An open, experienced, and passionate team

Robert Ang, MBBS, MBA brings experience as a senior biotech executive and is formerly a physician, venture capitalist, and strategy consultant. Prior to Vor Bio, Robert was Chief Business Officer at Neon Therapeutics, serving as part of the early team that established the company prior to its Series A investment through IPO. Before Neon, he served as Senior Vice President of Business Development at Bavarian Nordic, where he was primarily responsible for conducting a $975 million transaction with Bristol-Myers Squibb for PROSTVAC, a Phase 3 immuno-oncology asset, and served as Head of Business Development and Medical Affairs for Cadence Pharmaceuticals. Robert also worked at Frazier Healthcare Ventures, a leading life sciences venture capital firm, where he was involved in several pharmaceutical and biotechnology investments including Cadence Pharmaceuticals (purchased by Mallinckrodt), Incline Therapeutics (purchased by The Medicines Company), Alnara Pharmaceuticals (purchased by Eli Lilly), and Collegium Pharmaceuticals. Robert also has strategy consulting experience at the Boston Consulting Group and has general surgical training. He holds an MBBS (Doctor of Medicine) from the University of Western Australia and an MBA with honors from Columbia Business School. Robert serves on the board of Enara Bio, a UK-based biotechnology company focused on non-classical HLA targets for immuno-oncology approaches. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the leading international advocacy organization dedicated to realizing the promise of regenerative medicines and advanced therapies.

Eyal C. Attar, MD brings more than 20 years of demonstrated clinical excellence to his role at Vor Bio, with previous roles as a clinician, bench researcher and clinical developer of treatments for hematologic malignancies. Prior to joining Vor Bio, Eyal served as senior vice president and CMO for Aprea Therapeutics where he led development of Aprea’s lead programs, including overseeing clinical development, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory filings. Eyal worked closely on APR-246 (eprenetapopt), a cancer therapeutic pursuing indications including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), AML, and various solid tumors. Before Aprea, he held multiple positions in clinical development at Agios Pharmaceuticals, including Senior Medical Director and IDH Hematology Medical Lead, where he worked on various solid tumor and hematologic malignancy programs and contributed to the successful filing of multiple INDs. Eyal has played a leadership role in all aspects of clinical development from Pre-IND through to marketing authorization for several products to treat patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory AML.

Eyal was previously an attending hematologist/oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital focusing on leukemia, MDS, and other hematologic malignancies affecting the bone marrow. He completed fellowship training at Dana-Farber Cancer Center and residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Eyal received his medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Tirtha Chakraborty, PhD brings expertise in both hematology and genetic engineering to his role as Chief Scientific Officer. He formerly served as Vor Bio’s Vice President and Head of Research. Before joining Vor Bio, Tirtha was Vice President of Cell Therapy Research at Sana Biotechnology. Prior to Sana, he served as the Head of Hematology at CRISPR Therapeutics, leading research on hemoglobin disorders. His team’s work on autologous cell therapy using gene edited hematopoietic stem cells paved the way to the first clinical trial for the CRISPR industry. Before that, Tirtha was in charge of the synthetic mRNA platform at Moderna Therapeutics. In his academic life, he was trained as a molecular geneticist and focused on the role of small RNAs in lymphocyte development and lymphomagenesis using genetically engineered mouse models in the laboratory of Professor Klaus Rajewsky at the Immune Disease Institute of Harvard Medical School. Tirtha’s PhD thesis, completed at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India, was on deciphering the molecular mechanism of naturally acquired immunity against the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Nathan Jorgensen PhD, MBA brings a comprehensive background of buy-side, sell-side, consulting, and scientific experience to his role at Vor Bio. At QIA, the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar, he spearheaded biotechnology and pharmaceutical investment efforts, which included opportunities in public, private, and specialty investments. Prior to joining QIA, he led investments in therapeutics at Calamos, a growth-focused public equity investment firm with $25 billion of assets under management. Before joining Calamos, Nathan covered mid- and large-cap biotech companies at the investment bank Stifel Nicolaus.

Prior to working on Wall Street, Nathan investigated the pathobiology of Parkinson’s disease at the Columbia University Medical Center as a postdoctoral scientist. He earned an MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell University and a PhD from the University of Minnesota.

John King, MBA is a senior commercial leader with over 20 years of experience in biotechnology and rare diseases. Prior to Vor Bio, John served as Chief Commercial Officer at Ra Pharma until August 2020, following its acquisition by UCB. During his time with Ra Pharma, John led the organization in preparing for a global commercial launch. Prior to Ra Pharma, he was Vice President, U.S. Neurology Business Unit, at Alexion Pharmaceuticals where he was responsible for building and leading the team that launched Soliris® (eculizumab) for gMG. At Alexion, he also served roles of increasing responsibility, including Vice President, Head of Global LAL-D Franchise and Vice President, Head of Global Hematology Franchise. Before joining Alexion in 2009, John served in commercial roles of increasing responsibility at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, including Product Director of Enbrel® (etanercept). He began his career at Ernst & Young LLP. John obtained his B.S. in business logistics and MBA from the Pennsylvania State University.

Tania Philipp, Chief People Officer, brings more than 15 years of experience helping early-stage life sciences companies grow and progress. As a member of the senior leadership team, she is responsible for building a skilled and experienced team that will help Vor Bio achieve its objectives. Tania has a passion for creating a collaborative company culture and for fostering team dynamics that support individual and organizational growth. Prior to joining Vor Bio, she was Vice President and Head of Human Resources at Tango Therapeutics, where she was responsible for developing and implementing the strategic human resources vision that supported the company’s objectives and defined its culture. Before Tango, Tania held various senior human resources positions for a number of companies, including Bavarian Nordic, Mendel Biotechnology, Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Pearl Therapeutics (acquired by AstraZeneca), and Protein Design Labs. Tania holds a master’s degree in behavioral psychology from The University of the Pacific.

Bob Pietrusko, PharmD has directed the worldwide approval of more than 30 new products. He also led the submission and approval strategies for more than 30 new drug applications (NDAs), supplemental NDAs, biologics license applications, and marketing authorization applications in multiple therapeutic areas. As an early team member at Voyager Therapeutics, Bob pioneered regulatory strategies to translate gene therapies from research into the clinic. Prior to Voyager, Bob was Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs & Quality and Executive Officer at ViroPharma, Inc. He also served as Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, spearheading the accelerated approval of Velcade® in the U.S. and in more than 90 countries worldwide. Earlier in his career, he was Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline).

Bob has played a key role in shaping U.S. regulatory policy for cutting edge medicines, such as recently pioneering the concept of an expedited pathway to approval for cell and gene therapies that led to the Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation process that was included in the United States 21st Century Cures Act. He currently serves as Chair of the Regulatory Affairs Committee of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) and is an appointed member of the Regulatory Affairs committee of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapies (ASGCT). Bob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rutgers University, and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. He completed his residency training in hospital pharmacy at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and is the author or co-author of over 50 scientific publications.

Veit Schmelmer, PhD oversees the management of Vor Bio’s clinical research programs, working with cross-functional teams and external collaborators to advance the company’s engineered Hematopoietic Stem Cell (eHSC) platform. Veit has over 25 years of experience leading the development of novel therapies for cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases at leading biopharmaceutical companies. Most recently, Veit was a Vice President at Magenta Therapeutics where he was project lead for MGTA-145, a novel biologic designed to mobilize HSCs prior to bone marrow transplant. He previously served as Vice President of Portfolio Strategy at Mersana Therapeutics with responsibility for project leadership, alliance management, and portfolio strategy. Veit also served as Global Project Leader for Takeda Pharmaceuticals International (formerly Millennium Pharmaceuticals) where he was directly responsible for the company’s global asset strategy for new pipeline projects, overseeing programs in oncology from late-stage discovery through preclinical development and approval. Notably, Veit directed the global development of Entyvio® through Phase 2 and 3 clinical development, MAA/BLA review, global approvals, and launch. Veit began his career at Boehringer Ingelheim where he held positions of increasing seniority, becoming the Head of the Department of Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control for its Japanese subsidiary.

Veit is a board-certified pharmacist in Germany and he obtained a PhD from Heidelberg University with a focus in formulation development.