Management Team

Demetri Maxim, founder & ceo

Demetri founded Nephrogen in August 2015 and is currently serving as the company's CEO. He has completed research training at Tufts University, Harvard Medical School, the Jackson Laboratory, and Stanford University. He graduated Cum Laude from Gould Academy, and is studying bioengineering at Stanford University.

Demetri has invented several biomedical technologies in the kidney medicine field and is currently working to bring these to market through Nephrogen. Some of his inventions include an early detection test for chronic kidney transplant rejection and a new method to grow human kidney tissue from stem cells. He has presented his work at several scientific conferences including the American Society of Nephrology's Kidney Week and the Biomedical Engineering Society's 2014 and 2015 Annual Meetings, and published his work in several scientific journals including the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). He was also a finalist in the 2016 Intel Science Talent Search, the nation's most prestigious pre-college science competition, and a Two-Time First Place Winner at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world's largest pre-college science competition.

KatiE Mazalkova, biomedical assay scientist

Katie is a rising senior from Cornell University. She is receiving her degree in Public Health and Infectious Diseases, and has spent her time at Cornell researching membrane protein signaling and protein mutations in relation to aortic disease. She received national recognition for her work on mesenchymal stem cells’ involvement in atherosclerosis and is excited to branch out into the biotech industry this summer.

Scientific Advisory Board

JAN LIPHARDT, Ph.d.

Dr. Liphardt is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University. Dr. Liphardt's lab is a biophysics lab that investigates biological spatial organization on the mesoscale (10 nm - 10 microns) and the role of mechanical cues in cellular decision-making. Current research directions include studies of the mechanobiology of tumor progression, super-resolution imaging of protein clustering in membranes, and single-molecule measurements of transport through biological pores and channels.

Frank Lee, ph.d.

Dr. Frank Lee’s career in biotechnology began at the DNAX Research Institute in Palo Alto, CA, where he was one of its first scientists. Following its acquisition by Schering‐Plough, Dr. Lee was appointed director of molecular biology research and helped DNAX become a leader in research
on the immune system in the 1980s and 1990s. Dr. Lee then joined Millennium Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA as vice president of research, later becoming chief scientific officer and chief technology officer.

George CHurch, Ph.d.

George Church is a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and the Director of PersonalGenomes.org, which provides the world's only open-access information on human Genomic, Environmental & Trait data (GET). His 1984 Harvard PhD included the first methods for direct genome sequencing, molecular multiplexing & barcoding. These led to the first genome sequence (pathogen, Helicobacter pylori) in 1994 . His innovations have contributed to nearly all "next generation" DNA sequencing methods and companies (CGI-BGI, Life, Illumina, Nanopore).

jerrold shapiro, ph.d.

Jerry is an effective team-building leader who takes new medical devices from concept through design, pilot & production manufacturing, clinical trial, FDA regulatory approval, production and service. As an associate professor of medicine, surgery and ophthalmology at the Boston University School of Medicine for 15 years, Jerry led interdisciplinary teams in creating, designing, developing, implementing and testing innovative biomedical instrumentation. He wrote proposals which secured over $1 million in federal research grants, commercialized one of four patented inventions, designed and ran a clinical trial, and secured FDA 510(k) clearance. He brings over 30 years of laser experience to developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic instrumentation.

shelley amster

Shelley Amster is the founder of ShelleyCO, LLC, business development consulting firm. Shelley has over 30 years of experience in life sciences, beginning as a scientist and evolving into a recognized business development leader and entrepreneur. She specializes in working with executives and entrepreneurs to build bridges to critical resources and pivotal business opportunities. Shelley was a pioneer in the infertility/IVF industry. In addition to having been one of the first IVF lab directors in the US, Shelley helped commercialize multiple early IVF products and services and was instrumental in the growth of the New England Fertility Society membership, program offerings and fundraising success. Shelley continues to advise woman’s health and fertility based start up companies.

Anil Chandraker, MD

Dr. Chandraker graduated from Glasgow University in 1987 and trained in clinical medicine in the United Kingdom before coming to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School to complete his Fellowship in Nephrology/Transplant Immunology. Dr. Chandraker joined the faculty at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 1998 and currently serves as the Medical Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation. He is also the Director of the Transplantation Research Center, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.