Global business leader to serve as executive director & strategic advisor to Opencell Technologies as it develops and commercializes its proprietary technology platform for continuous and scalable transfection that opens new frontiers for cellular engineering in emerging cell & gene therapy and synthetic biology markets.

ST. LOUIS — OpenCell Technologies, a leader in pioneering the development and commercialization of next generation cellular transfection technologies, is pleased to announce the appointment of Behzad Mahdavi, Ph.D., MBA, as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Dr. Mahdavi is a biotech industry veteran and business leader known for his expertise in developing successful, patient-centric business growth strategies across biopharma and having a passion for advancing innovative technologies in cell and gene therapy, personalized medicine, synthetic biology, and the life sciences.

With over 20 years of senior leadership experience at companies such as Lonza, Catalent Biopharma Solutions, and Ginkgo Bioworks, Dr. Mahdavi has a proven track record of driving innovative strategies that generate remarkable sales and sustainable value and growth in emerging markets. In addition to his industry leadership roles, Dr. Mahdavi has made significant contributions as a member of multiple Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards.

Holding a PhD in chemistry and an MBA in business administration, Dr. Mahdavi is a sought-after advisor for technology start-ups and large companies seeking help with fundraising, strategic business development, innovation management, sales expansion, and disruptive technology commercialization.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Mahdavi as an experienced Board member and Chairman with exceptional business and technical expertise to support technology commercialization and global business growth,” said OpenCell investor and Board member, Dr. Chad Stiening.

OpenCell co-founder and CTO, Dr. Mark Meacham, added, “Behzad’s understanding of how to lead disruptive innovation in challenging environments will be invaluable to Opencell as we continue to advance our cell transfection platform to establish a new standard for efficient and gentle delivery of large cargos to a broad range of cells.

“A continuous, high-throughput, scalable, cell agnostic, non-viral transfection technology with the ability to efficiently deliver large cargos not only pushes the frontiers of cellular engineering for scientific discovery, but it has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of existing therapies in the market. I am excited to support the Opencell team in bringing this groundbreaking technology to the market,” said Dr. Mahdavi.

About Opencell Technologies

Opencell Technologies™ is a leading innovative company developing a cutting-edge, continuous, scalable, non-viral, cell agnostic soft-poration transfection technology. Our breakthrough platform enables efficient continuous delivery of large cargos into challenging cell types, expanding the frontiers of cell engineering in Biopharma and Cell & Gene Therapy. With precise control at the single-cell level and high throughput, our OpenCell™ technology drives scientific discovery and enhances the effectiveness, affordability, and scalability of the current cellular therapies. We empower researchers and clinicians to achieve remarkable advancements in biomedical science and clinical practice.