The team behind Cryptyx Bioscience.
Executive Leadership
Mohammad R. Seyedsayamdost, Ph.D.
CO-FOUNDER, CEO & BOARD MEMBER
Mo was trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School before joining Princeton University in 2013 as an Assistant Professor. In 2021, he was promoted to Professor of Chemistry and Molecular Biology. Mo is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a MacArthur "Genius" Award in 2020.
Brett C.
Covington,
Ph.D.
CO-FOUNDER, COO, CSO &
BOARD MEMBER
Brett obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Vanderbilt University where he received extensive training in natural product discovery, isolation, and characterization. Following his doctoral studies, he served as a research associate at Princeton University where he has pioneered innovative metabolomics-guided techniques to explore and harness the untapped potential of biologically active molecules from bacteria.
François
M. M. Morel,
Ph.D.
BOARD MEMBER
After earning his Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from Caltech, François held academic positions at MIT and Princeton University, where his research focused on the interactions between aquatic microorganisms and the chemical composition of natural waters, particularly the cycling of essential metals. François has received numerous awards and honors and is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Scientists Driving Innovation
Ximing Li, Ph.D.
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Dr. Ximing Li obtained his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Princeton University and M.S. in Physical Chemistry from University of Washington. With knowledge of total synthesis, he is dedicated to large-scale isolation and synthesis of cryptic metabolites with therapeutic potential.
Vanessa Ying
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Vanessa Ying obtained a B.S. in Chemistry from University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has expertise in isolation and total synthesis of natural products and drug leads.
At Cryptyx Bioscience, Vanessa is identifying new cryptic metabolite drug leads and scaling up production for further development.
Sierra Knodle
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Sierra Knodle obtained an M.S. in Chemistry and B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado, with concentrations in Physical and Organic Chemistry. She brings significant experience and passion in synthesis and purification of peptides & other small organic compounds.
Jetson Farris
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Jetson Farris holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego, with a specialization in organic chemistry. At Cryptyx Bioscience, Jetson focuses on large-scale microbial culture and natural product isolation, playing a key role in advancing our drug development pipeline.
Max Pinamonti
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Max Pinamonti holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota, with expertise in microbiology and natural product isolation. At Cryptyx Bioscience, he focuses on optimizing culture conditions to enhance natural product yields, transforming scientific breakthroughs into clinical solutions.
Expert Advisors
Bonnie Bassler, Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
Dr. Bonnie Bassler is the Squibb Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. She has pioneered the field of bacterial quorum sensing, a cell-to-cell communication system in bacteria. Bonnie has received numerous awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship (2002), the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences (2009), the Richard Lounsbery Award (2011), the L’Oreal-UNESCO Award (2012), and the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize (2016).
Jon Clardy, Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
Dr. Jon Clardy is currently the Hsien Wu and Daisy Yen Wu Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School. His work has impacted every area of natural product research, and he has pioneered numerous directions, including discovery of new classes of natural products, their macromolecular targets, and their roles in biology and medicine.
Chari Smith, Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
Dr. Chari Smith is currently the VP of R&D in Metabolic Disease at Kriya Therapeutics and a consultant with biotech companies and universities on translational science. Prior to her current role, she worked at Glaxo Smith Kline focusing on cell biology and cellular biochemistry to help discover and develop numerous drugs. Additionally, she served as Biology Leader for GSK's Discovery Partnerships with Academia where she fostered collaborative partnerships with academia, focused on early stage drug discovery.
Robert Dobbins, M.D.
CLINICAL ADVISOR
Dr. Robert Dobbins is a physician scientist trained at Vanderbilt University's Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics. He has experience in early and late phase development for new drugs targeting indications in diabetes, obesity, neurosciences and liver disease. Robert brings a unique combination of technical expertise, clinical experience, and project leadership skills to drive planning and execution of clinical development.