Ken Prokuski is Specifica’s Site Head. Ken has over 40 years of leadership in all areas of operations from start up to early stage development to large multi-national organizations. He has led technical organizations in instrumentation, biotech reagents as well as nucleic acid synthesis and DNA sequencing service organizations. Responsibilities have included all phases of operations including product development, manufacturing, supply chain, QA/QC, facilities, IT, and EH&S. Ken also has multisite, international, and acquisition due diligence and integration experience.

Ken has worked at Motorola Inc., Toshiba America, BOC, Millipore Inc., Applied Biosystems, and Complete Genomics. Recent consulting engagements included Mission Bio (South San Francisco, CA), Stilla Technologies (Paris, France), and Molecular Assemblies (San Diego, CA).

Ken has been a past and current board member of several local non-profits, a member of the New Mexico Bioscience Authority, and currently a board member of EquiSeq Inc.

He has a Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern Illinois University and an Executive MBA from Golden Gate University.

Andrew Bradbury is one of our founders, a member of our Board of Directors, and serves as our Chief Scientific Officer. Andrew has 30 years of experience in the field of recombinant antibodies and display technologies. Throughout his career, he has developed and employed novel technologies, including the use of lox recombination to dramatically increase antibody library diversity.

Andrew is a vocal proponent for the use of sequenced recombinant antibodies in research to improve reproducibility. He has frequently served as an expert witness in antibody patent cases involving some of the world’s best selling antibody drugs. Andrew has published over 130 peer-reviewed papers and is the inventor on numerous patents and patent applications.

Andrew holds a PhD from Cambridge University, where he studied under Nobel Laureate Cesar Milstein, the inventor of monoclonal antibodies, and also holds an MB BS (medical degree) from the University of London as well as a BA and MA from Oxford University.

Sara D’Angelo serves as our Chief Technical Officer. She holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Eastern Piedmont and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Trieste, Italy. Over the last 8 years she has authored 17 publications in the field of Library design, display technologies, recombinant antibodies and high-throughput screenings methods.

Before joining Specifica, she was Research Assistant Professor in Experimental Therapeutics at the University of New Mexico and Associate Member of the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Her long-time collaboration with Andrew Bradbury, our co-founder and CSO, dates back to 2009 when she joined his laboratory as a post-doctoral fellow at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, first, and as Senior Scientist at the New Mexico Consortium.

Hans Lundin is Specifica’s CFO. Hans has over 20 years of experience as a CFO in entrepreneurial and venture capital settings. Responsibilities include operations, financial modeling, budgeting mergers and acquisitions negotiations, audit compliance, investment syndications and management, board participation, portfolio management, portfolio company interim CEO and CFO consulting, GAAP and tax accounting, federal regulatory compliance, private securities valuation, investor relations, and fund raising.

Hans previously worked at Point B Capital on strategic financial advisory projects. He completed engagements for entities including Mars, MolsonCoors, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Sutter Health, OncoCyte, the PolyClinic, BloodWorks Northwest, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Fund, and others. Prior to joining Point B Capital, he was a co-founder of Integra Ventures, a life science VC fund. He was also part of a founding management team for an agricultural biotechnology company that raised over $14 million of venture capital from an investor syndicate that included Venrock, Arch, Polaris and the Welcome Trust.

Hans has served on the boards of Clear Medical (acquired by Stericycle in 2011), Wellpartner (acquired by CVS Health in 2017) and C-SATS (acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2018).

He has a Bachelor of Science in management from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and earned his Master of Business Administration at the University of Colorado.

Fortunato Ferrara serves as our Vice President of Discovery Services. He brings over a decade of experience in recombinant antibody engineering and molecular immunology, including over 10 years of antibody discovery experience with phage and yeast antibody display platforms.

Before joining Specifica, Fortunato was an Assistant Research Professor in Experimental Therapeutics at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of our co-founder Andrew Bradbury, at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Fortunato has co-authored over 37 peer-reviewed scientific publications, and is the co-inventor on several patents and patent applications.

He holds a PhD in Molecular Medicine and a B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Trieste, Italy.

M. Frank Erasmus is head of bioinformatics. Formerly, Frank was a Ruth L. Kirschstein research fellow with the National Cancer Institute for his work involving the pre-B cell receptor in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

He brings over 8 years of experience in the development and characterization of therapeutic antibodies in academic and biotech environments. Within industry, he worked as an analytical chemist to characterize antibody-based products in a cGMP/GMP facility.

As a predoctoral trainee at the Spatiotemporal Modeling Center of New Mexico and Los Alamos National Labs, he incorporated both experimental and computational approaches to develop antibody-based products for treatment in leukemia.

Frank is a co-inventor of a patented antibody therapy that he recently adapted for use as a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science (University of New Mexico), an M.S. in Molecular & Cell Biology (San Diego State) and a B.S. in Molecular Biology (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo).

Tom is a Senior Scientist at Specifica developing various pipelines and supporting Specifica’s antibody selection campaigns. He holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Washington and a B.S. in Biology from the University of New Mexico.

During his undergraduate and graduate studies, Tom utilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae to identify and characterize essential molecular components that regulate DNA replication, DNA repair, chromosome segregation, and ribosomal DNA maintenance.

After obtaining his PhD, Tom conducted postdoctoral research at Princeton University, holding a number of fellowships (Burroughs Wellcome Fund research fellow, a New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research fellow, a Ford Foundation fellow, and a Keystone Symposia fellow) for his work using S. cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe to identify and characterize important molecular pathways that mediate genome stability and telomere maintenance in the presence of endogenous and exogenous stress.

Tom entered the antibody space in 2019, joining NovaRock Biotherapeutics in New Jersey as a senior scientist and lead for molecular design. He leveraged his expertise to engineer recombinant expression vectors and proteins to produce monoclonal, bi-specific, and multi-specific antibodies. Tom was also a project lead for one of the company’s therapeutic antibody candidates, centrally involved with the identification of monoclonal antibodies derived from hybridoma screens and spearheaded development/implementation of pipeline improvements streamlining molecular cloning workflows.

David is an antibody scientist at the New Mexico Consortium, who closely collaborates with Specifica on antibody library technology research using molecular biological techniques. He has over 20 years of scientific experience having previously worked for AstraZeneca, Domainex, Isogenica and UCB pharma.

David holds a BSc. in Applied Molecular Biology, specialising in Medical Microbiology and Medical Biotechnology from the University of East London, a University College London MSc in Applied Molecular Biology & Biotechnology and a PhD in X-ray crystallography obtained in the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory, Birkbeck College University of London. David also obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Sussex.

Prior to working at Specifica, David humanised several FDA approved antibody therapies including Cimzia ®that is used for the treatment of reducing Crohn’s disease, severe active rheumatoid arthritis, active psoriatic arthritis, active ankylosing spondylitis and moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. He enjoys challenging scientific roles that benefit other people’s lives.

Laura is a bioinformatics scientist developing user-friendly computational workflows to support Specifica's library development and antibody selection campaigns.

Laura has a long-held interest in human therapeutics. As a PhD candidate at Stanford, her research focused on using adeno-associated virus vectors for gene therapy. She developed a novel next-generation sequencing strategy for interrogating genomic and epigenetic parameters governing nuclease-free, targeted integration of sequences in human cells using adeno-associated virus vectors. She has experience with targeted genomic sequencing strategies, design of next-generation sequencing libraries, and integrating targeted sequencing data with human genomic and epigenetic data to identify associations between the two.

As a predoctoral intern in the Theoretical Biology and Biophysics group at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Laura developed machine learning models for predicting changes in protein conformation.

Laura previously competed for the United States biathlon team on the World Cup and at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada.

Adeline is a Scientist at Specifica focusing on scaling up and optimizing the phage display platform. She has a master’s degree in Biotechnological Engineering from Polytech Marseille (France) and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of New Mexico (USA). She has extensive experience in fed-batch process development using mammalian and yeast cells, and in protein purification and characterization.

During her PhD, she developed experience in protein production in E.coli and protein characterization. She also evaluated a novel sensor for the detection and photo-oxidation of amyloid plaques involved in Alzheimer’s disease. During her scientific training she was awarded 2 honorable mentions at scientific conferences and 1 honorable mention from the University of New Mexico as “Outstanding Graduate Student”.

Adeline has also worked in the pharmaceutical industry (UCB Pharma, Belgium and Allergan, UK) where she developed and optimized the production of monoclonal antibodies in 2L and 10L bioreactors, and also evaluated alternative technologies such as disposable bioreactors. Later she joined a biotechnology company, Trait Biosciences, USA, where she participated in the design and scale up of a fermentation process for the production of water-soluble cannabinoid in yeast cells in 2L and 600L bioreactors.

Luis is a Scientist with the New Mexico Consortium and collaborates with Specifica to develop new methods to select and characterize antibodies discovered using in vitro display.

Luis holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. During his PhD, he developed experience in small-peptide phage display, molecular biology and immunobiology, using phage display to study the epitopes of neglected tropical diseases and find inhibitors of human transcription factors involved in malignancies. He was awarded financing from the Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development for this research.

During his undergraduate studies in Peru, he gained experience in diverse fields of biological sciences. He isolated a lectin from an Andean plant and studied its possible medical applications, for which his bachelor thesis was given an honorable mention. Luis has experience working in multidisciplinary teams and is interested in applying his acquired knowledge to contribute to Specifica’s antibody discovery campaigns.

Zachary is a scientist at Specifica using molecular biology to construct antibody libraries. He has a B.S. in Biochemistry from California State University, San Marcos, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Utah. Zachary has extensive research experience in phage libraries, solid-phase peptide synthesis, and peptide chemistry.

Zachary’s Ph.D. focused on mirror-image phage display to discover D-peptides that bind natural L-protein targets. Specifically, his research involved synthesizing peptides using D-amino acids (enantiomers of the L-amino acids found in nature) to make full-length D-proteins (TNF-a, Shiga toxin B-subunit, and SARS-CoV-2 HR1 region). These D-proteins would then be screened against naïve phage libraries, as well as multiple secondary phage libraries that he designed, constructed, and analyzed.

Zachary is very excited to bring his expertise in phage libraries to Specifica and help construct their multi-platform antibody libraries.

Jianquan Li is the characterization team lead supporting antibody selection. He completed his B.E. and M.S. degrees in Biochemistry from Wuhan University in China, and his Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from Fukui University in Japan.

His postdoctoral training was on the intra-molecular allosteric regulation mechanism between protein domains in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the University of Texas Medical Branch. He then joined Fox Chase Cancer Center to explore signaling pathways between cytoskeleton and cell membrane. He worked on a number of membrane proteins related to human diseases, including cancer and cystic fibrosis, with a broad spectrum of biophysical and biochemical techniques on protein-protein interactions. Has He published a series of papers in this field.

After starting his industrial career, Jianquan primarily led biophysical and biochemical assay development efforts to characterize protein leads and SA-mRNA lipids. He was also involved in new biophysical/biochemical capabilities development to meet project needs for the molecular mechanism studies of protein lead molecules. He won one global R&D award, as well as other performance awards. He has several invention patents.

Jeanette C. Velasquez-Guzman has experience working in academia, industry, and a national laboratory. She earned her master’s degree in Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences, and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Membrane Enzymology from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. She received her bachelor’s degree from Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, Peru. In addition, she has received BSL-1 and BSL-2 certifications.

During her scientific career, Jeanette has experience in cloning, protein overexpression and purification, reconstitution of membrane proteins, western blot, dot blot, ELISA, Patch clamping, confocal microscopy, encapsulation, and delivery using lipid nanocarriers. She has additional experience working with a broad number of biotechnological applied organisms such as algae, yeast, bacterial, archaea, and mammalian cells. Before joining Specifica, Jeanette worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory, developing biosensors for non-model organisms and engineering extremophiles for bio-hydrogen production.

Roberto is a molecular biologist and immunologist who serves as a Project Manager at Specifica. He holds a PhD from the University of Trieste, Italy. Roberto has more than 15 years of experience in scientific research, primarily in the field of antibody engineering. Before joining Specifica, Roberto was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oslo, Associate Research Scientist at Yale University, and Lab Manager at Oregon Health and Science University. Roberto has co-authored more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including first authorships in Nature Medicine and Immunity.

Tamara Max is a biologist with over 16 years' experience in molecular biology research with extensive experience in laboratory management, including the management of molecular genomic service core facilities.

She studied molecular ecology with an emphasis in landscape and population genetics of cottonwoods across the southwestern United States. For 15 years her work in sequencing core facilities supported molecular genetics and genomics research in a wide variety of programs.

Before joining Specifica, she worked as a Research Associate with Pebble Labs in bacterial cloning and transgenic.

Ashley is an experienced Senior Research Associate with demonstrated history of working in the biotechnology industry and academia. Skilled in the areas of molecular biology, microbiology, and genetics. Proficient with laboratory methods such as molecular engineering, protein expression and purification, viral infection, cell culture, and plant transformation. She has worked with a variety of organisms including drosophila, yeast, and plants.

Has previous experience with project and lab management. Appreciates collaborating with scientists to generate meaningful tools and technologies that seek to make difference.

Christy is an experienced Researcher with a demonstrated history of working in academia and clinical laboratories. Skilled in the areas of molecular biology, cell biology, immunological techniques, and lab management.

Prior to joining Specifica, Christy was a Researcher and Lab Manager at the University of New Mexico, and performed Molecular testing at TriCore Reference Laboratories.

Christy is a lifelong New Mexican, and appreciates working with the talented and knowledgeable group of Scientists at Specifica.

Shan Ju Shih is an experienced Senior Research Associate with an MS in cell biology. During her graduate studies, she identified specific elements within the 3’-UTR of ETA-R mRNA and determined their potential applications in therapeutic interventions for cardiovascular and vascular-related conditions.

Before joining Specifica, Shan Ju Shih spent three years as a Laboratory Technician at Baylor Arthropod Sensory Biology and Neuroethology Laboratory, specializing in mosquito tissue dissection, functional morphology analysis, and molecular cloning engineering. Additionally, she served as a Medical Sales Representative at Medtronic for three years, providing in-case procedural support. As a Sales Engineer at Eppendorf, she played a key role in establishing BSL-1 and BSL-2 bio-labs.

With more than 8 years of experience in biological research and the medical field, Shan Ju Shih brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep passion for the pharmaceutical industry to her role at Specifica. She looks forward to learning from her colleagues and contributing to the dynamic scientific environment.

Estaban’s graduate work focused on plant/pathogen interactions in agricultural crops. During his time at NMSU he developed biological control agents, specifically against Beet Curly Top Virus and Phytophthora capsici.

Since graduating, Esteban has transitioned from field/greenhouse-oriented research to molecular biology. Prior to starting at Specifica he worked for 2 years in the biotech industry, gaining experience in broad molecular techniques. He has a deep love of biological sciences and his home state of New Mexico.

Alfonso holds a B.S. in General Biology and an M.S. in Natural Sciences: Ecology from New Mexico Highlands University. During his undergraduate studies, Alfonso worked in a genetics lab where his research project focused on male reproductive biology. As a graduate student, he studied how invasive bullfrogs impact a native toad species.

Alfonso worked at LabCorp: Integrated Genetics, where he was involved with testing samples to identify chromosomal abnormalities, obtaining an ASCP certificate in Cytogenetics while there. He worked at Viome as a technician evaluating gut microbial richness, inflammatory activity, and metabolic fitness, and gaining experience with liquid handlers, preparing libraries, and NGS before being promoted to their Quality Control lead of equipment performance and verifying sample documentations. During the pandemic, Alfonso was the evening lab supervisor at Atlas Genomics where he was responsible for managing a team of technicians, processing COVID-19 samples for movie productions. Prior to joining Specifica, Alfonso was the only scientist at Prosel Biosciences, where he was responsible for developing algal strains to produce industrial enzymes and plant based food proteins.

Alfonso has 12 years experience in biological research and laboratory production. Specifica has offered him new experiences that will help him grow as a scientist.

Hallie has a B.S. and M.S. in Biological Sciences from Mississippi State University. Her graduate work focused on plant defense pathways in agricultural crops. At MSU she established a growing love for biology and research. Prior to starting at Specifica Hallie worked in the biotech industry, obtaining experience in various molecular techniques. She enjoys working at Specifica and looks forward to learning from the scientists and coworkers.

Xochil has a BS in Forensic Biology from Eastern New Mexico University.

Prior to joining Specifica, Xochil worked for LabCorp: Women’s Health & Genetics as a cytogenetic technician. She was involved in analyzing chromosomal abnormalities. Through LabCorp, she gained experience in reagent preparation and managing supply inventory. In addition, Xochil participated in implementing Environmental, Health and Safety regulations within the company. 

Xochil’s responsibilities at Specifica are maintaining reagents and executing lab operations. She’s excited to be part of the Specifica team. 

Jaime has served as our Laboratory Director since 2023.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from New Mexico State University.

Jaime worked as a Veterinary Technician for four years prior to becoming the Facilities Manager of the New Mexico Consortium in Los Alamos. During his ten year tenure, he managed a 25,000 square foot facility that hosted more than 130 people. He developed a broad understanding of Environmental Health and Safety matters while ensuring continuity across a wide scope of scientific operations ranging from biofuels to infectious diseases.

At Specifica, Jaime manages our Operations Team concentrating on Environmental Health and Safety projects while ensuring full functionality of the lab with his hands on and quick to respond approach.

He is a proud New Mexican and U.S. Navy veteran.