Meet the Team - Technology & Innovations Cedars-Sinai Skip to content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog English English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Translation is unavailable for Internet Explorer Cedars-Sinai Home 1-800-CEDARS-1 1-800-CEDARS-1 Close Find a Doctor Locations Programs & Services Health Library Patient & Visitors Community My CS-Link RESEARCH clear Go Close Navigation Links Academics Faculty Development Community Engagement Calendar Research Research Areas Research Labs Departments & Institutes Find Clinical Trials Research Cores Research Administration Basic Science Research Clinical & Translational Research Center (CTRC) Technology & Innovations News & Breakthroughs Education Graduate Medical Education Continuing Medical Education Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Professional Training Programs Medical Students Campus Life Office of the Dean Simulation Center Medical Library Program in the History of Medicine About Us All Education Programs Departments & Institutes Faculty Directory Technology & Innovations Back to Technology & Innovations For Inventors For Industry Alliances 3rd Street Diagnostics Meet the Team Meet the Technology Ventures Team Meet the leaders and staff of the internationally recognized Technology Ventures team at Cedars-Sinai, currently handling a portfolio of more than 400 technologies. Leadership James D Laur JD Vice President Intellectual Property VIEW BIO James D Laur JD Vice President Intellectual Property James D Laur JD, is vice president, Intellectual Property and heads up Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures reporting to the health system’s chief financial officer. Laur’s primary responsibilities are focused on innovation, technology transfer and international business activities. He drives new business development and investment opportunities involving innovation and technology-related activities at Cedars-Sinai and its global partners. Laur serves as co-executive sponsor of the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator Program and also represents Cedars-Sinai on the board of directors of some of its spinoff companies and other investments. Laur began his career at Cedars-Sinai in 1991 in the Legal Affairs Department. He was deputy general counsel and served as primary counsel for the Cedars-Sinai Research Institute and its information technology department. Since 1994, Laur has played a leadership role in the Cedars-Sinai Technology Transfer Office, which has earned over $200 million in royalty income from its licensing program over the past 10 years. In addition to managing the institution’s intellectual property portfolio, Laur has been instrumental in structuring numerous spin-off companies based on early-stage technologies from research laboratories at Cedars-Sinai and its international partners. Among the better known of these companies are Zynx Health, Prometheus Laboratories, Stanson Health, Santarus, PrecisionIBD and Savacor. Laur is a frequent speaker at local and international meetings on intellectual property issues, technology ventures, innovation development and commercialization strategies. He holds dual bachelor’s degrees, with honors, from UCLA in political science and philosophy. He earned his doctorate of law degree, cum laude, from the Boston College Law School. [email protected] Technology and Venture Affairs Nirdesh K Gupta PhD Managing Director VIEW BIO Nirdesh K Gupta PhD Managing Director Nirdesh K Gupta PhD, is Managing Director of Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures and the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator. Dr. Gupta also leads and provides key operations leadership to Business Units and Commercial Enterprises at Cedars-Sinai such as 3rd Street Technologies, The Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) & Cedars-Sinai Biomanufacturing Center (CBC). Dr. Gupta directed CSTV’s Seed Fund and Equity investments and have $275M+ equity under management representing over 20 companies, with multiple significant financial exits. Dr. Gupta works closely with, and mentors, world-class scientists and entrepreneurs to build companies to develop innovative products and platforms that address critical healthcare needs. Dr. Gupta and his team support company creation, equity and IP portfolio management, preclinical and clinical development of breakthrough technologies, business development, licensing & industry alliances including pilot programs and co-development partnerships with startups and major industry players. Dr. Gupta’s leadership has led to multiple successful partnerships with industry, and he has directly played an instrumental role in company co-creation of several Cedars-Sinai spinoffs notably Prometheus Biosciences, Gemelli Biotech, and Gravidas Diagnostics. Dr. Gupta was a nominated member of the Business Advisory Council of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and has served as member of their Innovation and Competitiveness Task Force. He holds a bachelor's and doctorate degrees in pharmaceutical sciences. [email protected] Julien Brohan Manager Business Development and Licensing VIEW BIO Julien Brohan Manager Business Development and Licensing Julien Brohan joined Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures in 2016 to manage the portfolio of inventions with a focus on medical devices and digital health technologies (from initial disclosure to out-licensing). In addition to this core function, he also manages so-called venture projects, which aims at de-risking early-stage technologies to make them more attractive candidates for commercialization. He works closely with Cedars-Sinai employees to help translate ideas into invention and eventually innovation. Prior to joining Technology Ventures, Brohan served as a licensing associate for the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the largest French nonprofit public research organization. Along with business acumen, Brohan has broad academic and research experience in chemical sciences. He is also registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a patent agent and is a certified licensing professional. [email protected] Wenyue Du PhD Manager Business Development and Licensing VIEW BIO Wenyue Du PhD Manager Business Development and Licensing Wenyue Du joined Technology Ventures in 2014. She works closely with Cedars-Sinai faculty and research staff to support their innovation efforts. She manages a portfolio of therapeutic and diagnostic inventions from assessment, patent and commercialization strategies, through licensing and compliance management. Du also develops educational programs for internal researchers on innovation and entrepreneurship. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Du was a licensing intern in the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization at Vanderbilt University. She interned as an analyst for a molecular diagnostic company focused on rare diseases. Du received her doctorate in biological sciences from Vanderbilt University. She is also a registered patent agent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a certified licensing professional. [email protected] Alexandra Mendoza PhD Senior Associate Business Development and Licensing VIEW BIO Alexandra Mendoza PhD Senior Associate Business Development and Licensing Alexandra Mendoza joined the Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures team as a licensing associate in January 2019. She works with Cedars-Sinai faculty and researchers to protect and commercialize their therapeutic and diagnostic inventions. In her role, she is responsible for technology assessments, intellectual property management, industry marketing, and aids in licensing and post-license compliance. Before coming to Cedars-Sinai, Alexandra was an intern at the UCLA Technology Development Group and earned a doctorate in materials chemistry from UCLA. [email protected] Peter S Park Director Business Operations VIEW BIO Peter S Park Director Business Operations Peter S Park joined Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures in October 2018, where he manages Cedars-Sinai’s equity portfolio and provides operational oversight and support of key strategic institutional initiatives, including the Cedars-Sinai Biomanufacturing Center (CBC). At the CBC, Park’s responsibilities include all aspects of operational readiness of the cGMP biomanufacturing facility, as well as strategic planning, business development and revenue enhancement of both the cGMP and iPSC Core business operations. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Park was Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategic Alliances for the U.S. operations of CHA Group, an international biotechnology and healthcare company. Before transitioning into a full-time business role, he served in various in-house legal positions, ranging from general counsel of a venture-backed technology startup company to principal deal counsel for the corporate headquarters of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Bioepis. Park also worked as an attorney in the business and technology departments of the law firms of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, where he specialized in venture capital, mergers and acquisitions and public offerings. Park holds a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish and a bachelor of science degree in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Arizona and earned his JD from the Santa Clara University School of Law. He is a member of the State Bar of California and is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. [email protected] Song Qu PhD Senior Associate Business Development and Licensing VIEW BIO Song Qu PhD Senior Associate Business Development and Licensing Song Qu PhD, joined Technology Ventures in April 2017. He works closely with colleagues on the marketing team to manage a portfolio of therapeutic and diagnostic inventions from Cedars-Sinai inventors. Qu performs various tasks such as assessing patentability and commercial potential analysis on disclosed inventions, coordinating IP protection strategy, marketing technologies and managing license agreements. Qu received his PhD in biology from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla. Qu was the vice president of Operations of the Scripps Consulting Club, and he worked on several projects with the Office of Technology Development at the Scripps Research Institute prior to joining Cedars-Sinai. [email protected] Rutwik "Ricky" Rath Senior Associate Business Development and Licensing VIEW BIO Rutwik Ricky Rath Senior Associate Business Development and Licensing Rutwik Rath joined Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures in March 2022 to help manage the portfolio of inventions, with a focus on medical devices and digital health. Working with Cedars-Sinai employees, Rath helps translate ideas into invention and eventually innovation (from initial disclosure to out-licensing). Prior to joining Technology Ventures, Rath served as a technology licensing manager at City of Hope, a nonprofit National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. Earlier in his career, Rath served as a member of the UCLA and University of California, Davis (UCD) technology transfer offices (TTOs)—both campuses are part of the University of California public research university system. Rath earned his master’s in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University, a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering and a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from the Georgia Institute of Technology. [email protected] Christopher Sue PhD Associate Business Development and Licensing VIEW BIO Christopher Sue PhD Associate Business Development and Licensing Christopher Sue joined the Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures team as a licensing associate in April 2022. He works with Cedar-Sinai’s researchers to market and commercialize their therapeutic and diagnostic inventions. Chris works on initial technology assessments, aids in the management of intellectual property, and marketing to industry. Before joining Cedars-Sinai, Chris received his PhD in Chemistry from UCLA and was previously a Technology Development Fellow at UCLA’s Technology Development Group. [email protected] Jian Tajbakhsh PhD Research Scientist VIEW BIO Jian Tajbakhsh PhD Research Scientist Jian Tajbakhsh PhD, works closely with Technology Ventures team, specifically in the development of diagnostic tests. He is involved in early biomedical and technical assessment of innovations and the development of selected leads into commercializable assays in collaboration with industrial partners. Prior to joining the Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures, Tajbakhsh worked as principal investigator of multiple National Institutes of Health- and National Science Foundation-awarded industrial and academic projects in the biotech industry. He also served as faculty in the Department of Surgery and the Samuel Oschin Cancer Center at Cedars-Sinai. His work includes devising molecular and cellular assays and systems based on imaging for the diagnosis of various cancers and infectious diseases. Tajbakhsh received his master’s degree in industrial biology (biotechnology and bioengineering) from the University of Stuttgart in Germany, in conjunction with a doctorate in cancer biology at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg. He completed his postdoctoral research at UCLA in cancer genomics. [email protected] Global Alliances & Legal Pamela N Collingwood Esq Senior Counsel and Executive Director Global Alliances VIEW BIO Pamela N Collingwood Esq Senior Counsel and Executive Director Global Alliances Joining Cedars-Sinai in 2009, Collingwood is the director of Global Alliances for Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures and leads a team that brings together Cedars-Sinai and its external partners to advance innovation and the development of diagnostics, healthIT, therapeutics and medical devices. Collingwood also serves as senior counsel for Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures, and in this role she provides legal services to support Cedars-Sinai's technology transfer operations and new business ventures. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Collingwood worked at the international law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, where she represented public and privately held companies in a wide range of domestic and international transactions. Collingwood earned a bachelor's degree in history and comparative literature from Brown University and her juris doctor degree from the UC Berkeley School of Law. Prior to attending law school, she received a Fulbright grant to study Arabic language and literature at the University of Damascus, Syria. She is a member of the State Bar of California. [email protected] Janny Hsu Program Manager VIEW BIO Janny Hsu Program Manager Janny Hsu joined the Technology Ventures team in 2016 to support the operational activities for the International Program and 3rd Street Diagnostics, Cedars-Sinai’s in-house diagnostic development business unit. In this role, she supports numerous growth initiatives, including the commercialization of a diagnostic aid for cancer, international network expansion and campaign for targeted technologies. Janny also manages royalty-related matters and financial analytics for Cedars-Sinai's Quantitative Diagnostic Software Group, a business unit developing nuclear cardiology imaging software. Previously, Janny worked in Cedars-Sinai’s critical care division, where she launched several process improvement initiatives. Janny holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Riverside. She is Six Sigma certified and holds a Yellow Belt certification. [email protected] Operations Eric See Director Operations VIEW BIO Eric See Director Operations Eric See manages the Operations side of Technology Ventures. In this capacity, he assists with managing the intellectual property data, financials, and database system for the Technology Ventures Office. See received his Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Masters of Art in Teaching both from the University of Southern California. [email protected] Patty Pierson Senior Administrative Services Associate Send an Email Susan Hughes Management Assistant View Bio Susan Hughes Management Assistant Susan Hughes joined Technology Ventures in 2013. She provides administrative and other support services to the members of the team. Hughes assists in the provision of services to the research community as a part of the Office's innovation management efforts. [email protected] Nancy Ogg Executive Assistant View Bio Nancy Ogg Executive Assistant Nancy Ogg joined Technology Ventures in March 2018 as an executive assistant to provide administrative and other support services to the vice president of Intellectual Property. Before joining the technology transfer team, Ogg provided administrative support to the Cedars-Sinai Legal Affairs Department for 16 years. She has worked at Cedars-Sinai in various administrative roles since 1992. [email protected] Michael Adame Administrative Assistant VIEW BIO Michael Adame Michael Adame Administrative Assistant Michael Adame joined Cedars-Sinai in January 2021 as an associate within the Accelerator Department. Michael’s interest in innovation and healthcare is what led to his new role on the technology ventures team as an administrative assistant in September 2021. He is excited to assist the incredible technology transfer team and strives to make the world a better place for future generations in healthcare. Prior to Cedars-Sinai, Michael was in the business of product and event marketing and earned an associate degree from FIDM. [email protected] Have Questions or Need Help Contact us if you have questions or wish to learn more about Technology & Innovations at Cedars-Sinai. 310-423-0326 SEND A MESSAGE Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility