Ozan Alkan, Ph.D.

Dr. Alkan's passion and interest in gene therapy started 20 years ago while working in Germany's first gene therapy group and trial. His Ph.D. studies focusing on non-and viral gene therapy vectors were a close collaboration between the University of Freiburg in Germany and M.I.T. He was a visiting student in Philip Leboulch's lab, the scientific founder of the company Bluebird. He continued his training as a PostDoc in Helen Blau's lab at Stanford University in the field of Stem Cell Biology.

His subsequent career steps brought him to the Broad Institute of Harvard and M.I.T. as a group leader, followed by a industry-based group leader position in a mid-size Cambridge-based biotech company Merrimack Pharmaceuticals. There, he extended his knowledge in virology and alternative delivery moieties, using liposomal nanoparticles (LNP) to deliver nucleic acids, such as plasmid and small interfering RNAs.

His interest and dedication towards the optimization of non-viral gene therapy platforms and technologies were further enhanced by joining a start-up in Cambridge where he helped building re-dosable and titratable gene therapy platforms based on linear close-end DNA species. Shortly before joining Carmine, Ozan focused on establishing and developing RNA-based LNP delivery platforms and reprogramming T-Cells invivo at Tidal Therapeutics.