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Marco A. Biamonte, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Marco holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and performed post-doctoral studies at the Swiss Institute for Technology (ETH-Z). Marco worked as a medicinal chemist in the pharmaceutical industry for 14 years, mostly in oncology. He co-led up to 3 projects simultaneously in 3 different therapeutic areas and managed up to 12 chemists. He and his colleagues have had success in advancing 2 new drugs into clinical trials (BIIB-021 and BIIB-028, respectively in Phase II and Phase I).
Lauren Boone, Associate Scientist. Lauren received her B.S in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California, Davis. She began her career at DCN Diagnostics, where she worked with their Manufacturing and Technical Services group to bring several lateral flow assays to large scale manufacturing. In 2021, she joined NoniGenex, and was an integral member in the initial design and development of a rapid test for alpha-fetoprotein. At Big Eye Diagnostics, Lauren works to ensure that the company manufactures assays that are effective and reliable.
Melissa Chalmers, Controller. Melissa holds a double Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Economics from the University of Oklahoma, and a Masters in Business Administration from Colorado State University. She started her career in investment banking and then later moved to the field of monetization. She has managed budgets and finances for companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. At Big Eye Diagnostics, Melissa is in charge of overseeing the organization’s daily accounting functions.
Quynh Do, Research Scientist II. Quynh holds a B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego. She began her career at Fluoresprobe Sciences, where she contributed to the development of a rapid test to measure unbound bilirubin in newborns. Transitioning into lateral flow assay development at nanoComposix and later at DCN Dx, Quynh has since developed rapid assays for infectious disease, hormone monitoring, and other essential applications. Her expertise aligns closely with DDTD’s mission to provide accessible diagnostic solutions for neglected tropical diseases and underserved communities.
Sam Marton, Quality Engineer. Sam received a B.S. in Bioengineering from UCLA, where he researched magnetic nanoparticle bioconjugation for bloodstream infection diagnosis. He then interned at Tel Aviv University, programming the data analysis for large CRISPR datasets. During a 5-year tenure at nanoComposix, he brought a veterinary wellness assay from feasibility to market and guided conjugation scale-up to million-strip-per-year volumes. At Big Eye Diagnostics, he manages a commercialization effort, while also leading QMS development to obtain ISO 13485 certification.
Megan McLarty, Research Scientist II. Megan earned a B.S. and M.S. in Biotechnology from the University of Nevada, Reno. During her studies, she developed antibodies against all seven species of Ebolavirus using hybridoma technology. Her professional career began at nanoComposix, where she led several lateral flow development projects through various stages of the pipeline. At Big Eye Dx, she channels her dedication into developing highly sensitive and specific assays for neglected tropical diseases.
Justin Nueve, Research Associate. Justin received his B.S. in Cellular Molecular Biology from California State University San Marcos. During his time at CSUSM, Justin was part of a research lab that conducted a series of next generation sequencing along various soil types throughout the campus to determine microbial community structures. Upon graduating, Justin began his career as an intern at DTDD where he was introduced to diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases. Justin is now currently a research associate, where he assists in the various projects involving the research and development of detecting NTDs.
Mykelti O’Brien, Research Scientist II. Mykelti received her M.S. in Biotechnology from the University of Nevada, Reno. During her time there, she 3D printed airway smooth muscle cells that she used to investigate miR-25’s role in asthma and the differentiation of this cell type. She started her industry career at Charles River Labs. In 2020, Mykelti moved to San Diego and started her Lateral Flow career at nanoComposix, where she worked to develop lateral flow assays. At Big Eye, Mykelti works to develop sensitive and specific lateral flow assays for Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Daniela Oltean, Sr. Scientist. Daniela earned her B.S. and Ph.D. from University of California, Riverside, and post-doctoral research at Alexion Antibody Technologies/Alexion Pharmaceuticals. At Anaphore/RuiYi and Abwiz Bio, she led efforts in the characterization of novel scaffold therapeutic proteins and the identification of highly specific and high-affinity antibodies. In 2020, she joined Nanocomposix, where she contributed to the development of lateral flow assays. At Big Eye Diagnostics, Daniela is dedicated to the development and commercialization of highly sensitive and specific assays for neglected tropical diseases.
Ahn Rupley, Lab Manager. Ahn earned their B.S. in Biomanufacturing from MiraCosta College. They started their career at BioLegend as an intern and ended up managing the production of two ELISA product lines. At DCN Diagnostics, they were involved in management of the lab and project support. During their work at ChromaCode they developed documents and processes for the transfer of a new product from R&D to manufacturing. Through the course of their career, they have worked in Quality (QC/QA), Manufacturing, and Tech Transfer.
Jean Saunders, Associate Director. Jean earned her B.S. in Chemistry from San Diego State University. She co-founded nanoComposix’s lateral flow division, pioneering new surface chemistries for attaching biomolecules to plasmonic nanoparticles. Transitioning to DCN Dx in 2018, Jean developed a low-cost, visually-read rapid test to diagnose a specific viral infection reaching sensitivity in the low fM range. Now at DDTD, she leverages over a decade of experience in point-of-care diagnostics to lead R&D efforts focused on affordable, sensitive assays for tropical disease eradication.