About
CatalYm

Christian Schade most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Halda Therapeutics, a company developing a novel class of cancer therapeutics, until its $3.05 billion acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in December 2025. Prior to Halda, Chris was a Growth Partner at Flagship Pioneering. His leadership experience includes serving as President, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Aprea Therapeutics (Nasdaq: APRE) from 2016 to 2022, and as Chairman from 2020 to 2023. Under his leadership, Aprea advanced its pipeline of oncology therapeutics and completed its IPO in 2019. Before joining Aprea, he held several executive roles at biotechnology companies, including: Chief Executive Officer of Novira, a privately held antiviral drug discovery company until its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson, Chief Financial Officer of Omthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed specialty pharmaceuticals company until its acquisition by AstraZeneca Plc, and Senior Vice President of Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Medarex, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on antibody-based therapeutics until its acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Schade was Managing Director at Merrill Lynch in London, following nearly 20 years in corporate finance and capital markets roles at Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan in New York and London. Chris received his A.B. degree from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to Frazier Life Sciences and is on the Board of Integra LifeSciences.

Roy Baynes received his MB, BCh (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) from the University of Witwatersrand, where he also received an MMed (specialist registration) and completed a PhD exploring mechanisms of human iron metabolism.

After additional clinical training in Johannesburg, and service on the faculty of the Department of Medicine at the University of Witwatersrand Medical School, Roy moved to the United States and joined the Division of Hematology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center where he served as Professor of Medicine in both hematology and bone marrow transplantation. From 1997 until 2002, he led the bone marrow transplantation service at the Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he was also a Professor of Medicine (Medicine, Hematology and Oncology), and the Charles Martin Professor of Cancer Research. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the College of Physicians of South Africa.

Thereafter, Roy joined Amgen, Inc., where he became Vice President of Global Development and head of the hematology/oncology development team. He left Amgen in 2012 to become Senior Vice President at Gilead, Inc. where he led the establishment of the Oncology, Respiratory and Inflammation TAs, and joined Merck in 2013 where he was Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer. At Merck he was responsible for the development of the entire clinical portfolio in Merck Research Laboratories and was the architect of the development strategy for dozens of important new medicines including Keytruda®, a drug that has revolutionized cancer treatment around the world.

After retiring from Merck in 2022, Roy took on the role of EVP and Chief Medical Officer at Eikon Therapeutics. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Natera Inc., and Travere Inc. He is a compensated advisor to Nurix Inc. and to Decheng Capital.

Jasper Bos, PhD is a General Partner at Forbion. He joined the CatalYm board in May 2025.

Jasper, a former Merck executive, joined Forbion as General Partner for the firm’s Growth Fund. Before joining Forbion’s Naarden-based headquarters, Jasper was Senior Vice President and Managing Director at M Ventures, the venture arm of pharmaceutical giant Merck, which he joined in 2009.

Under his leadership M Ventures invested in over 50 companies spanning biotech, life sciences tools, and tech companies with investment activities ranging from seed-stage to cross-over and IPO. His track record includes the successful sale of Prexton Therapeutics, Calypso, Epitherapeutics, Galecto, ObsEva, Translate Bio, and F-Star.

He has experience in several operational roles in portfolio companies and played a key role in the creation of multiple successful companies, like Prexton Therapeutics and Calypso Biotech. Jasper was the Chief Executive Officer of Nasdaq-listed Forbion European Acquisition Company and currently represents Forbion on the Board of Directors of Anaveon, Engrail, Cellcentric and EnGene (“ENGN”).  Jasper holds a PhD in Pharmacy from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

Colleen Cuffaro is a partner on Canaan’s healthcare investment team.  She serves on the boards of Arrakis Therapeutics, Alphina Therapeutics, RADD Pharmaceuticals and is a board observer at Agomab Therapeutics.  Additionally, Colleen is on the board of Connecticut Innovations and the New England Venture Capital Association.   Prior to joining Canaan in 2014, Colleen was an analytical chemist at PMRS, Inc., where she worked with small and large pharmaceutical companies on drug product development, ranging from preclinical feasibility studies to commercial supply. She also served as a bioscience analyst for Entrepreneurship Lab NYC, an accelerator program for healthcare startups. Colleen holds a PhD in cellular and molecular physiology from Yale University and a BA in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania.

Hans van Eenennaam is CEO and founder of IMMIOS and Chief Scientific Officer at Sairopa. Previously, he served as Chief Scientific Officer of AIMM Therapeutics and as Executive Vice President of Antibody Research and Site Head for Aduro Biotech Europe. In 2015, Aduro acquired BioNovion, a company advancing novel antibody therapies for immuno- oncology, which van Eenennaam co-founded in 2011 and also served as its Chief Operational Officer. He is a (co-)inventor of pembrolizumab (Keytruda^TM), BION-1301 (Zigakibart), MK-5890, ADU-1805 and ADU-1604. Earlier in his career, he held different positions at Organon, Schering-Plough and MSD/Merck.

Hans also serves on the Board of Directors of Lygature. Dr. van Eenennaam is a chemist by training and received his doctorate in autoimmune biochemistry from Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands.

Otello founded Omega Funds in 2004 and leads the firm’s investor relations and strategic initiatives. He is a member of the firm’s investment committee and is also heavily involved in a number of Omega’s therapeutic areas of interest, particularly in oncology, rare diseases and inflammatory disorders.

Previously, Otello was in charge of life sciences direct investments and diligence for healthcare venture fund of fund investments at AlpInvest Partners, one of the largest private equity asset managers worldwide. Before AlpInvest, he was the portfolio manager of the Lombard Odier Immunology Fund, a $3 billion listed investment vehicle in Geneva, Switzerland, investing in public and private healthcare companies worldwide. Previously, Otello was a member of the HealthCare corporate finance and M&A team at Goldman Sachs (London and New York offices). Before Goldman, he helped co-found the healthcare investment activities at Index Securities (now Index Ventures). Otello has a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Geneva, holds a European Doctorate in Biotechnology from the EU, and obtained an MSc in Genetics from the University of Pavia.

Jonathan is a Partner at Brandon Capital where he heads European operations and serves on the boards of Pheon Therapeutics, Myricx Bio, Astronautx and NRG Therapeutics. Previously, he was Managing Director at Arix Bioscience where he was responsible for numerous early and late-stage biotech investments and was also Principal at Touchstone Innovations. He has a PhD in Molecular Biology from UCL, an MBA from Imperial College and studied undergraduate Biology at Oxford University.

Pascal is an Operating Partner at Jeito Capital, bringing over 40 years of international experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He has held a range of operational and strategic leadership positions and has served on the boards of several private and public companies.

Throughout his career Pascal has remained dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with serious medical conditions through pioneering science, collaborative leadership, and a steadfast commitment to excellence. He is the former Global Head of Strategy and Business Development, as well as the Global Head of the Cell & Gene division at Novartis Oncology, where he led the development and global launch of the first approved cell and gene therapy in the U.S.  Following a 5-year tenure as CEO at Atara Biotherapeutics (ATRA), Pascal now serves as its Chairman, and as Independent Director at Ipsen (IPN) and Medincell (MEDCL).

He holds a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Paul Sabatier University and an MBA from INSEAD.

Nico co-founded Bioqube Ventures in 2015 and serves as Managing Partner. From 2016–2019, he co-managed the JLINX incubation and investment model with Janssen R&D, supporting the creation of 10 biotech ventures and investing in several companies which were successfully exited. In 2020, Bioqube launched its first independent fund, Bioqube Factory Fund I, with Nico playing a central role.

Before founding Bioqube Ventures, he held senior leadership roles at LRM, where he most recently served as Chief Operating Officer, and gained international experience as a senior executive at Ernst & Young. He has served on the boards of several public and private life sciences companies and led numerous international venture capital and M&A transactions, including Minerva Neurosciences (Nasdaq: NERV), Tigenix (acquired by Takeda), SEPS Pharma (acquired by Amatsi), and Apitope (acquired by Worg Pharma).

Nico’s drive lies in connecting breakthrough science with capital and entrepreneurship, always with the ambition to enable transformative solutions for patients. His passion and results-driven approach earned him recognition in 2018 as one of Bloomberg50’s “Ones to Watch.”

Professor Melero is Professor of Immunology at the Clinic of the University of Navarra and at the Center for Applied Medical Research of the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. His current areas of research are focused on translational research with cell, gene and monoclonal antibody-mediated strategies for cancer immunotherapies. Dr. Melero has been awarded the BIAL Prize of Medicine, the Conde de Cartagena Award from the Royal Academy of Medicine, Doctor Durantez LAIR Foundation Award and a Cancer Research Institute research award. He has served on the advisory boards of Bristol Myers-Squibb, Roche-Genentech, AstraZeneca, Merck Serono and Boehringer Ingelheim.

Dr. Roy S. Herbst is widely recognized for his leadership and expertise in lung cancer treatment and research, particularly for the successful development of novel (immuno)therapies, including gefitinib, cetuximab, bevacizumab and axitinib. He and his Yale colleagues were among the first to describe the PD-1/PD-L1 adaptive immune response in early phase trials and to offer trials of PD-L1 inhibitors atezolizumab and pembrolizumab to lung cancer patients. He currently holds the positions of Ensign Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Chief of Medical Oncology, Deputy Director, and Associate Director of Translational Research at the Yale Cancer Center. He previously served on the boards of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), and has been involved with the National Cancer Institute’s Thoracic Malignancy Steering Committee since 2012. Before joining Yale, he was the Barnhart Distinguished Professor and Chief of the Section of Thoracic Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (UT-MDACC). Dr. Herbst holds a PhD from The Rockefeller University and a MS from Harvard University. He completed his fellowships at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and a residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Herbst received his MD from Cornell University Medical College and earned a MS and BS degree from Yale University

Professor Andrea Necchi is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of urological malignancies. In November 2020, he was appointed Associate Professor of Oncology at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University and Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital and Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy. Prof. Necchi currently serves as a board member of the EAU Research Foundation and is an associate member of the ASCO-EAU penile cancer guidelines panel. His team pioneered the use of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer with the PURE-01 trial. He is the principal investigator of our ongoing GDFATHER-2 trial and several other academic phase 1-2 trials of immuno-oncology combinations in urological malignancies. Prof. Necchi received his MD degree from the University of Milan

Dr. Petros Grivas is board-certified medical oncologist with vast experience and high expertise in genitourinary (GU) cancers. He has had a main role in several clinical trials leading to FDA approval of new drugs for urothelial cancer, including avelumab and Trodelvy®. Dr. Grivas is considered a key opinion, thought leader and international expert, giving lectures in several countries, educating oncologists and other healthcare providers, mentoring numerous trainees, leading large innovative clinical trials, reviewing grant proposals and manuscripts, and publishing novel and important research. He is dedicated to personalized and outstanding patient care, efficient clinical operations, and believes in optimal patient-physician relationship as well as community outreach. Dr. Grivas is the Clinical Director of the GU Cancers Program and Professor at the Dept. of Medicine, Division of Hematology Oncology, University of Washington and at the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. He received his MD and PhD in Greece in 2005 and 2009, respectively. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the Hahnemann University Hospital/Drexel University College of Medicine (Philadelphia) in 2010, and a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in 2013. Dr. Grivas was Clinical Lecturer before he was recruited as Assistant Professor at the Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland)

Professor Alexander Eggermont is General Director of Gustave Roussy Cancer Institute, Professor of Oncology at the Paris-Sud University, and Professor of Oncological Surgery at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in Holland. He also holds the Honorary Joseph Maisin Honorary Chair of Oncological Surgery at the Louvain Catholic University in Belgium, and an Honorary Doctorate at the University of Essen-Duisburg, Germany. In addition, he serves as the President of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences, and the President of the Cancer Core Europe consortium. In 2015, Prof. Eggermont was elevated to the status of Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development. His research specialty is in immunotherapy, the treatment of melanomas and sarcomas in addition to fundamental research in pathogenesis and immunology of tumors.

Professor Reinhard Dummer is Professor of the University of Zürich and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Dermatology in the University Hospital of Zürich, Switzerland and is a key thought leader in worldwide cutaneous oncology. Currently, he is heading the Skin Cancer Unit and the Clinical Trial Unit of the Department of Dermatology. Prof. Dummer’s principal research interests are molecular biology, immunology and immunotherapy of cutaneous malignancies, including cutaneous lymphomas and melanomas and has published more than 741 scientific publications. He is a founding and Board Member of the European Association of Dermato-Oncology, ESMO, URPP and a member of the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina). Prof. Dummer began his medical education in hematology and oncology before successfully completing his dermatology residency in Würzburg, Germany, and Zürich, Switzerland.

Dr. F. Stephen Hodi is the Director of the Melanoma Center and the Center for Immuno-Oncology at Dana-Farber / Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, the Sharon Crowley Martin Chair in Melanoma at Dana- Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His internationally recognized research focuses on gene therapy, the development of immune therapies, and first into human studies for malignant melanoma. Dr. Hodi is a member of ASCO, AACR, the ECOG Melanoma Committee, SITC, the European Academy of Tumor Immunology and a founding member of the Society for Melanoma Research. His clinical investigation efforts have pioneered the use of immune checkpoint blockade and combinatorial approaches to treat cancer.  He has published over 300 peer-reviewed scientific publications including articles in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Clinical Oncology and the New England Journal of Medicine.

Professor Wolf H. Fridman is Professor Emeritus of Immunology at the Paris Descartes University Medical School in Paris, France. He received his MD and PhD degrees from the University of Paris. He has been the founder and first Director of the Cordeliers Research Centre, a joint research structure between INSERM, University Paris Descartes, and University Pierre et Marie Curie.

He was also the Head of the Immunology Laboratory of European Hospital Georges Pompidou in Paris. Prof. Fridman’s current research is focused on the immune response in the tumor microenvironment to control clinical outcomes in cervical cancer. He is a world leader in the field of human tumor immunology and has authored over 480 scientific publications in the field.

Professor Wischhusen is scientific co-founder of CatalYm. He is also the Head of the Section of Experimental Tumor Immunology at the University of Würzburg Medical School, Germany. Prof. Wischhusen’s current research is directed towards tumor-host interactions in ovarian and breast cancer, with a strong focus on tumor-initiating cells and their ability to evade immunosurveillance. Previously, he was a research group leader at the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research in Würzburg. He received his PhD from the University of Tübingen, Germany in the field of molecular neuro-oncology.

Professor Thomas Gajewski is Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Medicine at the University of Chicago.  He oversees the melanoma oncology clinic and is the leader of the Immunology and Cancer Program at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prof. Gajewski is committed to investigating and developing new treatments for patients with melanoma, with a special interest in the development of immunotherapies, and is an author/co-author of over 270 scientific publications in the field. He serves as an editor for Cancer Discovery, Journal for Experimental Medicine, and the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer, is on the Program Committees for the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and is past President of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.