Meet Our Experts
Naduparambil K. Jacob, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & Chief Scientist
Naduparambil K. Jacob, Ph.D.
Founder & Chief Scientist
A member of the OSUCCC – James Translational Therapeutic Program, Dr. Jacob is the co-inventor of two U.S. patents related to miRNA biomarkers for radiation biodosimetry and for monitoring bone-marrow reconstitution. His laboratory has received independent research funding from NIH, DOD and NASA. His research seeks to develop non-invasive blood/urine-based biodosimetry and therapeutic strategies for timeline intervention prior to expression of disease. His work also explores the development of novel/improved strategies for radiosensitization of cancer cells in an effort to protect normal cells and achieve a better therapeutic ratio. Dr. Jacob has helped develop and test several small molecules that inhibit surviving protein functions in the chromosomal passenger complex and its association with Aurora-B kinase, and he is testing the efficacy of these agents. Dr. Jacob has co-authored more than 25 articles appearing in well-known science journals such as Molecular Cell, Cancer Research, Radiation Research and Molecular Biology of the Cell. He has also shared his research in international presentations, including one at the Nuclear Medical Defense Conference in Munich.
Kirsten M. Reeves, Ph.D.
Director, Biotechnology Products
Kirsten M. Reeves, Ph.D.
Biotechnology Product Manager
Dr. Reeves is a biodosimetry and biotechnology product manager with experience in target selection, assay development, high-throughput screening, drug discovery, molecular biology and imaging, pre-clinical studies, as well as clinical trial initiation through phase IIIb/IV and FDA approval. She worked at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a Senior Graduate Research Associate, where she completed and supported numerous radiology and molecular medicine pre-clinical and clinical studies. She also served as Clinical Trial Project Associate at Sarah Cannon Research Institute where she supported multiple ongoing clinical trials from initiation through Phase IIIb/IV. Dr. Reeves was the Senior Quality Control Specialist at Zinc Oxide, LLC where she oversaw the quality management of pharmaceutical grade production including ISO-9001, GMP, and GLP Quality Systems. Dr. Reeves holds a BS in Pre-Medicinal Chemistry from Armstrong State University, an MS in Biomolecular Science from Lipscomb University and a PhD in Biochemistry, Immuno-Oncology, and Molecular Imaging from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Francis M. “Mike” Brown
Executive Vice President, Biodosimetry Division
FRANCIS M. “MIKE” BROWN
Executive Vice President, Biodosimetry Division
Mr. Brown is a retired United States Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot with extensive leadership, technical, and operational experience. He served in high-level positions in NATO and US nuclear operations and policy, providing him with deep knowledge and understanding of the impacts of and response to nuclear events. Following his service, Mr. Brown has been on the leading edge of technology bringing advanced cloud-based mass-notification solutions to market, building technology companies in SaaS, and working in biomedical technology advancing machine learning solutions and biomarkers for early detection of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s. He holds a BBA from Ohio University in Computer Systems, an MAS from Embry-Riddle University and a MA in Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College.
Scott Barnes
Co-Founder & Directing Manager
Scott Barnes
Chief Technology Officer
Mr. Barnes has over 30 years of experience in highly regulated industries, serving over 20 years in executive level leadership positions in medical devices, government contracting, and specialty product scaling. He is an expert in technology transfer and establishing product/market fit for emerging solutions, having held executive and key technology roles at several venture backed, high growth companies. Mr. Barnes has founded and operated companies based on the technology licenses of multiple universities and private research institutions. He has also provided assistance to distressed companies by addressing specific bottlenecks through licensing and introducing breakthrough technologies and solutions to alleviate identified deficiencies. Mr. Barnes holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Engineering Mechanics from The Ohio State University, where he supported Biomedical Engineering research focused on robotics/haptics. also taught biomechanics to orthopedic
surgery residents and ran research laboratories focused on clinical and sports medicine gait analysis as well as robotics/haptics.
Mario Morales
Vice President of Operations
Mario Morales
Director of Operations
Mr. Morales has spent the past ten years serving as a Signal Officer in the US Army, where he specialized in IT infrastructure, operational planning, and project management. Some of his assignments include working in the Special Operations community, providing logistics support across Afghanistan, and commanding a Recruiting Company in Southeastern Ohio. Mr. Morales holds an MA in Forensic Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and a BA in Psychology from San Jose State University.
Melanie A. Samsonow
Manager, Laboratory & Quality Operations
Melanie A. Samsonow
Biotechnology Project Manager
Ms. Samsonow is a scientific project manager with experience in microbiology, field trials, laboratory coordination, and quality control. She worked for Battelle Memorial Institute, where she supported numerous laboratory and field trials at the BSL-2 and BSL-3 facilities. She also served as the Quality Control Project Coordinator at the Clinical Manufacturing Facility at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, directly facilitating client and vendor interactions. Ms. Samsonow is also trained in ISO-9001, GMP, and GLP Quality Systems. As a part of the NIH RADX initiative, she facilitated programmatic, quality, regulatory, and commercialization efforts for academic and start-up institutions developing point-of-care diagnostic devices. Ms. Samsonow holds a BS in biology from Eastern Kentucky University.
Stephanie Sookram
Administrative Coordinator
Stephanie Sookram
Administrative Coordinator
Mrs. Sookram is an experienced administrative coordinator who has served in managerial and lead administrative positions in the legal, industrial supplier, and healthcare industries. Mrs. Sookram holds a BS in Forensic Psychology from The City University of New York John Jay College of Criminal Justice and an Associate Degree in Medicine from Penn State University.
Sidney E. Fellows
Technical Writer
Sidney E Fellows
Technical Writer
Ms. Fellows is a public health professional with a diverse background in public health program design, qualitative research, INDs, and clinical Trial Master File management. She recently provided regulatory project support to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Division of AIDS (DAIDS) Regulatory Support Center (RSC) for COVID-19 and HIV clinical trials. As a Graduate Research Assistant at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, she worked with communities to developed systems dynamics models to support local health departments in addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) through cross-sector collaboration and policy development. She also worked with Global Mental Health EQUITY Lab in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science where she supported adolescent mental health research based in South America, West Africa and South Asia. Ms. Fellows holds an MPH from The George Washington University.
Marc S. Mendonca, Ph.D.
Radiation SME
Marc S. Mendonca, Ph.D.
Radiation SME
Dr. Mendonca serves as the Director of Radiation and Cancer Biology in the Departments of Radiation Oncology and Medical & Molecular Genetics at Indiana University School of Medicine, facilitating in vitro and in vivo studies involving the use of X-rays in biomedical and cancer research for members of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and the IU School of Medicine. He has extensive expertise in a wide variety of areas in ionizing radiation, cancer and molecular biology. Dr. Mendonca has over 30 years of experience in small animal radiation models. He was selected as the Editor-in-Chief of the respected international journal Radiation Research in January 2011. He currently serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at IUPUI. He holds a PhD in Biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Patrick J. Peller, MD
Clinical SME
Patrick J. Peller
Clinical SME
Dr. Peller is a Medical Consultant based in San Antonio Texas. Dr. Peller served as the attending physician, for Nuclear Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Lutheran General Hospital and Woodburn Nuclear Medicine and as a Nuclear Medicine consultant at the Mayo Clinic. He is a member of the Radiological Society of North America, the American College of Radiology, and the Society of Nuclear Medicine Molecular Imaging, having held numerous positions in each. As a consultant, Dr Peller has worked with US and international clients, with a focus on PET/CT scanning. He served as a medical officer in the US Army at installations around the world, as both an active-duty officer and a reservist (MAJ, ret). Dr. Peller is board certified in Nuclear Medicine and Internal Medicine, earning his MD at Minnesota State and completing residencies in Internal and Nuclear Medicine at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.