Dr. Irv Weissman is a Professor of Clinical Investigation in Cancer Research and Professor of Developmental Biology at the Stanford School of Medicine, and previously served as the Director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. As the first scientist to identify and isolate mammalian blood-forming stem cells in mice, Dr. Weissman is considered the father of hematopoiesis, and is an expert in stem cell biology, cancer stem cells, and macrophage immune checkpoints. Dr. Weissman's lab was also the first to identify, prospectively isolate, and transplant human and murine HSCs.

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Dr. Weissman has helped found multiple companies, including Forty Seven Inc., which was acquired by Gilead Sciences in March 2020.

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Jens is the Co-Founder and CEO of Inograft and brings 20 years of research and development experience across academia and biotechnology. He has worked collaboratively to advance novel therapies from early scientific ideas into clinical development and to help build organizations committed to meaningful, long-term impact.

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Previously, as a Co-Founder of Forty Seven Inc., he led the company’s research efforts, playing a central role in advancing the first-in-class anti-CD47 antibody from discovery and preclinical development through advanced-stage clinical trials. He also led the research and development of a novel antibody-based conditioning approach for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, moving the program from discovery to IND and into a Phase 1 clinical trial.

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Following the acquisition of Forty Seven by Gilead Sciences, Jens served as Executive Director of Oncology Biology. He subsequently helped launch Bitterroot Bio, serving as CSO and COO and contributed to the company’s scientific strategy and early development plan.

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Jens received his medical degree from Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany, where he also trained in Urology. He later completed his postdoctoral fellowship in Irv Weissman’s laboratory at the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, focusing on cancer biology, stem cell biology, and immunology.

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Dr. Benson M. George is an Instructor in Adult Leukemia at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a physician-scientist specializing in myeloid neoplasms. He completed his MD and PhD in Cancer Biology at Stanford University, where he trained under Dr. Irving Weissman and contributed to the fields of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and macrophage immune checkpoint biology. Dr. George subsequently completed internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and hematology/oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, serving as Chief Fellow during his final year.

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As a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Ryan Flynn at Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr. George’s research focuses on identifying and exploiting novel cell-surface vulnerabilities in hematologic malignancies, integrating cell-surface proteomics, glycoRNA biology, and immunotherapeutic design. He has published in Nature Biotechnology, Cell, Nature Aging, eLife, and PNAS, including recent work identifying a cell-surface RNA-binding protein as a therapeutic target in AML.

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Dr. George’s work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the K12 Paul Calabresi Career Development Award in Clinical Oncology, the ASH Research Training Award for Fellows, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellowship. He continues to practice clinically in adult leukemia, with a focus on translating mechanistic discoveries in cell-surface biology into first-in-class therapeutic strategies for patients with myeloid malignancies.

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Rahul is a Co-Founder of Inograft, where he helps guide scientific strategy and drive innovation in regenerative medicine. With more than 15 years of experience in stem cell biology, he specializes in hematopoietic stem cells and their potential for transformative clinical applications.

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Before joining Inograft, Rahul led pioneering research into the functional diversity of blood-forming stem cells at the single-cell level, tracing their development from fetal life through aging. His work has also advanced the understanding of skeletal stem cells and the bone niches that support blood production—foundational insights for next-generation cell and regenerative therapies.

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In addition, Rahul has made key contributions to the purification and characterization of human neural stem and progenitor cells, the reactivation of pluripotency programs in early cranial neural crest cells, the identification of progenitor cells that give rise to coronary arteries, and the mapping of early human mesoderm development at single-cell resolution.

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Rahul earned his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology through the joint program between Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Stony Brook University, followed by postdoctoral training at Stanford University.

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Kristopher Marjon is a co-founder of Inograft and a seasoned biotech leader with deep experience translating scientific discovery into clinical application. Over his career, he has led cross-functional teams advancing antibody-based therapeutics from preclinical proof-of-concept to IND submission and Phase 1 clinical evaluation.

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Prior to Inograft, Kristopher led preclinical strategy and execution at Gilead Sciences, supporting programs in hematology and oncology. Earlier, at Forty Seven Inc., he directed the antibody conditioning initiative that successfully advanced into first-in-human studies and contributed to key strategic partnerships and regulatory interactions.

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Kristopher’s scientific foundation in immunology was established at the University of New Mexico under the mentorship of Terry Du Clos and Carolyn Mold. He expanded his expertise in hematopoietic stem cell biology with Jennifer Gillette before continuing his research training at Stanford University under Irving Weissman, focusing on stem cell biology and cancer immunology.

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Kristopher combines scientific rigor with strategic vision, bringing a proven track record of translating complex biology into clinical opportunities and building collaborative teams that deliver results in a fast-paced biotech environment.

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Sheldon brings 25 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience to Inograft, overseeing corporate and commercial strategy, corporate development activities, and contributing to investor, public, and media relations.

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Previously, Sheldon was Vice President of Business and Commercial Strategy at Asher Biotherapeutics, supporting partnering, alliance management, new product planning, and portfolio strategy as the company advanced targeted immunotherapies into the clinic. Before Asher Bio, he established the Commercial Strategy function at Forty Seven Inc. and spent 14 years at Gilead Sciences in Global Commercial Planning & Operations, serving on cross-functional development teams, conducting opportunity assessments across therapeutic areas, supporting long-range planning, and helping launch four new products.

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Sheldon started his professional career in Healthcare Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch and has a M.S. in Chemistry from Caltech and a B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from University of California, Berkeley.

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Sheri Haynes is Vice President of Finance and Business Operations at Inograft where she oversees financial strategy, operational planning, and cross-functional business initiatives supporting the Company’s growth. Sheri brings more than 25 years of experience in finance, accounting, and organizational leadership with various high-growth life science companies. She has a successful track record in analyzing existing operations and implementing effective systems, strategies, and processes to improve both finance and overall organizational performance.

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Sheri is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and received her Bachelor’s degrees in both Accounting and Finance from The University of Arizona.

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Amy brings 15 years of biotech start-up experience to Inograft in her role as Chief of Staff, serving as a strategic partner to the leadership team and organizational connector for the company. She is focused on driving cross-functional alignment and operational excellence by linking people, processes, and initiatives that advance Inograft’s mission of bringing stem cell therapies to patients.

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Amy has a proven track record of leading company operations, establishing scalable systems, and adapting across functions to support evolving organizational needs. As Chief of Staff at IconOVir Bio, she facilitated execution of the company’s corporate strategy and managed external and investor relations. She held multiple roles at Forty Seven, Inc., where she strengthened operational effectiveness during the company’s growth from Series B through its public listing and eventual acquisition by Gilead Sciences. Post-acquisition, she played a key role on Gilead’s investor relations team, driving event strategy, leading earnings communications, and cultivating relationships with buy-side and sell-side analysts.

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Known for her thoughtful, people-centered leadership style, Amy is passionate about fostering company cultures grounded in trust, openness, and collaboration — environments where teams thrive and scientific innovation flourishes.

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Amy holds a B.S. in Molecular Environmental Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

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