Who We Are
BioCentriq is a global cell therapy Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) successfully developing, manufacturing, and releasing GMP drug product for use in clinical trials since 2022.
With industry-recognized leadership, scientists, engineers, analysts, and manufacturing specialists, along with established quality systems and modern infrastructure, BioCentriq is a trusted strategic partner for the development and manufacture of both autologous and allogeneic cell therapies.
Our Team
BioCentriq is led by a seasoned team of committed and passionate professionals. Learn more about this dynamic team who will help bring your therapy from the bench to patients worldwide.
Our Leadership

Haro Hartounian, Ph.D.
Haro Hartounian is the Founder & CEO of BioCentriq. He engineered the launch of BioCentriq, the only facility of its kind in Newark, NJ and the first such center on a university campus anywhere in the United States. He also led the creation of NJIT’s new Professional Master’s Degree Program in Cell and Gene Therapy Sciences.
Dr. Hartounian provided strong leadership to drive an aggressive growth and profitability strategy for BioCentriq’s business and provided the necessary direction and dynamic leadership to R&D, manufacturing, business development, regulatory and compliance, and operations. He developed an approach that enables BioCentriq to forge client relationships that move beyond the traditional service outsourcing model into true end-to-end collaborations. Dr. Hartounian grew the organization by recruiting top-notch scientists, engineers, and professionals whose expertise aligned with BioCentriq’s goals. He assembled a world class technical advisory board of external experts who provide insights into BioCentriq’s strategic initiatives.
Dr. Hartounian has nearly 30 years of experience in the biotechnology industry working for large and mid-size biopharmaceutical companies, including DuPont, Monsanto, SkyePharma, and Vyteris. He has built several companies and has a proven track record of delivering unprecedented performance and growth. He played an instrumental role in two FDA-approved product launches—DepoCyt and DepoMorphine—and served as the chief executive officer and board member of two public and two private biopharmaceutical companies. He also founded three biopharmaceutical companies: MicroIslet, Protagenic Therapeutics, and DiaVacs.
Haro’s past roles include securing funding, manufacturing, product and process development, business development and alliance management, strategic planning, and partnering transactions. Specific product lines and indications have included cell therapy, diabetes, CNS disorders, oncology, women’s health, pain management, and drug delivery. Dr. Hartounian is an adjunct associate professor of Chemical Engineering at Columbia University and earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware.

Jackie Panter
Jackie Veivia-Panter has 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and cell therapy industry and brings her expertise in quality management to BioCentriq as the Chief Quality and Compliance Officer. Her skills include designing and delivering effective and compliant solutions, processes, and organizational models. Throughout her career, Jackie has managed site quality and R&D quality, and has held global roles in training, regulatory intelligence, and matrix organization management. As the former Vice President, Global Head of Quality at Minaris Regenerative Medicine, which included Europe, Asia, and North America, she was responsible for the oversight of all quality-related functions, such as Quality Systems, Quality Control, Regulatory, and Quality Site Heads. She was also charged with creating and implementing a global quality strategy. Prior to that, she was the Senior Director of Global Quality Systems and Compliance at Legend Biotech, where she developed and deployed a global GxP quality system and compliance strategy consisting of policy, process, SOP development, and electronic system implementation. Her other roles include Director of Global Quality Systems Compliance at Celgene; Quality Director at AbbVie/Abbott, Chicago, IL; and QA Director at BlisTech Corporation and Pfizer. Jackie has her BS in Medical Technology from Marquette University and an Executive MBA from NJIT. She is a board member of PDA RAQAB (Regulatory Affairs and Quality Advisory Board) and former board member of GMP Training and Education Association and ISPE – Clinical Trial Materials Subcommittee, where she participated in writing the Clinical Trial Materials handbook.

Brian Hanifin
Brian Hanifin has extensive experience in internal company plants and contract manufacturing organization management with a successful track record as a proven pharmaceutical executive. He possesses in-depth knowledge and experience in executing plant start up, plant closures, operation integrations, operational transformations, lean production systems, organizational restructuring, change management, and quality remediations with full P&L responsibility. Now BioCentriq’s Interim COO, Brian was formerly the President & CEO of HaniPharm, LLC, where he served as an independent operations senior advisor and process-driven expert and provided plans for remediation and organizational strategy. Prior to that, he was SVP, Global Chief Operations Officer at Minaris Regenerative Medicine, where he was responsible for overseeing global organizational transformation, facility designs and build outs, the implementation of information systems, and the performance of transcontinental teams. Brian also served as the Vice President of Operations for North America at Hitachi Chemical Advanced Therapeutics Solutions, VP of External Supply – Americas at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and more. He has his Bachelor of Science in Human Resources from Marist College.

Jennifer Manning
Jennifer Denise Manning, MPA, is a distinguished commercial leader with a remarkable track record in the biopharmaceutical industry. With over 25 years of cross-functional experience in drug development and commercialization, Jennifer has consistently demonstrated her aptitude for building, managing, and inspiring high-performing, multi-disciplinary teams. Her results-driven and goal-oriented decision-making skills have led to a proven success rate in sourcing, structuring, negotiating, and closing strategic partnerships. Her expertise extends to developing, implementing, and measuring sales and marketing strategies, crafting both short and long-term business plans, and generating forecasts and key performance indicators to consistently meet and exceed corporate revenue targets.
Jennifer has been at the forefront of leading commercial activities and driving product launches across various domains, including advanced therapies, biologics, vaccines, and small molecule drug substance and drug product for clinical and commercial supply. She formerly served as the Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Partnerships at the Center for Breakthrough Medicines, where she led a Strategic Accounts Team responsible for identifying, executing, and leading portfolio-enabling partnerships with strategic business partners. Prior to that she was the Executive Director of Commercial Development and Advanced Therapies at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, where she hired and led the North American Advanced Therapy Sales Team and provided support to the European and Asian Sales Teams in collaboration with the VP, Commercial Development, Europe, and Asia. Her other former positions include Director, Regional Head of Sales and Business Development at Alcami Corporation; Director of Business Development and Alliance Management Emerging Technologies, Cell and Gene Therapy at Lonza; Business Development Executive at Patheon, and many more.
Jennifer has a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences from Clemson University, a Master of Public Administration with a specialization in Health Policy and Management from NYU, and a Professional Certification — Women on Boards: Getting On and Adding Values — from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her affiliations include active roles within the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), National Policy and Advocacy Taskforce, and the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), and more.

Mark Broadley
Mark S. Broadley is a highly accomplished senior general management and operations executive with 20+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing sectors. His achievements encompass strategic planning, leadership of multi-million-dollar programs, and the successful execution of large-scale projects. Notably, Mark has consistently improved productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction while tackling highly competitive business and regulatory landscapes. His expertise includes P&L management, product development, regulatory affairs, marketing, strategic alliances and partnerships, supply chain management, mergers and acquisitions, FDA regulations, GMP compliance, engineering and facility management, project management, capital projects, multi-site management, inspections and audits, Lean practices, operational excellence, technology transfer, facility consolidation, CRM, and VRM.
Mark’s career has been distinguished by a strong track record in driving revenue growth, achieving cost reductions, enhancing operational throughput, and launching new products in challenging, regulated industries. He previously served as the Senior Director of Operations at Charles River Laboratories Cell & Gene Therapy CDMO, where he led day-to-day operations of multi-product Cell and Gene Therapy manufacturing operations during facility and QMS remediation & expansion projects. Prior to that, he was the Director of Regulatory, Engineering and Quality at Idex Health and Science, where he led ISO 13485 QMS Improvement Project & Certification for a fast-tracked diagnostic testing (Covid) product. His other previous roles include serving as an independent consultant at Diverse Consulting Firms, Director of Operations/General Manager at Zimmer Bioment – Biologic, General Manager at Cytosol Laboratories, and more. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and an MBA in Leadership, both from Nichols College.

David Smith, Ph.D.
With 15+ years of experience in the field of regenerative medicine, David’s proven expertise and background in engineering have led to a history of success in advancing cell therapy product manufacturing. His skills and experience include design of experiments, quality-by-design, R&D, data analysis, strong leadership, and cross-functional oversight, among many others. In his role at BioCentriq, he leads MS&T, Process Development, and Analytical Method Development.
As the former Vice President of Technical Operations at Ori Biotech, David led the execution of the technical strategy for Ori’s first innovative technology play in cell therapy manufacturing. He was charged with ensuring the approach remained relevant to industry needs as it matured, requiring a multi-pronged approach to gather information, identify industry needs, align to viable solutions, build a cross-functional team, and support adoption. David’s other prior roles include serving as Director of Research and Development at Minaris Regenerative Medicine.
David has his Ph.D. in Regenerative Medicine from Loughborough University, and he has sat on numerous committees, including chair of ARM’s Science and Technology committee, sitting on ARM’s Cell Therapy Advisory, ISCT Commercialization Committee, ISCT Product and Process Development Subcommittee, ISO Biotechnology Committee, ASME Biotechnology Advisory Panel, PDA Cell and Gene Therapy Committee, and more.

Alex Klarer
Alex Klarer is the Vice President of Business Strategy and Innovation at BioCentriq. He has a background in Chemical Engineering focused on bioprocessing and process engineering. He has held roles at Genentech and Minaris, where he led the translational process development for a range of cell therapies and ex-vivo gene therapies, including T-cell immunotherapies, stem cell therapies, and MSC mediated immunoregulation. Alex also has experience developing novel technologies and applications to address gaps in manufacturing capabilities. He has been with BioCentriq since 2020 and previously led the Development and MS&T teams. He now focuses on enabling technical and manufacturing innovations such as the LEAPTM Advanced Therapies Platform.

Henry Han
Henry Han brings 15+ years of experience to his role as Director of Finance at BioCentriq. He previously served as the Financial and Accounting Team Leader at Ubcare Co. Ltd., which was acquired by GC for $200 million in 2020 and was charged with performing PMI work, such as finance, accounting, IPR, and legal. He headed fund management and cash flow planning and successfully established an e-accounting system to secure stable fund execution and a management process that optimized accounting evidence. Prior to that, Henry was the Finance Team Manager at Green Cross Holdings Corporation, where he was charged with issuing corporate bonds in the public offering bond market, which reached $100 million in 2019. He also managed funds and conducted budget planning, performed governance managing, and managed KPIs. Henry has also previously held the position of Finance Team Assistant Manager at Byuck San Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Chung-Ang University Seoul, Korea.

Gina Choi
Gina Choi brings 14+ years of experience in human resources and managing all general affairs for small to mid-sized companies to her role as Head of HR at BioCentriq. She was previously the Human Resources Business Partner for Line Friends Inc., where she managed all HR activity for two offices and stores in New York and California. Prior to that, she was the Human Resources Manager at CJ TMI Manufacturing America and Grand Supercenter Inc. (H Mart). She has experience managing thousands of employees across multiple states while overseeing the full cycle of each position, developing employee handbooks and compensation structure, and providing HR guidance to management level for coaching, counseling, disciplinary actions, and more. She’s managed commercial insurance, workers’ compensation, health insurance, and 401(k) plans. Gina has her Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering with a specialization in Systems Analysis from Columbia University of Paraguay. She is also ServSafe Certified and OSHA 30HR Certified. Gina speaks three languages: English, Korean, and Spanish.
Our Staff

Balazs Csoka
Balazs Csoka brings more than 15 years of experience to BioCentriq, where he combines his knowledge of cGMP and quality disciplines, his extensive experience in bio analytical assays, and his in-depth scientific knowledge in the characterization of immune cells using various bioanalytical techniques to manage projects while ensuring quality. Previously the QA for QC Lab Oversight at Legend Biotech, he’s also served as the senior supervisor at Bristol Meyers Squibb CTDO, an Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University, and a Postdoctoral Scientist at Rutgers University’s Center for Immunity. Balazs has successfully lead quality projects in facilitating the commercialization of 3 CAR-T cell therapies (ide-cel, lisocel, and cilta-cel), provided QA oversight of method validation and method transfer for cilta-cel, established a Centralized Critical Reagent Qualification Lab in supporting clinical and commercial QC testing of ide-cel and liso-cel, and provided QA oversight of qualification and validation of a Lentiviral Vector (LVV) manufacturing facility for supporting commercial manufacturing of cilta-cel. He has a Master of Science in Molecular Biology (Biochemistry) and a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from the University of Debrecen.

Chathuranga De Silva, Ph.D.
Dr. De Silva completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University, specializing in polymer-based drug delivery systems. He later co-founded a startup company to commercialize work in this area. Dr. De Silva has over 8 years of experience in research & development and has published several peer-reviewed journal articles on his work in specialty polymers. Prior to joining BioCentriq, Dr. De Silva worked in chemical distribution at BrenntagNorth America and Consulted for Academic Venture Exchange. In his current role, Dr. De Silva leads the Business Development function for BioCentriq.

Christian Rouldan
Christian Rouldan is Executive Director of Business Development at BioCentriq. He brings significant cell and gene therapy expertise in manufacturing, business development, client acquisition, client relationship management, contract negotiation, and new technology implementation strategy. Early in his career, Christian served as a scientific researcher in biotech and academic institutions. Additionally, he was a manufacturing operator at Minaris Regenerative Medicine, a leading global CDMO, establishing comprehensive technical expertise in cell therapy process development and manufacturing. Over his time at Minaris, he also led business development for North America and managed strategic relationships. At Cellares, he contributed to the introduction of new automation technologies for cell therapy manufacturing by generating and managing new business relationships with growing biotechs and established big pharma companies. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Boston University and a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from Tufts University School of Medicine.

Cindy Lee
Cindy Lee is an experienced quality professional with a wide range of skills and experience working with different technology, including Instron, DSC, FTIR, optical microscopy, Raman microscopy, SEM, AFM, and flow cytometers. She is well-versed in programming languages such as Python, R, SAS, MATLAB, and LabVIEW. She was previously the Quality Control Analyst II, CAR-T at Legend Biotech, where she conducted analytical QC testing on in-process samples of cell therapy products for clinical and commercial operations in compliance with all applicable procedures, standards and GMP regulations. She also used LIMS for execution and documentation of testing as well as performing peer review and approval of laboratory data. In her role at Legend Biotech, Cindy also authored investigation reports when deviations arose during testing and worked cross functionally with investigators to propose recommendations and solutions to prevent similar occurrences from happening again. Prior to that, she served as a Manufacturing Associate at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where she became proficient in aseptic techniques and operating in cGMP environments grade A, B, C, and D as well as gowning for ISO 5, ISO 7, and ISO 8 environments. Cindy holds a Master of Science in Data Science – Computational and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She’s fluent in both English and Cantonese and earned certifications in Six Sigma Yellow Belt and Schrodinger: Introduction to Molecular Concepts for Polymers.

Elzbieta Bartnicka
Elzbieta has worked in manufacturing roles for more than 20 years. She has held roles in product development, device manufacturing, and more for companies such as Becton Dickinson, Vyteris, Guardian, and Ivers Lee. Her experience includes working in electrochemistry laboratories, where she was responsible for lab clean up, maintenance, and calibration; mastering a variety of lab equipment; performing electrochemistry tests and experimentation; and manufacturing FDA-approved products. At BioCentriq, she applies her decades of experience to the operations team, ensuring smooth and proper processes for each project.

Gabriella Ciasullo
Gabriella has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University, where she worked on the optimization of gene and cell therapies and conducted biotechnology research in the lab of Dr. Jacob Elmer. This hands-on experience in a biotechnology research lab is where she gleaned techniques for the transfection and analysis of plasmid DNA into various cell lines. Her focus was on performing research to optimize gene and cell therapies using non-viral vectors. She has also worked in the lab of Ames Corporation and is a member of the Society of Women Engineers as well as the National Society of Professional Engineers. As an Associate Engineer for Gene Therapy at BioCentriq, she has experience using a variety of equipment for upstream and downstream processing, scale-up, and optimization for cell and gene therapy products. She’s skilled in data analysis, client interface, and technical writing, and along with her primary role in process development, she has demonstrated experience in cGMP manufacturing environments and documentation.

Halima Mezhoud
Halima Mezhoud brings multiple years of experience as a microbiologist in academia and the pharmaceutical regulated environment to the BioCentriq team. She previously served as a QC Microbiologist II for Teva Pharmaceuticals, where she collaborated with site departments to ensure all microbiological sampling (water, EM, swabbing, raw materials, etc.) was performed according to schedules. She also shipped samples to external microbiology testing labs; ensured EM media was qualified and approved for use: pH, Sterility, growth promotion; performed Environmental Monitoring and water testing: bioburdens, coliforms, Pseudomonas aeroginosa and Burkholderia cepacia; and monitored the receipt of test results from external testing facilities for all sample types. Prior to that, she was a QC Microbiologist II at AbbVie, a Lab Researcher at Infinity BiologiX (IBX), and a lecturer at Rutgers University for the department of Biochemistry and Microbiology. Halima holds her bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Bejaia.

Hana Ioannidis, Ph.D.
Dr. Ioannidis completed her B.S. in Chemistry at Beijing Normal University and her Ph.D. in Chemistry at NJIT, with a focus on protein engineering by directed evolution. Before working at BioCentriq, she served as the associate director of microbiology at TAXIS Pharmaceuticals, where she commissioned a new R&D facility and transferred its biology division from an academic setting into a successful industrial operation. She more recently worked as associate director of sales and marketing for ACS Scientific.

James Schluter
James Schluter brings 20+ years of experience in the manufacturing and R&D sectors of the pharmaceutical industry to his role as Head of IT at BioCentriq. James has an outstanding track record of implementing validated and cost-effective systems in a regulated environment, and has overseen resource management, project management, application development, infrastructure, client services/desktop support issues, and process automation. Formerly the Senior Director of IT Infrastructure & Operations at Accord Therapeutics, Inc., James provided strategic direction to and operational oversight over Acorda’s infrastructure, networking, operations, and manufacturing teams while building, developing, and leading teams to promote optimal communication and teamwork, thereby improving the support process. Prior to that, he was the Associate Director of MFG and R&D Systems at Purdue Frederick Co. Inc./Purdue Pharma L.P., where he served as an IT liaison between manufacturing and R&D executive management to ensure business and IT initiatives were aligned. In each of his roles, James has been charged with handling the financial responsibilities for multiple location’s operational and IT capital project budgets. James earned his BS in Information Technology from Ramapo College and his MSIS from Stevens Institute of Technology. He was a Recipient of the Q3 2012 Purdue IT Outstanding Achievement Award and a Recipient of the Annual 2012 Purdue IT Outstanding Achievement Award. He holds multiple professional affiliations, including with ISPE (Industrial Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers), PMI (Project Management Institute), New Jersey Planning Officials, Stevens Institute Alumni, and the Delta Mu Delta National Honor Society.

Jason Chou
With ten years of experience, Jason Chou is an experienced bioengineer with demonstrated success in solving problems through software and process development and data analytics. Prior to joining BioCentriq, Jason held similar roles at Genetech, Bayer, and more. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering from the University of California San Diego.

Jeremy Pecoraro
Jeremy Pecoraro brings more than 20 years of technical experience to his role at BioCentriq as Equipment Engineer. Formerly a Senior Calibration/Metrology Specialist at Integra LifeSciences, he oversaw and supported all approved vendor activities for calibration and certification for all cGMP and non cGMP areas, including manufacturing, QC, and R&D. As a subject matter expert, he supported the review of all calibration and certification documents to identify and initiate Out of Tolerance (OOT) and Non-Compliance (NC) investigations as needed. He also supported all SOPs relating to calibration and certification for all equipment and instruments. Prior to that, his roles included Field Calibration Technician at ENV Services, Calibration Technician at Roche Molecular Systems, and Revenue and Billing Analyst at Labcorp. His vast technical knowledge includes IQ/OQ, validation, autoclaves, RPM speed, pH/conductivity, sealers, AC & DC electronic, PLC systems, Freezers, centrifuges, and more. Jeremy earned his Electronics Engineering Degree from DeVry College of Technology.

Johnny Villacis
Johnny Villacis has 13+ years of industry experience. Before joining BioCentriq as Senior Production Manager, he served as CAR-T Operations Manager at Legend Biotech, CAR-T Manufacturing Manager at Bristol Myers Squibb, Systems Group Lead/Business Process Analyst at Novartis, and more. Johnny has led equipment substitution at Bristol Myers Squibb, improving ABECMA’s cell counting processing time by 90% and saving $650,000 per year. He’s also managed the creation and implementation of the first CAR-T Electronic Master Batch Record (MBR) in MES to manufacture KYMRIAH at Novartis Stein (Switzerland) in a global operation, implemented Systems Group Structure to support KYMRIAH’s manufacturing reducing downtime by 45%, received the “Novartis Innovation Award” for improving the material kitting process reducing the KYMRIAH’s throughput time by 20 minutes, and more. Johnny has an A.S.S. in Computer Information Systems from DeVry University, a B.S. in Telecommunications Management from Devry, and a M.S. in Life Science–Computational Biology/Bioinformatics from NJIT/Rutgers University. He’s earned a SAS Certificate, a C# and .NET Framework Certificate, and a Project Management Certificate from AVTECH Institute of Technology. He is also fluent in both Spanish and English.
Our Story
Discover how BioCentriq got its start as the first-ever CDMO located on a university campus—and how we came to be acquired by a company with a major footprint across healthcare sectors.
- 2016
- NJII creates biopharma division.
- 2017
- Biopharma division delivers training programs to big pharma.
- 2018
- NJIT agrees to fund the construction of a GMP manufacturing facility for C> on their Newark campus.
- 2019
- MARCH - Pall Corporation invests $3.5M to support creation of a new manufacturing center.
- NOVEMBER - Pilot plant opens in South Brunswick, NJ.
- 2020
- FEBRUARY - NIIMBL provides grant to support development of NIIMBL Center of Excellence.
- MAY - NJII announces the emerging CDMO will be named BioCentriq.
- OCTOBER - BioCentriq opens its Newark, NJ based GMP manufacturing facility.
- 2021
- MARCH - BioCentriq announces partnership with Kytopen.
AUGUST - McKinsey launches the first ever Innovation & Learning Center focused on Life Sciences and operated by BioCentriq.
- OCTOBER - Terumo and BioCentriq announce collaboration centered on automation of cell therapy manufacturing.
- 2022
- MAY - GC acquires BioCentriq from NJII for $73 million.
- OCTOBER - BioCentriq cuts ribbon on additional GMP facility in South Brunswick, NJ.
- 2023
- January - Successful Tech Transfer From Avenge Bio Results in Dosing of First Patient
- June - BioCentriq launches LEAP™ Advanced Therapy Platform
- 2022
- OCTOBER - BioCentriq cuts ribbon on additional GMP facility in South Brunswick, NJ.
- MAY - GC acquires BioCentriq from NJII for $73 million.
- 2021
- OCTOBER - Terumo and BioCentriq announce collaboration centered on automation of cell therapy manufacturing.
- AUGUST - McKinsey launches the first ever Digital Capability Center focused on Life Sciences and operated by BioCentriq.
- MARCH - BioCentriq announces partnership with Kytopen.
- 2020
- OCTOBER - BioCentriq opens its Newark, NJ based GMP manufacturing facility.
- MAY - NJII announces the emerging CDMO will be named BioCentriq.
- FEBRUARY - NIIMBL provides grant to support development of NIIMBL Center of Excellence.
- 2019
- NOVEMBER - Pilot plant opens in South Brunswick, NJ.
- MARCH - Pall Corporation invests $3.5M to support creation of a new manufacturing center.
- 2018
- NJIT agrees to fund the construction of a GMP manufacturing facility for C> on their Newark campus.
- 2017
- Biopharma division delivers training programs to big pharma.
- 2016
- NJII creates biopharma division.