John Nicosia Email & Phone Number

Vasarya Therapeutics is developing targeted treatments for fibrotic disorders. Our novel therapeutic paradigm targets proteins that are only exposed in fibrotic tissue, allowing for inhibition of disease progression while avoiding toxicity associated with current, systemic standard of care therapies. My responsibilities and achievements as co-founder include:- Co-inventor of Vasarya's core anti-fibrotic targeting technology- Co-author of several successful grant applications totaling over $700k in non-dilutive funding- Lead investor relations and external partnerships- Coordinate between R&D and executive teams

Manage SBIR and VA teams participating in the C3i Lab2Market program, and coach them on how to develop and commercialize medical technology.

Atlanta, Georgia, Us

I was the Interim Managing Director of Biolocity for three months prior to moving to full-time work at Vasarya Therapeutics. During my tenure as Interim Managing Director, we redesigned Biolocity's funding cycle to streamline the application process and shortened the time to project selection by over two months, significantly reducing consultant costs.

Atlanta, Georgia, Us

Biolocity is a life sciences accelerator program at Georgia Tech and Emory, providing non-dilutive funding and consultation resources to shepherd promising research toward commercial solutions to unmet needs. From 2015-2024, Biolocity awarded over $10.3M, achieving over 16-fold leverage in follow-on investment. As Associate Director, my responsibilities included:- Conducting due diligence on funding proposals- Managing over 20 cross-functional research and development teams toward commercialization milestones- Facilitating connections to follow-on investors and partners- Managing internship program to train PhD students and postdocs about commercialization

Atlanta, Ga, Us

I managed a portfolio of 350+ technologies from Emory inventors. My responsibilities as a licensing associate included:- Evaluating new invention disclosures for commercial potential through market research and IP landscape analysis- Instructing in-house and outside patent counsel for filing and prosecuting patent applications on Emory technology- Negotiating license agreements with industry partners to commercialize Emory technology- Assisting faculty inventors with resources for startup funding- Managing Emory OTT's internship program

- Prior to company formation, wrote a successful grant application to the Georgia Research Alliance for market analysis and contract research/manufacturing activities toward the development of synthetic platelet-mimetic microparticles- Conducted customer discovery with large blood bank centers, transfusion medicine specialists, and hospital blood bank purchasing managers to identify key needs for a platelet substitute- Managed relationship with a contract research organization to produce antibodies necessary to manufacture the platelet-mimetic microparticles

Atlanta, Georgia , Us

My thesis work explored mechanisms of pulmonary toxicity of synthetic platelet-mimetic particles. Additionally, I published research on a conformation-sensitive integrin switch in fibronectin fibers with implications in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.Through my research, I also had the opportunity to mentor an undergraduate student in our lab. Under my guidance, she developed research skills and generated data to present at several poster sessions.

Atlanta, Georgia , Us

I assisted Professor Manu Platt in teaching the undergraduate biomedical engineering course BMED 3600: Cell Physiology and Molecular Systems. My responsibilities as TA included giving several independent lectures throughout the semester as well as grading student assignments and holding office hours. Together with Dr. Platt, I also designed several questions for exams and problem sets.

Atlanta, Ga, Us

I worked as a part-time graduate intern for the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) at Emory. I helped evaluate the commercial potential of new inventions at Emory, and assisted in translating those inventions to viable products. My work spanned from assisting licensing associates, conducting intellectual property searches, collecting market data, helping to draft patents, and coordinating between OTT and Emory-associated startup companies.

Rochester, Ny, Us

I assisted various professors in my department by leading lab courses, holding office hours, and grading homework assignments. Courses include: Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, MATLAB for Engineers, Biosystems and Circuits, and Biomaterials. I independently led a discussion-based weekly workshop and study group for Biosystems and Circuits.

Rochester, Ny, Us

The goal of BMES at the University of Rochester is to promote the profession of Biomedical Engineering through study, research and discussion of the fields of Biomedical Engineering. My responsibilities as president included running weekly executive board meetings, attending and representing the university at yearly conferences, and organizing society events. I managed several projects such as an alumni career panel, a volunteer project with the local FoodLink group, and the annual BME banquet. During my term as chapter president, our BMES chapter sent 12 undergraduates to the BMES national meeting (6 of whom were presenting research), revived our upperclassmen/underclassmen mentorship program, and greatly increased membership in our BMES chapter.

My first project involved studying the effects of low-frequency ultrasound on fibronectin conformation as observed through cell proliferation in agarose scaffolds. Later, I focused on characterizing mesenchymal stem cell differentiation through specific integrin-ligand binding mechanisms involving fibronectin mimetic proteins. Through these projects I gained basic research skills and knowledge, and also developed my ability to collaborate with other researchers in a team.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), Biomedical Engineering

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), Biomedical Engineering

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Biomedical Engineering

International Baccalaureate Diploma