Thomas Lee, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Established Orna’s second-generation panCAR for autoimmunity & immuno-oncology DCs- Led Orna’s next-generation panCAR for immuno-oncology & autoimmunity to select 2 developmental candidates- Developed in vivo models for panCAR evaluation for immuno-oncology & autoimmunity targets- Developed in vitro assays to evaluate Orna’s platform in cynomolgus & rhesus macaque immune cells- Contributed and Patented PCT application no: PCT/US23/78875- Collaborated with the Molecular Biology, Delivery, and Computational Team to drive projects- Generated vaccine, immuno-oncology, and autoimmunity data for Orna’s preclinical package & partnerships- Represented Orna’s Discovery Team in the Merck-Orna & ReNAgade joint project meetings- Presented Discovery Team’s data in Orna’s quarterly Portfolio Review & Science Day Board Meetings- Worked with CROs to evaluate panCAR in an in vivo humanized autoimmune mouse model- Managed 9 direct reports - 1 Sr. Scientist, 2 Scientist, & 6 non-PhDs

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Platform Application - Exploratory & Expansion Team- Project: Expand the application of the circular RNA platform in various in vitro & in vivo disease models.- Team lead for the Platform Expansion team, focusing on molecular immunology, immunogenicity, infectious diseases, & immuno-oncology.Project: ORN101 - In the latter half of 2021, lead a team to establish high throughput screens to finalize our lead candidates for Orna's pipeline program.- Supported the company on its Series A 2nd tranche achievement.Platform Application Team- Dissected the reactogenicity & immunogenicity of the oRNA platform.- Expanded various programs for potential partnerships, business proposals, IP, & pipeline programs.- Supported the company on its achievement in reaching a Series B & Merck vaccine partnership.- Immunology representative for Orna in the Merck-Orna partnership.Leadership- Managed a team to execute various in vitro & in vivo models- Coordinated the plans, implementation, delegation, and execution of timelines- Mentored research associates to develop and achieve their professional goal- Mentored and managed 5 direct reports - 2 Sr. Associate Scientists, 1 Associate Scientist, 1 Senior Research Associate, and 1 Research Associate.- Promoted 2 direct reports to Associate Scientist & Sr. Associate ScientistActivities- Orna's Okapi Culture & Diversity Team - Group lead and founder of this team, who addresses topics and issues associated with company culture & diversity within Orna Therapeutics- Orna's Oasis Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Program LeadAwards:- Recipient of Orna's Phosphorus Circle Award 2022- Recipient of Orna's Platinum Circle Award 2023 for leading the Okapi Diversity Team

Greater Boston

Project: ORN101 - Orna's first immuno-oncology pipeline program- 1st immunologist & 5th employee at Orna Therapeutics - Led the team to investigate future immuno-oncology & exploratory pipeline programs- Initiated pre-clinical studies evaluating LNP-delivery of oRNA in an immuo-oncology model (syngeneic models)- Supported & assisted the development of humanized mice studies in-house & through CROs- Coordinated with CROs to initiate oncology studies- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to focus on dissecting the LNP-oRNA platform in various disease models- Analyzed and presented the results of my experiments to R&D teams, partners, & investors- Contributed to the successful achievement of Orna's $100M total Seed & Series A fundDevelopmental- Designed exploratory proof of concept studies for alternative disease models for the Orna platformLeadership- Managed a team to execute various in vitro & in vivo models- Coordinated the plans, implementation, delegation, and execution of timelines- Mentored research associates to develop and achieve their professional goal- Mentored and managed 2 direct reportsActivities- Orna's Okapi Culture & Diversity Team - Group lead and founder of this team, who addresses topics and issues associated with company culture & diversity within Orna Therapeutics- Orna's Management Team - Group lead and founder, who addresses topics and issues associated with the RnD within Orna TherapeuticsAwards- Recipient of Orna's Phosphorus Circle Award 2021

Greater Boston Area

Project: Utilize the SQZ platform to develop a novel pre-clinical, cell-based therapy to establish immuno-homeostasis in autoimmunity.Research- Designed and implemented experiments compiled into a pre-clinical package for type 1 diabetes (T1D).- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to evaluate islet-antigen, protein targets, and protein characterization- Analyzed and presented the results of my experiments to R&D teams, partners, investors, and consultants- Established relationships and partnerships with different companiesLeadership- Managed a team to execute various experiments to address the mechanism of action of our therapy- Worked with multiple direct reports to plan, implement, delegate, and execute experiments- Mentored research associates to develop and achieve their professional goals (reaching out to contacts to arrange informational interviews, review essays for professional school applications, and provide professional guidance) - Mentored and managed 2 direct reportsPresentations- Presented a poster at Keystone Symposia 2019: Uncovering Mechanism of Immune-Based Therapy in Cancer and Autoimmunity- Presented a poster at Levine Riggs Diabetes Conference 2019Awards- Our team was the recipient of the 2019 JDRF's Nancy Jones Diabetes Champions AwardActivities- F5 Team: A group that improves company culture and communication between employees and employersClasses- Participated in a management course, known as "Leading with Purpose"

Houston, Texas Area

PhD candidate in the Immunology ProgramDepartment: Immunology and EndocrinologyThesis Topic: Strengthening Central Tolerance to Prevent T cell-mediated AutoimmunityPI: Matthew BettiniFunding:- American Association of Immunologist Careers in Immunology Fellow (2016-2017)Research:- Generated retroviral mediated transgenic mice (retrogenics) to study islet specific T cells development, project awarded a poster and presentation prize at Baylor College of Medicine- Discovered ectopic expression of thymic insulin antigen protects diabetic mice from autoimmune diabetes based on the stability of the peptide-MHC complex- Discovered that post-transnational modified islet antigens-pulsed dendritic cells can migrate to the thymus to tolerize autoreactive thymocytes- Utilized multi-parameter (10+ colors) flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy for functional immune cell analysis- Trained 4 graduate rotation students, 1 graduate student, 2 technicians, and 1 undergraduate - Received fellowship funding by American Association of Immunologist in 2016- Published 2 first author publications and 6 co-authorshipsActivities:- American Association of Immunologist Conference 2015- Keystone Symposia 2017- McNair Type 1 Diabetes Symposium 2014-present- BCM's Immunology Admissions Committee - Immunology graduate student recruiter - First year initiative Mentor- SMART graduate student representative - Teacher Assistant for Introduction to ImmunologyAwards:- Baylor College of Medicine Immunology Seminar Best Graduate Student Presenter- Baylor College of Medicine & Baylor Institute for Immunology Research 1st Prize Poster Award

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

In collaboration with UTSW’s Allergy and Asthma Clinic as well as the Inner City Asthma Consortium, I was involved in a NIH/NIAID funded clinical trial testing the efficacy of a novel sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) to treat asthma by administering cockroach (CR) antigen. In this translational study, I designed one leg of the project that used blood samples collected from patients prior to and after the 3-months of CR vs. placebo SLIT. The goal of my study was to identify the immunomodulatory effects of administering cockroach antigen for 3 months via SLIT to asthmatic children. The CR-specific CD4 and CD8 responses were measured and analyzed for functional cytokine profiles. Furthermore, purified CD4+CD25+ and CD8+ T cells were evaluated for their CR-specific and global suppressive potential. Projects:- Project Topic: The role of cockroach sublingual therapy in immune modulation.- Project Topic: The role of pathogenic CD8 T cells in autoimmune demyelinating disease.Research:- Collaborated with the clinical staff of Parkland Hospital to obtain and document patient blood samples- Utilized multi-parameter (10+ colors) flow cytometry for ex vivo and functional immune cell analysis from patients receiving the sublingual immunotherapy- Presented work at seminars, meetings, and conferencesManagerial Duties:- Maintained ordering and laboratory equipment, such as the lab's flow cytometer LSR II- Supply/equipment ordering and inventory- Record keeping of documents, orders, and research protocols [including radioactivity logs, IRB and animal protocols]- Upkeep of core lab materials [buffers, reagent preparation]- Assisted multiple researchers during experimental setups- Facilitated information between the principal investigator and lab members- Coordination of lab inspections [environmental health and safety; animal oversight; radioactive materials; etc.]Activities:- Poster Presentation at the 2010 UTSW Immunology Retreat

Under the mentorship of Dr. Nitin Karandikar MD, Ph.D, I investigated regulatory T cells (Tregs) and their role in the adaptive immune response. Tregs are key in preventing the immune system from progressing towards autoimmunity or self-reactivity. In the course of our research, I discovered that transient expression of the intracellular transcription factor Forkhead Box P3 (FOXP3) in all activated cells correlates with suppressive function. These induced Tregs (iTregs) suppress naive T cell proliferation, resulting in inhibition of the immune response. In addition, by comparing the regulatory function of iTregs generated from activated naive and memory CD4+CD25- precursors, we showed that memory iTregs have greater competence in suppression compared to naïve iTregs. Furthermore, stronger activating stimuli appear to generate iTregs with more robust regulatory function.Projects:- Topic: The role of glatiramir acetate-induced ILT-3 receptors in tolerogenesis- Topic: The role of induced regulatory T cells during immune homeostasis.Activities:- UT Southwestern Green Fellow Poster Presentation 2010- UT Southwestern Summer Research Fellow Poster Presentation 2010