Who We Are

Our Vision

Drastically change the face of surgical oncology so that every patient goes home cancer free

"My wife died of breast cancer in 2003. Since then, I have made it my mission to help prevent others from experiencing the same pain from cancer left behind after surgery."

W. David Lee, Co-Founder

Our Mission

At Lumicell, our mission is to improve the way cancer surgery is performed, starting with breast cancer.  Our innovative, fluorescence-guided imaging technology is designed to illuminate cancerous tissue inside the body cavity following initial lumpectomy to help surgeons achieve a more complete surgical resection.

Goal of Surgical Resection

Cancer incidence in the US is increasing and is expected to cross 2 Million patients in 2024. There are multiple treatments for cancers with surgery as a predominant treatment. The goal of surgical resection is the eradication of cancer-both gross and microscopic.¹

We believe that more can and should be done for surgical oncology care.

Imagine if surgeons could see and remove cancer cells in real-time during surgery

Lumicell recognizes the challenges surgeons face in finding and removing cancerous tissue while conserving as much healthy tissue as possible. That’s why we are committed to pioneering new technologies to help surgeons make more informed decisions in real-time.

Leadership Team

Howard Hechler

Chief Executive Officer

Howard joined Lumicell in 2020 and previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer. He brings 20 years of focused life-sciences experience in corporate development, strategy, and operations. Prior to Lumicell, Howard worked at Locust Walk, PolarityTE, Smith & Nephew, Medtronic, and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. Howard graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Harvard University, and received his M.B.A. and Juris Doctorate degrees from the University of Virginia.

Jorge Ferrer, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

Jorge joined Lumicell in 2010. He leads the company’s clinical research and strategy for cancer applications, and manages the company’s regulatory strategy, preparation of communications and reporting to the FDA. Jorge co-developed Lumicell’s optical imaging agent, LUMISIGHT™, as Senior Director of R&D at Lumicell. He also co-developed the prototype of the Lumicell Direct Visualization System™ (DVS) during his post-doctoral tenure with Dr. Moungi Bawendi at MIT. Prior to his post-graduate studies, Jorge worked as a Mechanical Design Engineer at Texas Instruments. He holds a doctorate in biological engineering and a M.S. in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez.

Elisabeth Carroll

VP, Human Resources

Elisabeth Carroll is strategic global human resources professional with 20 years experience aligning employee performance with business strategy. She has an ability to quickly build strong partnerships with diverse leadership styles in a broad range of industries with demonstrated capability to work strategically and operationally in parallel. Previously, Elisabeth served as VP of Human Resources at Sensei Biotherapeutics to build the HR function and scale the organization after going public. At Quanterix she oversaw Human Resources as the organization scaled quickly, went public and acquired and integrated two organizations. She has deep experience supporting R&D as well as Commercialized global organizations within biotech start ups through large pharma. Elisabeth holds a Bachelors degree in Art History from Simmons University.

Daniel K. Harris, PhD

VP, Pharmaceutical Development & CMC

Daniel joined Lumicell in 2017 as a Principal Scientist. In his current role as Vice President of Pharmaceutical Development and Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls, Daniel is responsible for the co-development of Lumicell’s optical imaging agent, LUMISIGHT™, as well as regulatory strategy and preparation of drug-related regulatory filings, including the New Drug Application. Prior to joining Lumicell, Daniel led the chemistry R&D group at QD Vision, a nanomaterials company developing fluorescent materials for the consumer display market and supported the company through its acquisition by Samsung. He earned his PhD from MIT, studying in the laboratory of Dr. Moungi Bawendi, and received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Southern California.

Brian Schlossberg, PhD

VP, New Business Strategy and Innovation

Brian joined Lumicell in 2018 as Director of Medical Affairs and is currently responsible for leading development of new indications for Lumicell’s fluorescence imaging technologies. He brings over 15 years of product development experience from medical device start-ups. Prior to joining Lumicell, Brian served as Director of Research and Development at Osteonovus; a medical device company developing biomaterials for spine and orthopedic indications. Brian earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from The University of New South Wales, where he studied in the Surgical & Orthopaedic Research Laboratories under Professor Bill Walsh.

Kate Smith

VP, Clinical Affairs

Kate joined Lumicell in 2017 to build and execute Lumicell’s clinical trial program. She has over 15 years of leading clinical affairs teams in the cancer field, most prominently in breast and lung cancers. Previously, Kate has led programs at Veracyte, Inc and Allegro Diagnostics, contributing to the success of novel cancer diagnostic technologies becoming available to clinicians and patients. Kate holds a MPH degree from Boston University with a focus in Cancer Epidemiology. Additionally, Kate has held the position of Clinical Instructor at Boston University’s School of Graduate Medical Sciences in the Healthcare Emergency Management Program teaching both Epidemiology and Intro to Public Health courses for over 10 years. Lastly, Kate is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) by the Society of Clinical Research Associates.

Board of Directors

Andrey Zarur, PhD

Executive Chairman, Lumicell
CEO, GreenLight Biosciences

Elon Boms

Launch Capital, LLC

Cosimo Fiorenza

Vice President & General Counsel
Quantum Valley Investments

David Furneaux

CEO, BlueIO & Managing Partner,
Kodiak Venture Partners

Kevin Krenitsky, MD

Former COO & CCO,
Foundation Medicine

W. David Lee

Founder, Lumicell

Mike Ruettgers

Retired Chairman, Lahey Clinic
Former CEO, EMC Corporation

Board of Observers

Carlos Gonzalez

Founder, Rivas Capital

Jan Haas

President, BlueIO

Investors

References

1. Orosco, R.K., Tapia, V.J., Califano, J.A. et al. Positive Surgical Margins in the 10 Most Common Solid Cancers. Sci Rep 8, 5686 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23403-5 2.CDC, US Cancer Statistics Working Group, 2022.