Our Team
Sarah Knox, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer | Salivary Gland Biologist
Dr. Sarah Knox is the cofounder of Hydronovo. She is a professor in the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Cell and Tissue Biology and has over 10 years of experience in radiation biology and regenerative medicine, with a primary focus on salivary glands and nerve-organ interactions. Her research laboratory discovered that salivary glands damaged by radiation can be regenerated using synthetic muscarinic receptor activators.
Chelsea Bahney, PhD
Chief Executive Officer | Regenerative Medicine Scientist
Dr. Chelsea Bahney is the cofounder of Hydronovo. She is an experienced innovator with 18 patents and more than 15 years of experience in the field of regenerative medicine. In addition to her academic position as an Associate Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Dr. Bahney has over five years of experience working in industry as an R&D Engineer where she saw three products come to market.
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Eben Alsberg, PhD
Technical Founder
Dr. Eben Alsberg is a Technical Founder at Hydronovo. He is a Richard and Loan Hill Chair and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), and a Research Health Scientist at the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He has over 25 years of experience developing technologies for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and disease therapeutics. He has co-authored >160 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, has ~30 patents issued or pending in the field of tissue engineering, and is a fellow of NAI, TERM, AIMBE, BMES and IAMBE.
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Oju Jeon, PhD
Technical Founder
Dr. Oju Jeon is a Technical Founder at Hydronovo. He currently works in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Dr. Jeon does research in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering.
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Vahid Niknezhad, PhD
R&D Engineer
Dr. Vahid Niknezhad is the Hydronovo R&D Engineer. He is a postdoctoral scholar in the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Cell and Tissue Biology and has over 10 years of experience in the field of regenerative medicine and biotechnology. A significant focus of his research is the development of hydrogels for controlled drug release and targeted therapeutic interventions. Dr. Niknezhad’s long-term research interest lies in translating laboratory discoveries into therapeutic interventions for craniofacial tissues damage-related diseases, many of which lack known etiology and effective treatments.
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Oliver Hohman
Engineer
Oliver Hohman is an Engineer at Hydronovo, where he focuses on solving manufacturing and production challenges. His work centers on researching materials and hydrogels to optimize production processes and ensure safe, high-quality results. In his free time, he enjoys gaming and is currently developing an online game with his brother. He also enjoys running up mountains.
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Chiara Marley
Quality & Regulatory Manager
Chiara's goal is to bridge complex science with regulatory strategies to accelerate Hydronovo's innovation mission of bringing a long-term, regenerative cure to xerostomia patients. As Regulatory Manager, she leads the IND submission at Hydronovo, while overseeing the quality assurance of the GMP manufacturing of our syringe products and spearheading the eQMS implementation and migration of FDA-compliant documents. Passionate about biotech communities, she serves on the leadership board of Biotech@Berkeley and mentors aspiring scientists-entrepreneurs, drawing from her gene therapy research at Gladstone Institutes.
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James Manolis
Business & Clinical Development
James' fascination with physiology and medicine began in high school, where he volunteered at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and later earned his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license. In 2023, he conducted research on intervertebral disc degeneration at the Iatridis Lab at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. These experiences fueled his passion for advancing and commercializing breakthrough medical technologies that transform patient care. He now channels this passion into business development at Hydronovo, working to align cutting-edge innovation with real-world patient impact. In his free time you can often find him surfing the Norcal waters with friends and family.
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Maya Endarwan
Nonclinical Manager
Maya is a biotech professional and Nonclincal Manager at Hydronovo, focusing on IND-enabling studies and GLP standardization. She brings three years of experience in pre-clinical therapeutics and CAR-T cell therapy manufacturing and hopes to transform innovative research into healthcare solutions. In her free time, she enjoys engaging with community efforts concerning children, animals and music.
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Verena Oberlohr
Project Manager
Verena has experience in coordinating clinical trials and in managing clinical practices and public health programs. Through her previous roles as a Paramedic and Research Associate, Verena has acquired clinical, translational, and regulatory skills to support orthopaedic and regenerative research initiatives at UCSF.