Makana Therapeutics Team

Joe Tector, MD, PhD, FACS

Founder

More than 30 years of experience in transplant surgery and the pioneering visionary whose work the modern xeno-field is built upon. He is currently Director of the Xenotransplant Institute; Surgical Director, Small Bowel and Multivisceral Transplant Program, University of Miami Medical School. Dr. Tector received his training from McGill University, University of Miami, and St Louis University School of Medicine.

Mark Platt

President & CEO

More than 30 years of experience in business and organizational leadership with background in manufacturing, engineering, hospital administration, sales, marketing, and product development. Former Pres/CEO of Multistack, SVP and Board Member at Gundersen Health System, Combat Engineering Officer-U.S. Air Force, and member of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame. B.S. – Electrical Engineering and Mathematics, Vanderbilt University.

Matt Tector, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

More than 30 years of experience in Cell Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Genetic Engineering, and Xenotransplantation. Oversaw the creation and validation of the Makana TKO Pig and its xenotransplant-related histocompatibility and pathogen detection assays. PhD – Pathology/Immunology from the University of Pittsburgh with Postdocs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Max-Planck Institute.

Ed Gray

Chief Operating Officer

Transplantation industry veteran with broad experience in genetic engineering, porcine development and facilities, infection disease, preclinical program design and execution, regulatory strategy and planning.

Zak Dorsey

VP Finance & Business Development

Hospital Administrator with 20 years of experience in Transplantation, hospital finance, practice management, managed care contracting, reimbursement, and analytics. At Makana, he manages the Finances of the enterprise and will use his experience to develop a business model for this technology. He holds a Master of Health Administration degree from Indiana University.

Karl Kraebber

VP Operations

Kraebber is a xenotransplantation and hospital operations professional with 14+ years of experience in designated pathogen free barrier facility design, animal facility operations, regulatory compliance, quality management. Prior work with Indiana University, University of Alabama. BS and MS from Purdue University in General Health Science, Technology, and Organizational Leadership.

Maria Sanchez

Office Manager & Executive Assistant

Maria has over 30 years of experience in Telecommunications in the Public sector. She spent most of her career with AT&T where she held several positions. She also was the office manager for a financial crimes task force that comprised Local, State & Federal agencies under the direction of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). At Makana, she is in charge of office management, compliance documentation, and supervising the construction of leasehold improvements. She has an AA in Commercial Art & Advertising and BS in Legal Studies and Criminal Justice.

Sabrina Copsel, PhD

Senior Scientist

Sabrina Copsel is an accomplished immunology and cancer research scientist with over 15 years of expertise across various fields, including Transplantation, Cellular Therapy, Tumor Biology, Pharmacology, and Biochemistry. She earned her Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Cancer from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and conducted her post-doctoral research on leukemic stem cells at Radboud University, The Netherlands. Upon moving to the United States, Dr. Copsel joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Miami, where she investigated graft versus host disease in the context of bone marrow transplantation. Currently, at Makana Therapeutics, she utilizes her extensive experience in transplant immunology to develop and validate histocompatibility and flow cytometric assays related to xenotransplantation, driving advancements in the field.

Claudia Muniz, PhD

Research Associate II

Claudia Muniz is an experienced geneticist with expertise in the molecular biology of viral infections. She earned her Ph.D. in Genetics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During her doctoral studies, she worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, developing assays for identifying retroviruses in non-human primates and investigating transmission to humans. Her postdoctoral research at the National Cancer Institute (INCA) focused on oncovirus detection, advancing diagnostics for HIV-1 and Hepatitis C. More recently, she joined the University of Miami’s Pathology Department where she studied gene delivery of antibodies to develop HIV-1 vaccines. At Makana Therapeutics, she works on designing and validating molecular diagnostic assays for a pathogen screening program covering over 55 pathogens affecting animals and humans.

Mariana Schlesinger, PhD

Research Associate

Mariana Schlesinger earned her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and carried out her post-doctoral studies on oncovirus at the University of Miami. She has extensive knowledge of molecular and cell biology as well as experience in clinical research ── she also underwent GCP–ICH E6 (R2) training and certification. At Makana Therapeutics, Mariana supports the laboratory efforts for developing assays and manages the storage and organization of samples.

Juan Lasalle