta, Ms. Levin was Chief Financial Officer at ViaCyte, a biotechnology company developing stem cell therapy for diabetes, where she aided the company's successful merger with Vertex Pharmaceuticals in 2022. Previously, Ms. Levin was Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Operations at Tentarix Biotherapeutics and Chief Financial Officer at Bird Rock Bio. Ms. Levin's experience also includes financial roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and The Siegfried Group where she advised clients on IPO and M&A processes. She began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Ms. Levin is currently on the Board of Advisors and Grants Committee of Life Science Cares, San Diego. She also serves as an Advisor to the Termeer Foundation.

Ms. Levin received a BA in Psychology and Economics from University of British Columbia, and a Masters in Professional Accounting from the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan. She obtained her Chartered Professional Accountant (Canada) designation in 2011. 

Dr. Mahmood was named President in 2024, with responsibility for driving the strategic focus, business excellence and technical success at the company. He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Rezo Therapeutics, a private-stage drug discovery company. Prior to joining Rezo Therapeutics, Dr. Mahmood served as Chief Financial and Business Officer at Nkarta, where he played a direct role in corporate strategy, including the company’s private and public financings as well as the formation of its in-house cell manufacturing capabilities.  Earlier in his career, Dr. Mahmood led corporate development at Second Genome. Previously, he was a staff scientist at Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, where he oversaw preclinical research for the company’s lead molecule, Kybella®. Dr. Mahmood has also worked in equity research at Goldman Sachs and consulted for early-stage companies in the life sciences and clean energy sectors.

He earned a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. in cell regulation from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and completed postdoctoral research at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. 

Dr. Shook was appointed Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research & Development in 2024 and has served as Nkarta's Chief Medical Officer since 2023. He leads Nkarta’s clinical development, regulatory, translational, and research activities. He has more than 15 years of clinical research and development experience and has authored dozens of scientific publications covering all aspects of stem cell transplantation for cancer and non-malignant disease, as well as NK cell and T cell therapies for hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Prior to joining Nkarta in 2020, Dr. Shook led multiple first-in-human cell therapy clinical trials, including pioneering the use of CD19 CAR NK cells. He was a fellow, fellowship director and faculty member at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he conducted research in the laboratory of Dario Campana, MD, PhD, Nkarta’s scientific founder.

Dr. Shook received his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Purdue University. He is board certified in Pediatric Hematology & Oncology and General Pediatrics.

Dr. Behbahani, MD, MBA, joined NEA in 2007 and is a Partner on the healthcare team. He is a co-founder of Nkarta and specializes in investments in the biopharmaceutical, medical device, specialty pharmaceutical and healthcare services sectors. Prior to joining NEA, Dr. Behbahani worked as an intern and later as a consultant in business development at The Medicines Company, a specialty pharmaceutical company developing acute care cardiovascular products. He previously held positions as a Venture Associate at Morgan Stanley Venture Partners and as a Healthcare Investment Banking Analyst at Lehman Brothers. He conducted basic science research in the fields of viral fusion inhibition and structural proteomics at the National Institutes of Health and at Duke University.

Dr. Behbahani concurrently earned his MD degree from The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his MBA degree from The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, where he graduated with Honors and was a Palmer Scholar. He graduated summa cum laude and received his bachelor’s degrees with distinction in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Chemistry from Duke University.

Dr. Dybbs has over 15 years of investment and consulting experience in the life science sector. Dr. Dybbs is currently a Partner at Samsara BioCapital. Prior to joining Samsara, Dr. Dybbs was a Partner at New Leaf Venture Partners, which he joined in 2009. Before New Leaf, Dr. Dybbs was a Principal at The Boston Consulting Group, where he was a core member of their Health Care practice. Dr. Dybbs currently serves as a director of Levo Therapeutics, Sutro BioPharma and IONpath. Previously, he served on the boards of Versartis, Dimension Therapeutics, Principia and Advanced Cell Diagnostics.

Dr. Dybbs earned a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genetics from University of California, Berkeley, where he was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellowship and received an AB in Biomedical Sciences from Harvard University. His research had been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Science, Nature and Neuron.

Dr. George joined SR One in 2007 and is CEO of the fund. He earned his MD and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine / Wharton School and BA from Johns Hopkins University. Previously, Dr. George worked in management consulting (Bain & Co.) and investment banking (Goldman Sachs). Simeon led SR One’s investments in several deals including CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Principia Biopharma (PRNB, recently acquired by Sanofi for $3.7bn), Turning Point Therapeutics (TPTX), Progyny (PGNY), and Nkarta, Inc. (NKTX), which he co-founded.

Mr. Hastings is the Chief Executive Officer of Nkarta and a member of the company's Board of Directors. Prior to joining Nkarta in 2018, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of successive biopharmaceutical companies including Chairman and CEO of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, President and CEO of QLT, President and CEO of Axys Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Celera Corporation, President of Chiron BioPharmaceuticals, a division of Chiron Corporation, and President and CEO of LXR Biotechnology. Mr. Hastings also held a series of management positions of increasing responsibility at Genzyme Corporation, including President of Genzyme Therapeutics Europe as well as President, Genzyme Global Therapeutics. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hastings served as Vice President, Marketing and Sales and General Manager, Europe for Synergen and held a series of marketing and sales management positions with Hoffmann-La Roche.

He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of EnGene and chairs the Board of Directors of Pacira Biosciences. He recently served as the Chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Previously Mr. Hastings led as a Director or Chairman of the Board of Directors of multiple biopharmeaceutical companies, including ViaCyte (acquired by Vertex in 2022), Proteon Therapeutics, Relypsa (acquired by Galenica in 2016), Proteolix (acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals in 2010), and ViaCell (acquired by Perkin-Elmer in 2007). He is also the chair of the board of Youth Rally, Inc, a patient advocacy organization he co-founded and serves on the Board of teh Termeer Foundation. 

Mr. Hastings received a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island.

Ms. Patterson has more than 20 years of public company experience in the biopharma industry, with significant expertise in strategy, finance, operations, and governance. She currently serves as Chief Business and Financial Officer of Zymeworks, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing novel, multifunctional biotherapeutics for difficult-to-treat diseases.  

Previously she held senior leadership roles at Tenaya Therapeutics, Adverum Biotechnologies, Diadexus and Transcept Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in her career, she served in financial leadership roles at NetApp, Exelixis, Novartis AG and Chiron. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Oxford Biomedica plc. 

Ms. Patterson earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Accounting from Chapman University and an Executive M.B.A. from St. Mary’s College. Ms. Patterson is also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive status).  

Dr. Scheiner joined RA Capital Management, LLC in 2015 where he is a Principal on the Investment Team. Prior to joining RA Capital, Dr. Scheiner was a Science Officer at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He works on both public and private investments and serves as a board director of Lenz Therapeutics and several other privately-held companies. Dr. Scheiner holds a BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, and a PhD in Neurobiology and Behavior from the University of Washington.

Ms. Thedinga is an experienced biopharmaceutical manufacturing executive. She most recently served as Chief Technology Officer of Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc., where she led process development, manufacturing and supply chain functions supporting the development of ocular gene therapies. Ms. Thedinga joined Adverum in 2019. Previously she held executive roles in manufacturing and supply chain management and strategy at AveXis, now Novartis Gene Therapies, to deliver the first approved gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. Her earlier industry experience includes manufacturing strategy roles in bioprocess engineering at Abbott Laboratories and vaccine development at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics.

She earned an MBA and MS in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), an MPH at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from University of Wisconsin. She is a founding member of Chief, an organization focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders.

George Vratsanos, M.D., is an experienced R&D leader with broad expertise in immunology and autoimmune disease. He currently serves as the Head of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer of Jnana Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on metabolic and immune diseases. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Translational Science and Medicine, Immunology at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Executive Global Program Head of the Immunology and Dermatology Franchise at Novartis, as well as a Translational Medicine Leader at Roche and a Group Director at Bristol Meyers Squibb. His R&D leadership experience spans multiple autoimmune diseases areas and the successful development of approved therapies such as Orencia^® and Cosentyx^®.  

Dr. Vratsanos graduated from New York University School of Medicine with honors and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in investigative rheumatology/immunobiology at Yale University. He also earned a master’s degree in clinical investigation from Vanderbilt University, as well as a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Columbia University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology. 

Dr. Campana is the scientific founder of Nkarta and is a leader in the field of cell therapy. Dr. Campana discovered Nkarta’s underlying NK expansion technology in the course of his research at the St. Jude Research Hospital; at St. Jude he also created the CD19-41BB-CD3zeta chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that was subsequently shown to be highly effective in treating patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), an aggressive form of the disease. Other achievements include the development of effective methods for monitoring residual disease in acute leukemia leading to high cure rates in childhood ALL and acute myeloid leukemia.

Dr. Campana is also the Scientific Founder of Unum Therapeutics, Inc. and the Chairman of Advisory Board and was a Member of Medical Advisory Board at Cellectis S.A. Dr. Campana currently holds the Mrs. Lee Kong Chian Chair in Advanced Cellular Therapy at the National University of Singapore where he is the Director of the Division of Immunopathology and Cell Therapy. He holds an MD from the University of Torino and PhD from the University of Milan.

Dr. Lanier is Chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Co-Leader of the Cancer, Immunity, and Microenvironment Program, and Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at the University of California San Francisco.

Dr. Lanier received his PhD from the University of North Carolina, and was a Damon Runyon – Walter Winchell Cancer Research Fellow at the University of New Mexico. He went on to hold leadership roles at the Becton Dickinson Monoclonal Center and at the DNAX Research Institute prior to joining the UCSF faculty.

Dr. Lanier is a recognized expert on natural killer (NK) cell biology, making seminal contributions to the understanding of NK cell recognition and targeting of virus infected tissue. He has discovered and characterized multiple activating and inhibiting NK receptors, and demonstrated their interaction with cancer cells. For his contributions, he received the 2002 William B. Coley Award, and earned membership in the National Academy of Sciences. He continues to explore the mechanisms that enable NK cells to distinguish between healthy cells and infected or cancerous cells.