Project Management Team Member

SEPIDEH PARVANIAN, PhD., MBA

Boston, MA, USA

Phone: +1-617-***-****

Email: **********@***.*******.***

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sepideh-parvanian-phd-mba-62560253/ Publications and Rewards: https://github.com/sparvanian/sparvanian.github.io/blob/main/Publications.pdf OBJECTIVE

Seeking a Senior Scientist position in a pharma or biotech company in the United States. I aim to build on my expertise and skills developed in Europe, advancing science and helping patients through innovative research in oncology, immuno-oncology, drug discovery, and translational research. SUMMARY

Experienced scientist with a proven track record in both academia and industry. I am recognized for my ability to advance translational research from early discovery through preclinical development, with particular expertise in in vitro and in vivo assay development, immune signaling, and tumor modeling. My leadership in cross-functional teams, mentorship of junior researchers, and hands-on experience with biosimilars, small molecules, and vaccines have resulted in successful project outcomes.

SKILLS

Wet Lab & Technical Skills

Flow cytometry Animal study design (tumor models, injections) Cell culture (2D/3D/organoid/organ-on-chip)

Immune cell expansion & differentiation (dendritic cells, macrophages, T cells) Drug delivery (Nanoparticles, EVs) Data analysis (GraphPad Prism, FlowJo, R, ImageJ) Cloning ELISA Western blot PCR Microscopy

Incucyte Regulatory compliance (GMP, GCP) Technical documentation (SOP, CTD) Grant writing Patent drafting

Leadership & Interpersonal Skills

Project leadership mentorship Facility management Cross-functional collaboration Scientific communication

Teamwork User training CRO engagement

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES

2nd post-doc Immuno oncology Harvard Medical School / Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA, US (Jan 2024 – Present), PIs: Christophr Garris, Ralph Wissleder o Led preclinical development of dendritic cell-immunostimulation platform using sugar-based nanoparticles loaded with small molecules and JAK1/2 inhibitors, boosting IL12 production and driving tumor regression in bladder cancer

o Investigated the role of ALDH1A1 as a marker of cold bladder tumors, confirming that knockdown of ALDH1A1 converts immunologically cold tumors to hot, enabling more effective immune targeting. o Optimized the coculture of T-cell and HPV-related cancer cells in vitro killing assays and refined T-cell expansion protocols for CUE Biopharma, supporting the development of HPV-specific T cell receptor technology.

o Managed the flow cytometry (Attune) and cell culture facilities at the Center for Systems Biology at MGH, responsible for instrument operation, user training, and protocol optimization. o Supervised 3 master’s and 3 bachelor’s students for their research projects in Prof. Garris’ lab 1st Postdoc Cancer Biology Turku Bioscience Center, Turku, Finland (Dec 2022 – Dec 2023), PI: John Eriksson

o Identified fibroblast-derived extracellular vesicles as key inducers of EMT and modulators of tumor microenvironment in breast cancer using proteomics and advanced microscopy. o Collaborated with Anison Therapeutics on grant writing and CRO engagement to advance topical treatments for HPV-related genital warts and premalignant infections. o Supervised 2 PhD students for their dissertation projects Doctoral Researcher Turku Bioscience Center, Turku, Finland (Jul 2018 – Nov 2022), PI: John Eriksson o Discovered extracellular vesicles as one of the main pools of extracellular vimentin mediating cell migration, proliferation and ECM production in wound healing and tissue regeneration o Developed a bioreactor-based cell culture system to scale up extracellular vesicles production and purification in collaboration with UPM Biofore Company.

Graduate Research Visitor Harvard Medical School / Wyss Institute (Aug – Dec 2022), PI: Donald Ingber o Learned organ-on-chip models to study inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colon cancer o Studied the therapeutic potential of extracellular vesicles derived from naïve T cells to rejuvenate exhausted T cells

Senior Scientist University of Turku, Turku, Finland (Mar 2017 – Jun 2018), PI: Tiina Laitala o Studied osteoclast trafficking and vesicular transport mechanisms regulating bone remodeling as part of a Marie Curie Euroclast project

Product Manager Actoverco Pharmaceutical Company (Jan 2016 – Mar 2017) o led the biosimilar manufacturing line for rituximab (Rituxiver), oversaw GMP- and ISO-compliant production operations and regulatory submissions.

o Drafted SOPs and contributed to CTD documentation for biosimilar product registration. o Managed licensing and technical transfer agreements with European CROs and biotech vendors. o Supervised a 14-member cross-functional operations team from upstream, downstream production, and R&D departments

R&D Scientist & Internal Auditor CinnaGen Biopharma (Jan 2014 – Jan 2016) o Optimized upstream production for recombinant protein therapeutics, including CinnoVex® (interferon beta- 1a), achieving a 13.5% increase in protein yield through process refinement and scalability monitoring. o Led internal audits to enforce EU GMP standards across development pipelines. Collaborated with QA on writing and reviewing SOPs in accordance with regulatory and operational standards Upstream Scientist CinnaGen Biopharma (Jan 2012 – Jan 2014) o Performed large-scale cell culture using roller bottles and CHO cell lines to produce biosimilars Cinnal-f®

(follitropin alfa) and Cinnapoietin® (erythropoietin β). o Contributed to process scale-up optimization, including operation of 3000L bioreactors. o Trained for cleanroom disciplines, including SIP/CIP sanitization, regulatory requirements such as GMP, ISO 9001, and ISO 17025.

EDUCATION

• PhD, Cell Biology (2022)

• MBA, Business Management (2023)

• MSc, Cellular & Molecular Biology (2013)

• BSc, Biology (2009)

PUBLICATIONS

• Parvanian, S., Fei, F., Liang, Y., Hayashi, M., Evavold, C., Weissleder, R., & Garris, C. S. “ALDH expression is linked to immunotherapy non-responsive tumor.” Nature Immunology. Submitted.

• Parvanian, S., Fei, F., Evavold, C., Shik, K. H., Hayashi, M., Weissleder, R., & Garris, C. S. “JAK1/2 inhibitor-enhanced myeloid-directed innate immunotherapy enables immune rejection of bladder tumors.” Cell. Under review.

• Kim, H. S., Oh, J., Jeon, J., Fei, F., Parvanian, S., Kohler, R., Garris, C. S., & Weissleder, R. “A ribonucleotide carbohydrate system (iRNC) enhances antigen presentation and controls glioblastoma.” Nature Nanotechnology. Under review, 2025.

• Kaiser, Y., Garris, C. S., Marinari, E., Kim, H. S., Oh, J., Pedard, M., Halabi, E. A., Choi, M., Parvanian, S., Kohler, R., Migliorini, D., & Weissleder, R. “Intracavitary polarization of myeloid cells controls postoperative glioblastoma recurrence.” Nature Biomedical Engineering. In press, 2025.

• Parvanian, S., Coelho-Rato, L. S., Sultana, G., Silva, M. S., Devre, P. V., Modi, M. K., & Eriksson, J. E.

“Vimentin-containing extracellular vesicles drive epithelial to mesenchymal transition.” Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. In press, 2025.

• Parvanian, S., Ge, X., & Garris, C. S. “Recent developments in myeloid immune modulation in cancer therapy.” Trends in Immunology. 2024.

• Das, R., Ge, X., Fei, F., Parvanian, S., Weissleder, R., & Garris, C. S. “Lipid nanoparticle-mRNA engineered dendritic cell-based adoptive cell therapy enhances cancer immune response.” Small Methods. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202400633

• Coelho-Rato, L. S., Parvanian, S., Salajkova, S. A., Medalia, O., & Eriksson, J. E. “Intermediate filaments at a glance.” Journal of Cell Science. https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.261386

• Parvanian, S.,* Coelho-Rato, L. S.*, Eriksson, J. E., & Patteson, A. E. “The molecular biophysics of extracellular vimentin and its role in pathogen-host interactions.” Current Opinion in Cell Biology. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceb.2023.102233

• Parvanian, S.,* Coelho-Rato, L. S.*, Patteson, A. E., & Eriksson, J. E. “Vimentin takes a hike – emerging roles of extracellular vimentin in cancer and wound healing.” Current Opinion in Cell Biology. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceb.2023.102246

• Coelho-Rato, L. S., Parvanian, S., Modi, M. K., & Eriksson, J. E. “Vimentin at the core of wound healing.” Trends in Cell Biology. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2023.08.004

• Gharbavi, M., Parvanian, S., Parvinzad Leilan, M., Tavangar, S., Parchianlou, M., & Sharafi, A. “Nasal drug delivery.” In: Niosomes-Based Drug Delivery in Targeting the Brain Tumors via Nasal Delivery, Chapter 14. Springer, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23112-4_14

• Parvanian, S., Zha, H., Su, D., Xi, L., Jiu, Y., Chen, H., Eriksson, J. E., & Cheng, F. “Exosomal vimentin from adipocyte progenitors protects fibroblasts against osmotic stress and inhibits apoptosis to enhance wound healing.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22094678

• Parvanian, S., Yan, F., Li, Q., Su, D., Wang, H., Zhou, Y., Zhang, Y., Coelho-Rato, L. S., Venu, A. P., Yang, P., Zou, X., Jiu, Y., Chen, H., Cheng, F., Eriksson, J. E., & Zheng, G. “Exosomal vimentin from adipocyte progenitors accelerates wound healing.” Cytoskeleton. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/cm.21634

• Su, D., Tsai, H., Xu, Z., Yan, F., Wu, Y., Xiao, Y., Liu, X., Wu, Y., Parvanian, S., Zhu, W., Eriksson, J. E., Wang, D., Zhu, H., Chen, H., & Cheng, F. “Exosomal PD-L1 functions as an immunosuppressant to promote wound healing.” Journal of Extracellular Vesicles. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1080/20013078.2019.1709262

• Parvanian, S., Mostafavi, S. M., & Aghashiri, M. “Multifunctional nanoparticle developments in cancer diagnosis and treatment.” Sensing and Bio-Sensing Research. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbsr.2016.08.002

• Parvanian, S. “Nanotechnology developments in efficient CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing delivery.” Global Journal of Nanomedicine. 2017.

• Mousavi, A., Salmanian, A. H., Eftekharian, M. H., & Parvanian, S. “Simultaneous expression of 5- enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (epsps) and glyphosate oxidoreductase (gox) in transgenic canola plants towards enhancing resistance to glyphosate herbicide.” Iranian Journal of Plant Biology. 2018. https://doi.org/10.22108/ijpb.2018.108127.1062

PATENTS

• Parvanian, S. “Freeze-dried exosomes composition and uses thereof.” U.S. Patent Application No. 18/159,352, filed September 14, 2023.

• Nuopponen, M., Parvanian, S., Eriksson, J. E., Cheng, F., Sheard, J., & Kiuru, T. “A bioreactor and a method for separating cell-derived products from cultured cells and a nanostructured cellulose product.” U.S. Patent Application No. 18/267,503.

RESEARCH GRANTS & PROJECT FUNDING

• ELLA JA GEORG EHRNROOTHIN Foundation (2025)

Project: Unlocking the Power of Macrophages: High-Throughput Screening for IL-12 and CXCL9 Enhancers for Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy

• Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation (2025)

Project: Leveraging Randomization to Address Noncompliance in Prostate Cancer Screening in Finland

• Orion Research Foundation (2024)

Project: Contrasting Immunogenic and Non-Immunogenic Bladder Tumors

• Maud Kuistila Foundation, Postdoctoral Grant (2024) Project: Fibroblast-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Induce EMT in Breast Cancer Epithelial Cells

• Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Postdoctoral Grant (2024) Project: Fibroblast-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Induce EMT in Breast Cancer Epithelial Cells

• Instrumentarium Science Foundation, Postdoctoral Grant (2023) Project: The Role of Fibroblast-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Inflammatory Bowel Disease- Associated Colorectal Cancer Using an Organ-on-Chip Model

• K. Albin Johansson Foundation, Research Grant (2023) Project: The Role of Fibroblast-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Inflammatory Bowel Disease- Associated Colorectal Cancer Using an Organ-on-Chip Model

• Harry Elving’s Legacy, Åbo Akademi University, Travel Award (2022) Project: Research Visit to Harvard Medical School/Wyss Institute on the Role of Fibroblast-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in IBD-Associated Colorectal Cancer

• ELLA JA GEORG EHRNROOTHIN Foundation, PhD Thesis Grant (2022) Project: Investigating the Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Mediating Wound Healing

• Häme University, MBA Thesis Grant (2023)

Project: Innovation practices to promote sustainability in life science SMEs

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