About
AffyImmune is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing novel, first-in-class, affinity-tuned CAR T cell therapies to transform the lives of patients with cancer.
Leadership
Daniel Janse, PhD
CEO, President, and Board Member
Daniel Janse, PhD
CEO, President, and Board Member
Daniel brings over 15 years of leadership experience in roles spanning corporate strategy, business development, operations and financing. Prior to joining AffyImmune, he was Managing Director at Northpond Ventures where he led investments in private biotechnology companies and provided guidance to executive teams as a Board Director. Previously, Daniel was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Officer at Arbor Biotechnologies, and also held leadership positions at Juno Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, and McKinsey & Company. Daniel was a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. He received his Ph.D. in Biological & Biomedical Sciences from Harvard University.
Pete Gelinas
Senior Vice President and Head of CMC
Pete Gelinas
Senior Vice President and Head of CMC
Pete brings over 15 years of extensive experience in Manufacturing and CMC Product Development to AffyImmune. Previously, he served as the Head of Manufacturing and Technical Operations at ElevateBio, where he led Technology Transfer, CMC strategy, and oversight of routine clinical manufacturing. During his tenure at bluebird bio, he led both the MSAT and CMC teams for Skysona. He has executed numerous late-phase global technology transfer deals and played a pivotal role in driving the drug product process validation efforts for Zynteglo. Peter has also held various positions at the Connell O’Reilly Cell Manipulation Core Facility (CMCF) at Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), where he contributed to the development and manufacturing of several gene and cell-based therapies.
Board of Directors
Simone Song, MBA
Board Chair
Simone Song, MBA
Board Chair
Simone is the founder and a senior partner at ORI Capital and has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare investment sector. She was the former head of Goldman Sachs Healthcare Investment Banking for Greater China, managing director of Cowen Group, a member of the advisory board of AXA Investment Managers, and an executive board advisor to AXA Asia Pacific Holdings. Simone holds a B.A. in Economics from Fudan University in China and an M.A. in Economics from Claremont Graduate School in the United States.
Rick Rutter, PhD
Board Member
Rick Rutter, PhD
Board Member
Rick Rutter, Ph.D., brings over 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, with a deep expertise in CMC regulatory strategy and drug product manufacturing. Dr. Rutter has held several key positions, including Executive Vice President of Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences at Pfizer. He currently serves as an expert consultant and advises both public and private companies on CMC and supply chain management.
Jorge Nieva, MD
Board Member
Jorge Nieva, MD
Board Member
Jorge Nieva, M.D., is Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and Section Head of Lung and Head/Neck Tumors at the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. He served as a standing member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Oncology Drug Advisory Committee from 2021-2024. Dr. Nieva’s clinical research teams have been recognized for excellence in the conduct of clinical trials from the National Cancer Institute and the American Association of Oncology Research.
Daniel Janse, PhD
CEO, President, and Board Member
Daniel Janse, PhD
CEO, President, and Board Member
Daniel brings over 15 years of leadership experience in roles spanning corporate strategy, business development, operations and financing. Prior to joining AffyImmune, he was Managing Director at Northpond Ventures where he led investments in private biotechnology companies and provided guidance to executive teams as a Board Director. Previously, Daniel was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Officer at Arbor Biotechnologies, and also held leadership positions at Juno Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, and McKinsey & Company. Daniel was a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. He received his Ph.D. in Biological & Biomedical Sciences from Harvard University.
