Our Team

CytoAgents is comprised of seasoned business leaders and medical professionals, all of whom are experts within their fields

Teresa Whalen, RPh | Chief Executive Officer

With more than 20 years career in the healthcare industry as a biotech innovator, healthcare technology leader, hospital board trustee, life sciences investor, and clinical pharmacist; Teresa has a successful track record of bringing life-changing healthcare products to market.

As the CEO of CytoAgents, Teresa leads a team of world-renowned clinical drug development experts and scientific advisory board members who are at the forefront of groundbreaking treatment of life-threatening symptoms associated with Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), an overreaction of the immune system causing systemic inflammation.

 

Teresa was selected for the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ North America Class of 2021, which identifies ambitious women entrepreneurs who are leading thriving organizations and helps them scale their companies to their full potential as market-leading innovators.

Leadership

Roy Prieb
Chief Financial Officer

Roy Prieb is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in building innovative technology and life sciences companies. Most recently, he was a co-founder and director of Kleo Pharmaceuticals, a synthetic immunotherapy company spun out from Yale University. He served as the company’s COO/CFO overseeing non-R&D functions including finance, business development, human resources, IP management, and fundraising. Roy worked as a management consultant with Boston Consulting Group. He received his BA from Harvard College and MBA from Wharton Business School.

Arthur P. Bertolino, MD, PhD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Bertolino has over 20 years of domestic and global drug development and management experience and currently serves as Chief Medical Officer for CytoAgents. He served as Director (Board), President and Chief Medical Officer of Innovation Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Bertolino held several key positions at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (“NIBR”), where he was integral to the marketing approval of Ilaris® (canakinumab). He also led the early clinical program of Cosentyx™ (secukinumab) and late-stage supportive submission studies. Dr. Bertolino held positions as Senior Medical Director and Senior Director of Dermatology at Pfizer, where he led clinical programs for over a half-dozen new chemical entities involving Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies. Dr. Bertolino served as Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Peplin, Inc., where he led Phase 2 programs and designed and drove initial Phase 3 programs that contributed to FDA approval of Picato® (ingenol mebutate). Dr. Bertolino also held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Revance Therapeutics, where he led key development activities for DaxibotulinumtoxinA. Dr. Bertolino earned a BS in Chemistry/Biochemistry from SUNY Stony Brook, an MD and PhD in Pharmacology from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and an MBA from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

Board of Directors

Stanley Marks, MD
Chairman UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

Stanley Marks is Chairman of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, the largest network of outpatient cancer centers in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. In addition, he is Director for Clinical Services and Chief Medical Officer of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center; Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Shadyside Hospital; and Clinical Professor of Medicine for the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Stanley has also served as president of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, president of the Allegheny County Medical Society, chairman of the board of Via Oncology, chair of Cancer Treatment Services International, and chair of the National Policy Board of US Oncology. Stanley has authored numerous publications and is the recipient of several awards, including the National Research Service Award from the United States Public Health Service. Stanley received his bachelor’s degree in biology and his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Anthony McCarley
Founder and CEO of McCarley International

Anthony McCarley is founder of McCarley International whose mission is based on guiding driven business owners, executives, and organizations to accomplish great things. McCarley International specializes in working with companies experiencing significant change and transition – whether by design or circumstance. Anthony has over 30 years of experience as a senior executive with two Global 100 companies and two start-up companies.

Anthony became a Triple Crown marathon swimmer in 2014 by crossing the English Channel, circumnavigating Manhattan Island, and crossing the Catalina Channel in southern California. He completed the three marathon swims in less than one year. He was named a 2014 Global Marathon Swimming Federation Award finalist in the Most Impressive Overall Year category.

Catherine V. Mott
Founder, CEO, Managing Partner Blue Tree Capital Group

Catherine Mott is the founder of BlueTree Capital Group, BlueTree Allied Angels, and the BlueTree Venture Fund located in Pittsburgh, PA. The BT entities have invested $50+ million in several startup companies. Ms. Mott is the past Chairman of the Angel Capital Association (ACA) and the Angel Resource Institute. Ms. Mott is a member of the ACA Public Policy Committee and she has served 3 terms on the SEC Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies. Catherine has been a speaker/panelist at national and regional conferences. She worked for 17 years in corporate banking management where she served in senior management roles for investment sales/wealth management, commercial lending, business development, and retail expansion. Today, Ms. Mott uses these experiences and her education to bring together capital and prime investment opportunities. She was named the 2017 Hans Severeins Angel of the Year by the Angel Capital Association, among many other national awards. Catherine holds an MBA in Finance.

Teresa Whalen, RPh
Chief Executive Officer CytoAgents

With more than 20 years career in the healthcare industry as a biotech innovator, healthcare technology leader, hospital board trustee, life sciences investor, and clinical pharmacist; Teresa has a successful track record of bringing life-changing healthcare products to market.

As the CEO of CytoAgents, Teresa leads a team of world-renowned clinical drug development experts and scientific advisory board members who are at the forefront of groundbreaking treatment of life-threatening symptoms associated with Cytokine Releasing Syndrome (CRS), an overreaction of the immune system causing systemic inflammation. Teresa was selected for the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ North America Class of 2021, which identifies ambitious women entrepreneurs who are leading thriving organizations and helps them scale their companies to their full potential as market-leading innovators.

Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD
Executive Director Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center System Chief of Oncology Servcies UNC Health System

Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD is Executive Director Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, System Chief of Oncology Services UNC Health System.

As a head and neck surgical oncologist and translational tumor immunologist, his lab and clinical trials investigate mechanisms of anti-tumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment (TME), as well as tumor cell escape. Dr. Ferris has published >400 peer-reviewed publications that have garnered >52,000 citations. He was lead investigator of several practice-changing, prospective randomized trials, including Checkmate-141 published in NEJM which led to the FDA approval of the first immunotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Dr. Ferris has co-founded two early-phase immuno-oncology companies, in therapeutics discovery and development and in cellular therapeutic strategies for solid and liquid tumors. Dr. Ferris also serves on scientific boards for multiple biotech companies.

Scientific Advisors

Boyle Cheng, MD
Director of the Neuroscience Institute, AHN

Boyle C. Cheng is the Director of Research for the Neuroscience Institute at Allegheny Health Network and holds an appointment at the rank of full professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Drexel University, Allegheny General Hospital. Dr. Cheng also maintains an adjunct appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, serving as an advisor to graduate students in the practicum course and teaching the Medical Devices class. He joined the Allegheny Health Network from the University of Pittsburgh. His grant-funded research has included topics including NIH funded clinical research trials, the evaluation of anterior cervical disc replacements and novel biomaterials in a sheep model, and others. Dr. Cheng is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Lumbar Spine Research Society, the Orthopedic Research Society and the Spine Arthroplasty Society.

Matthew Frigault, MD
Clinical Director, Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital

Matthew Frigault is an oncologist working within the Department of Hematologic Malignancies at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and as an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. Matthews current clinical activities include attending on the inpatient bone marrow transplant and cell therapy services, managing outpatient cellular therapy patients and overseeing the cellular therapy infrastructure responsible for MGH’s standard of care and clinical research efforts. His current research is focused on the translational aspects of cellular therapies with the goal of developing the next generation of cellular therapies. Matthew is PI of multiple first-in-human studies targeting hematologic and solid malignancies focused on optimizing current cellular therapy approaches through CRISPR gene editing, novel immunomodulatory approaches for toxicity management, and in-depth clinical correlatives.

Michael Ison, MD, MS
Director, Transplant Infectious Disease Services Northwestern

Michael Ison received his BA at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. He then received his MD at the University of South Florida College of Medicine followed later by an MS in Health Evaluation Sciences at the University of Virginia. He completed his Internal Medicine training at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, OR, and Infectious Diseases training at the University of Virginia, with an additional year of Transplant Infectious Diseases training at Massachusetts General Hospital. His areas of specialty include Transplant and Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases.

Stanley Marks, MD
Chairman, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

Stanley Marks is Chairman of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, the largest network of outpatient cancer centers in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. In addition, he is Director for Clinical Services and Chief Medical Officer of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center; Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Shadyside Hospital; and Clinical Professor of Medicine for the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Stanley has also served as president of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, president of the Allegheny County Medical Society, chairman of the board of Via Oncology, chair of Cancer Treatment Services International, and chair of the National Policy Board of US Oncology. Stanley has authored numerous publications and is the recipient of several awards, including the National Research Service Award from the United States Public Health Service. Stanley received his bachelor’s degree in biology and his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Paul Thomas, PhD
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Paul Thomas received his PhD, Immunology and Infectious Disease from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Paul’s research program is focused on understanding how innate and adaptive immunity determine disease outcomes following influenza virus infection in murine and human experimental systems. Through his work immune signatures predictive of severe disease and poor clinical outcome in patients infected with influenza virus have been identified. Paul’s’ lab is part of the Center for Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance at St. Jude.