Peter Yu, Ph.D.

I received my doctorate in Pharmacology and Toxicology from UC Irvine, where my thesis focused on the molecular mechanisms of neuropathic pain — specifically how the wound-healing process following nerve injury can activate voltage-gated calcium channels, driving aberrant synaptogenesis in the dorsal spinal horn and manifesting as allodynia or hyperalgesia long after the wound itself has healed. My research helped me appreciate the complexity of biological systems and how responses that are beneficial in one context can become the source of harm in another.

I began my industry career at Thermo Fisher Scientific, supporting cell biology researchers across the Bay Area and Pacific Northwest with ADME/Tox, gene editing, cell engineering services, and stem cell and neuroscience reagents, as well as GMP reagents for cell therapy manufacturing. It was here that I had my first exposure to cell and gene therapy, working alongside early developers of CAR-T and stem cell-derived therapeutics and developing an appreciation for the complexity of bringing these modalities from bench to clinic.

From Thermo Fisher, I moved to BioIVT, where I focused on biospecimen sourcing — including the procurement of primary cells as raw material for CGT programs. After BioIVT, I returned to the CGT space directly by joining PBS Biotech, where I led the introduction of vertical wheel bioreactor technology into new markets across Western North America, APAC, and Oceania, working closely with process development teams to help customers transition and scale their manufacturing processes.

Recognizing that some of the most significant bottlenecks in stem cell-derived therapies lie in the quality of iPSC starting material and the consistency of the manufacturing process, I joined Pluristyx as Director of Sales and Marketing. In that role I helped launch the company’s GMP RNA-reprogrammed iPSC lines as well as promote replacement of seed trains in favor of high density cryopreserved working cell banks in stem cell manufacturing processes.

Most recently, I served as Business Development Executive at ProBio CDMO, where I supported customers manufacturing drug substance and drug product across a range of modalities including lentiviral vectors, mRNA-LNP, and AAV, while also developing solutions for sponsors pursuing investigator-initiated trials in China.

After more than a decade working across every part of the CGT ecosystem, I hope to draw on my experience and understanding of the challenges therapy developers face at each stage of their journey and connect them with the expertise they need to move forward.

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UC Irvine

Ph.D., Pharmacology & Toxicology

UC San Diego

B.S., Physiology & Neuroscience