About Us

Tikva Allocell is focused on creating therapy using our proprietary IP protected platform to drive the next breakthrough in cancer therapy.
At Tikva Allocell we inspire hope today, for a better tomorrow.

Our Mission

Allogeneic EBVST Platform

Effective and affordable therapy

Headquartered in the bustling city-state of Singapore, Tikva Allocell is established by a seasoned cell therapy development team with practical knowledge and experience, to develop effective, available and affordable “off-the-shelf” T cell therapies by leveraging excellent safety profile of Allogeneic Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-Specific T cells (ALLO EBVST) and proprietary IP protected technologies that enhance the T cell performance to treat cancer.

Our History

July 22, 2026

Tikva Allocell Secures $8 Million Series A Financing to Advance Engineered Off-the-Shelf Cell Therapies for Solid Tumors

July 22, 2026

March 12, 2024

Tikva Allocell Announces Exclusive Licensing of Cell Therapy Technologies from Baylor College of Medicine

March 12, 2024

Founding Team

Founded by Key Opinion Leaders in the field.

Dr Ivan Horak

Dr. Ivan Horak has extensive experience in the global pharmaceutical industry. He was former Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at Tessa Therapeutics. Prior to that, he was Head of Global R&D and Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at Symphogen. He also served as President of R&D at Enzon Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Horak has held leadership positions in various pharmaceutical companies as well as at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). During his career, Dr. Horak has successfully led a number of FDA new drug applications. Dr. Horak is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Society of Hematology (ASH) and European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO). He also published over 90 scientific articles and book chapters. Dr. Ivan Horak is a board-certified medical oncologist.

Dr Ivan Horak

Founder & CEO

Prof Malcolm Brenner

Dr. Malcolm Brenner is the founding director of the Centre for Cell and Gene Therapy at the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, and Houston Methodist Hospital. His research focuses on gene transfer to stem cells and effector cells of the immune system for more effective response against adult and paediatric malignancies (solid and hematologic). He develops vaccines and adoptive T cell therapies via genetic modification with retroviral and adenoviral vectors. Prior to his current position, Dr. Brenner was Director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Program and Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Division of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He also served at the University of Tennessee as Professor in the Departments of Paediatrics and Medicine. Dr. Brenner is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and is inducted as a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and of the Royal College of Pathologists. He holds a MB BChir and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.

Prof Malcolm Brenner

Co-Founder

Prof Cliona Rooney

Dr. Cliona Rooney is a Professor at Baylor College of Medicine who has a background in viral immunology, and cell and gene therapy. She played a key role in the development of virus-specific T-cell therapies in the hematopoietic stem cell transplant setting and has further advanced and improved antigen-specific T-cells for the treatment of cancer. She has pioneered and implemented the use T cells to combat viral infections and cancers, such as EBV-associated lymphomas. Her current interests are in strategies to improve the efficacy of T-cells within an immunosuppressive microenvironment. This has included the use of a dominant-negative TGF-beta receptor to resist this inhibitory cytokine, a constitutively active IL-7 receptor to provide essential cytokine signaling to infused T-cells, and an inducible caspase 9 (iC9) suicide switch to ensure the safety of gene-modified T-cells.

Dr. Rooney has been involved in over 60 clinical trials using cellular therapies and has authored over 300 scientific papers. She earned her Ph.D. in Immunology from Cambridge University in 1981 and did postdoctoral research in the UK and at Yale University. She is currently in the Departments of Pediatrics (Hene/Onc), Molecular Virology and Microbiology and of Pathology (Immunology) and is the Director of the Translational Research Laboratories at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine.

Prof Cliona Rooney

Co-Founder

Prof Helen Heslop

Dr. Helen Heslop is a physician-scientist who works on clinical trials of adoptive immunotherapy with gene-modified cells to improve outcomes for patients with cancer and viral infections after hemopoietic stem cell transplantation. With Dr Cliona Rooney, she was the first to show that antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells could cure an established cancer (EBV-LPD), a life-threatening complication for some transplant recipients, by using cells from bone marrow donors that were genetically marked. She has expanded this approach to other EBV-related cancers, such as Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal cancer.

She has extensive experience in designing and conducting transplant and cell and gene therapy studies under IND and has obtained orphan drug designation for some.

Dr. Heslop was a Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist and has extensive experience in mentoring both clinical and laboratory trainees. Dr. Heslop is also the principal investigator on an NHLBI-funded training grant in Cell and Gene Therapy. Dr. Heslop currently directs a Lymphoma SPORE program, and has previousy led a program project grant from the NCI, and a Specialized Center of Research from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Dr. Heslop has served as the president of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy and the Foundation for Accreditation of Cell Therapy.

Prof Helen Heslop

Co-Founder

Craig Ari Loren, MBA

Mr. Craig Ari Loren is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and led several successful businesses in different sectors over the past two decades. He has extensive expertise in financial management, as well as in healthcare, real estate, and finance. He is currently the Executive Vice President of Bronx Park Rehabilitation, a family-owned and operated nursing home and rehabilitation center in New York. He is also the owner of Blueshirt Properties, DAG Holdings and Founder of Debt Acquisition Group, an investment firm that provides liquidity to creditors of bankrupt companies. Previously, he was an asset manager at Glacier Global Partners and served as the director of operations at CI-Lumen Industries. 

Mr. Loren holds an MBA degree from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, and a BA degree in management from Yeshiva University in New York. 

Craig Ari Loren, MBA

Co-Founder & COO
Board of Directors

Guided by industry veterans.

Jeff Himawan, Ph.D.

Jeff Himawan joined Essex Woodlands Health Ventures (EW) in 1999 and serves as Managing Director to the firm’s legacy venture capital funds Essex Woodlands Funds VI, VII and VIII. He has over 25 years of experience as a scientist, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist and specializes in investments in the pharmaceutical sector.

Prior to EW, he began his industrial career in 1987 as a bench scientist at Genzyme Corporation. In 1996, he co-founded Seed-One Ventures, a venture capital firm which specializes in the initial formation, financing, and early operational development of technology-based companies. As a Managing Director at Seed-One Ventures, he led the formation and management of Elusys Therapeutics, Inc., a Fund IV EW portfolio company.

Since 1996, Dr. Himawan has served on the board of directors of numerous private and also publicly-traded biotech/pharmaceutical companies. He currently serves on the board of directors of NexEos Bio and Light Sciences Oncology. He is also the founder and CEO of the non-profit PtRd Foundation. Dr. Himawan holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in biology/life sciences and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Harvard University in biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology.

Jeff Himawan

Chairman of the Board

Dr Ivan Horak

Dr. Ivan Horak has extensive experience in the global pharmaceutical industry. He was former Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at Tessa Therapeutics. Prior to that, he was Head of Global R&D and Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at Symphogen. He also served as President of R&D at Enzon Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Horak has held leadership positions in various pharmaceutical companies as well as at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Dr. Horak is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Society of Hematology (ASH) and European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO). Dr. Ivan Horak is a board-certified medical oncologist.

Dr Ivan Horak

Member of the Board

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Scientific Advisory Board

Advised by experienced clinicians in oncology.

Scientific Advisory Board Chairperson

Dr Stephen Gottschalk​

Chair, Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Dr Stephen Gottschalk​

Dr. Stephen Gottschalk is a renowned medical professional and researcher, currently serving as the Chair of the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

He completed his MD at Georg August University in Göttingen, Germany, followed by a Pediatric Internship at the University of Münster, Germany. He then moved to the United States for his Pediatric Residency and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Before joining St. Jude’s, he was a Professor at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. He was elected into the American Society of Clinical Investigation in 2015 for his contributions to the fields of pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cell-based immunotherapies.

His research interests include cancer immunotherapy, cell therapy, and stem cell transplantation. He is also focused on improving T-cell Therapy for cancer using genetic approaches.

His work has been published in numerous scientific journals, contributing significantly to the field of cellular therapy.

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Scientific Advisory Board Members

Dr Chng Wee Joo

Professor, Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore

Dr Cliona Rooney

Professor, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine

Dr Dmitriy Zamarin

Medical Oncologist, Gynecology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr Helen Heslop

Director, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine

Dr Josep Tabernero

Head, Medical Oncology Department, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, and Director, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology

Dr Malcolm Brenner

Founding Director of Center for Cell & Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine

Dr Pam Ohashi

Professor, Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Co-Director, the Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research

Dr Rafi Ahmed

Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, and Director, Emory Vaccine Center

Dr Quasim Waseem

Professor of Cell & Gene Therapy, University College London Institute of Child Health
Managing Team

Managed by seasoned experts in biotech.

Dr Paul Nadler

Paul I. Nadler, M.D., FCP joined Tikva as Chief Medical Officer in 2023. He has extensive expertise in preclinical and clinical development as well as regulatory affairs. Dr. Nadler received his M.D. from Washington University School of Medicine. He trained in Internal Medicine at Barnes Hospital-Washington University Medical Center and spent five years in the Immunology Branch of the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Nadler has more than 40 years' experience in basic research and clinical trials in both academia and pharma/biotech. His experience in clinical development encompasses oncology, virology, as well as immunologically mediated and inflammatory diseases. He has extensive experience in the development of biological agents including interferons, interleukins, hematopoietic growth factors, monoclonal antibodies including antibody-drug conjugates as well as a variety of T cell therapies (CAR-T, antigen-specific T cells).

Dr Paul Nadler

Chief Medical Officer

Dr Debra Wood

Debra L. Wood, MD, MS joined Tikva as Vice President of Clinical Operations in 2023. She has vast expertise in clinical drug development at all stages of development, with emphasis on early-stage. Dr. Wood received her MD from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, currently Rutgers University School of Medicine. She has early experience in basic immunological research and nearly 40 years of experience in pharmaceutical development, clinical trial implementation, operational coordination/management, medical and safety oversight, and pharmacovigilance; with indication focus on oncology, immunology, immuno-oncology, rheumatology, and virology.

Dr Debra Wood

VP, Clinical Operations

Dr Lionel Low

Dr. Lionel Low is the Director of Preclinical Research at Tikva. He has more than 15 years of research experience in protein engineering and development of T cell receptors and antibody-based biologics for treatment and diagnostics of malignancies. Dr. Low obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois and has worked in the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, the National University of Singapore, and the Singapore Immunology Network. Dr. Low’s biotech experience was obtained from Euchloe Bio and Tessa Therapeutics where he was first a senior research scientist and subsequently promoted to Director of the research team for molecular biology. He’s research expertise included:

  • •Deep experience in antibody discovery and protein engineering,
  • Establishment of high throughput screening workflows for rapid identification and characterization of lead candidates
  • Vector design and gene expression
  • Synthetic biology to improve CAR-T characteristics

Dr. Low was previously awarded a Joint-Council Office Career Development Award (JCO-CDA) Grant for the development of antibody-based theranostics for HER2+ breast cancer worth over SGD 700K. He has inventorship on 9 patents, authorship on 8 publications, and have received the Singapore National Science Scholarship (NSS), the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship (AGS Overseas), and the 2022 T-Up Excellence Award.

Dr Lionel Low

Head of Research

Dr Sabry Hamza

Dr. Sabry Hamza is the Director of Process Development and Analytical Science at Tikva. He has more than 20 year of  experience in the fields of virology, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and cell biology in both academia and industry. He has a successful track record of taking programs from early target validation to lead optimization, to phase 2a/b clinical

trials. Dr. Hamza has a strong background in designing and optimizing manufacturing workflows for cell therapies, with a focus on scalability and regulatory compliance. His experience also spans drafting of CMC and IND regulatory documents, ensuring alignment with FDA and EMA guidelines, and facilitating smooth transitions from preclinical to clinical development. Dr. Hamza has a proven track record in developing and qualifying lot release assays, product characterization, and clinical monitoring studies for various stages of clinical trials. He has collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to deliver cutting-edge solutions and driving advancements in patient care through innovative therapies.  

Dr. Hamza obtained his PhD in Comparative Pathology from the University of California and performed postdoctoral research in both the University of California and the Genome Institute of Singapore. His industrial experiences were obtained in Chiron as a research scientist, in Merck as a Group Leader followed by Associate Director, and further developed at Tessa Therapeutics as Director of Analytical Science and Product Development.

Dr Sabry Hamza

Head of Process & Analytical Science
Capabilities

Taking Innovation Forward to the Clinic

Advancing Cell Therapies

Scientific Innovation

Engineering next generation CARs and CAR T therapies
Pharmacology and preclinical efficacy studies in disease-relevant models
From Discovery to Production Ready

Process Development & Analytical Science

Translation from research to production of CAR-T cell therapies
Design, development and validation of assays for specification and characterization of CAR-T products
Regulatory Filing & Clinical Trials

Clinical & Regulatory Expertise

Track record of meeting CMC, pharmacology, toxicology and clinical requirements for CAR-T products
Rich experience in running early to late phase cell therapy oncology clinical trials