Our Values
Rise Therapeutics is built on the foundation that life changing products are developed
through key values that drive us as individuals in our personal and professional life.
These core values are focused on innovation, integrity, trust, dedication, scientific
excellence, and quality. We believe every employee’s unique background and
experiences contribute to shaping the future of our company.
Innovation
To accomplish the seemingly impossible.
Integrity
To hold ourselves accountable for our actions and deliver responsibly on our commitments.
Trust
Dedication
To stay focused, driven, and resilient.
Scientific Excellence
To attain the highest quality outcomes in our drug development endeavors.
Quality
To produce and provide the highest standards in our work product.
Our Leadership

GARY FANGER, PHD
Founder, President & CEO
Gary Fanger, PhD, has 20+ years of experience in the biotechnology industry developing novel therapeutics, establishing drug development alliances, and leading M&A activities. He serves as a director on the boards of Virtici and formerly OncoImmune, where Gary helped support the $425M acquisition by Merck in 2020.
In his previous role as Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at Amplimmune, Gary helped build this start-up out of Johns Hopkins University and led the $500 million acquisition by Medimmune/AstraZeneca in 2013. Prior to joining Amplimmune, Gary was Vice President of Business Development at MacroGenics where he directed partnering activities that included establishing MacroGenics’ strategic alliance with Eli Lilly & Company. Before MacroGenics, Gary was responsible for a diverse array of corporate functions at Corixa Corporation, including heading up business development, establishing and directing the therapeutic antibody development program, and managing numerous pharma strategic alliances.
Gary has co-authored over 50 articles, book chapters and reviews in peer-reviewed journals in the areas of monoclonal antibody development, cell biology and cancer research. He has also been awarded 35 patents. Gary received his MBA from Seattle University, PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Dartmouth Medical School, and his BS in Chemistry from Denison University.

CHRISTIAN FURLAN FREGUIA, PHD
VP of Research
Christian Furlan Freguia, PhD, has over 10 years of experience in the biotechnology sector with a successful track record in developing new drugs and translating programs to human clinical trials.
In his previous role as Director of Research at Synthetic Biologics, Christian led the discovery and development activities of a novel oral biological drugs, now in clinical trials. As part of this effort, he was responsible for GMP/GLP analytical development and GMP manufacturing. Prior to Synthetic Biologics, Christian was a Director of Immunology at Imquest Biosciences where he developed a new anti-HIV small molecule, now in the clinic, and novel cancer drugs, which resulted in several successful IND filings. Christian is the inventor of new technologies, some of which resulted in founding of microbiome-based companies. Christian has authored more than 15 research and review articles, and he is an inventor on several patents. He holds a PhD in molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of Ferrara (Italy).

SATHYA JANARDHANAN, MS
VP of Manufacturing
Sathya Janardhanan, MS, has over a decade of experience in setting up drug development programs and progressing those programs into Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. He has successfully contributed to multiple IND applications to the FDA, as well as to the EMA. Sathya specializes in early-stage programs and rapidly accelerating development timelines, cGMP manufacturing planning, facility development, and CDMO management. His background combines chemical engineering that aids with process research and molecular and chemical biology that aids with drug quality method development.
Most recently, Sathya founded and managed Apsis Healthcare, a Process & Analytical Technology startup that worked on design, development and consulting in Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology areas. Here he secured NIH grants and partnerships in the area of online quality attribute detection for biopharmaceutical production processes. Previously, Sathya was a senior scientist at NextCure, where he worked on all aspects of process, analytical and manufacturing development while also leading a team that produced the facility’s Process Automation. Sathya is an active reviewer of biomanufacturing guidance documents at the American Society of Testing Methods (ASTM) and leads consortiums related to process quality detections at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Sathya secured a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from National Institute of Technology in India.
Careers
We are always looking for extraordinary people with exceptional creativity
and enthusiasm. In our collaborative, high performing, and entrepreneurial
environment, we work as a team to develop life saving products and treatments.
POSTDOCTORAL SCIENTIST
Rise Therapeutics is recruiting a postdoctoral scientist with a background in molecular biology, immunology, and/or microbial genetic research to work in our Rockville, Maryland laboratory. This candidate should have a strong interest in developing innovative new immunological therapies. Our Postdoctoral Scientist Program offers a unique opportunity for entrepreneurial minded scientists to develop the skills and experience necessary for a successful career in the biotechnology industry. The Postdoctoral Scientist will lead research programs and product development strategies to generate pre-clinical validation datasets to support drug development programs.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST
Rise Therapeutics is recruiting a full-time molecular biologist to lead its synthetic biology initiatives at our Rockville, Maryland laboratory. This position offers a unique opportunity for an entrepreneurial minded scientist to advance the skills and experience necessary for a successful career in the biotechnology industry. The molecular biologist will support research and development strategies that harness new microbiome discoveries to create novel and innovative synthetic biology-based medicines.
PROCESS DEVELOPMENT SCIENTIST
Rise Therapeutics is recruiting a full-time process development scientist with a background in bacterial fermentation to work in our Rockville, Maryland laboratory. This position offers a unique opportunity for entrepreneurial minded scientists to advance skills and experience necessary for a successful career in the biotechnology industry. The process development scientist will support product development strategies to create new and innovative medicines.