Olena Tokareva, PhD

• Direct discovery strategies utilizing proprietary, in-house developed mRNA display, phage display, and molecular glue platforms to deliver quality hits across five concurrent peptide therapeutic discovery programs focusing on oncology indications. • Lead the integration of data science methodologies, including machine learning and large language models, with mRNA display platform to discover best-in-class peptide-based modalities optimized for oral and subcutaneous delivery. • Lead the target nomination process in close collaboration with cross-functional teams and executive stakeholders, setting scientific direction and defining strategic priorities for early-stage discovery initiatives • Oversee the mechanism of action and selectivity studies of lead compounds, driving the design and progression of next-generation therapeutic candidates. • Establish and manage external partnerships with CROs to execute pharmacokinetic studies and expand preclinical capabilities for novel peptide-based modalities. • Advance academic collaborations to support platform development and innovation, ensuring scientific rigor and alignment with broader organizational objectives. • Continue to lead and mentor the Hit Discovery Team, fostering a culture of innovation, scientific excellence, and high performance aligned with Parabilis goals. Emphasize professional development, collaborative team dynamics, and achievement of strategic goals. Team members are consistently recognized for their contributions and promoted to higher-level roles. • Serve in Parabilis-wide leadership roles, including Chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee, Core Team Member on Mosaic initiative, and Cultural Ambassador, contributing to corporate governance, cross-functional integration, and Parabilis company culture.

As a hit discovery platform lead I provide strategic leadership in developing first-in-class peptide therapeutics spanning from hit identification to lead optimization and beyond. I drive innovation by integrating novel capabilities such as mRNA display, molecular glues, and high-throughput phage display into our hit discovery platform. I lead execution of multiple tough target programs in close collaboration with internal and external teams. I build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external (CRO) teams, functional area leaders, and key stakeholders to drive programs to completion I stay on top of industry trends and emerging technologies ensuring that our approaches remain at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement. I recrute, develop, and retain top-tier talent to drive new capabilities, accelerate hit discovery, and streamline hit-to-lead optimization processes. I manage and mentor four direct reports and two Co-Ops. My group has minimal turnover rate. I author scientific papers and publications, showcasing our groundbreaking research and discoveries. Check my most recent publications: • Trimerizers (aka Molecular Glue) paper https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42395-z • Mirror-image paper with MIT https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-45634-z • Platform paper (De novo discovery of α-helical peptides) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36534810/ I foster collaborative company culture, championing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and promote healthy workplace environment.

Lead HT Display Screening platform to discover novel peptide inhibitors to "undruggable" disease targets across multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology and immuno-oncology. • Establish early-stage drug discovery programs from production of custom phage libraries, screening strategies, next generation sequencing, initial hit validation to identify therapeutic peptide inhibitors, targeted protein degraders, and molecular-glue-type degraders • Develop and align cross-functional teams (i.e., timelines, budget, resource plans, risk assessment, and milestones,) and internal stakeholders • Manage outsourced resources, establish and maintain excellent working relationships with external providers • Identify, onboard, and implement in-house NGS library preparation workflows and launch in-house sequencing • Establish an automated high-throughput screening workflow to simultaneously screen up to 24 unrelated targets with phage display peptide libraries (10^9) • Design and oversight the execution of complex screening strategies to generate high-affinity and high-specificity binders from phage display libraries after a single round of panning • Evaluate and onboard new screening methods and technologies to expand the platform’s capabilities • Serve as a molecular biology expert to design, clone, and produce custom phage/phagemid libraries and address any molecular biology questions • Develop and mentor research associates and PhD-level scientists • Excellent communicator and collaborator that thrives by working on the cross-functional and multi-disciplinary teams • Efficiently manage projects and resources to meet strategic deadlines and maximize overall impact • Build a team culture that embraces cultural diversity, professional development, scientific excellence to boost team’s ability to discover novel biotherapeutics

Protein Engineering, Evolution, and Assay Development: • Development and optimization of cell growth, transfection efficiency, and viral infection in Sf9 / baculovirus production systems • Design, development, and optimization of toxin display and selective bio-panning approaches to identify insecticidal toxins with unexposed modes of action (T7 phage biology, phage display, insect cell culture, baculovirus infection, microscopy) • Advancement, implementation, and troubleshooting of the phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE) technology to evolve novel protein-protein interactions and discover new modes of action to control insecticidal resistance in engineered crops (methods of continuous evolution, M13 phage molecular biology, host cell development and optimization, process development, automation, qPCR) • Development and optimization of nucleic acid cloning strategies using Gibson assembly and site-specific recombination (PCRs, DPNI, hot fusion ligation, Sanger sequencing, NGS) • Design and validation of ligand-binding and cell-based reporter assays to measure outcomes of protein evolution by quantifying the strength of the evolved interactions and validating biological functions • Oversight and mentorship of BS/MS level scientists • Management of the license and research-collaboration agreements with academic partners • Author scientific reports, presentations, SOPs, technology transfer documents, and monthly summaries • Serve as Site ESH Lead: Develop, implement, and manage Environmental Safety and Health (ESH) programs, compliance plans, and initiatives • Establish effective relationships with the site management, safety committee leads, global ESH lead, and site employees • Lead Employee Safety Committee: organize, conduct, and follow-up on the regular operations meetings to review workplace safety, environmental safety and regulatory concerns on site

My research projects have focused on evolving novel protein-protein interactions and discovering new modes of action to control insecticide resistance in engineered crops by using phage assisted continuous evolution (PACE) and toxin display. I have being also responsible for the development of robust and reliable ligand binding and cell based assays suitable for detection and quantification of the evolved receptor - ligand interactions. Finally, I have being focusing on unraveling sequence-structure-function relationships in engineered toxins. Key Responsibilities: • Development, utilization, and optimization of toxin display and selective biopanning approaches to identify insecticidal toxins with unexposed modes of action (T7 phage biology, phage display, insect cell culture, baculovirus infection, microscopy) • Advancement, implementation, and troubleshooting of all aspects of the phage-assisted continuous evolution to evolve novel protein-protein interactions and discover new modes of action to control insecticidal resistance in engineered crops (methods of continuous evolution, M13 phage molecular biology, host cell development and optimization, process development, automation, qPCR) • Development and optimization of nucleic acid cloning strategies using Gibson assembly and site-specific recombination (PCRs, DPNI, hot fusion ligation, Sanger sequencing, NGS) • Design and validation of the ligand-binding and cell-based reporter assays to measure outcomes of protein evolution by quantifying the strength of the evolved interactions and validating biological functions Collaboration Manager/Coordinator (part-time) • Work with academic partners to achieve mutual goals in the alliance • Manage contractual obligations, such as milestone payments • Track progress, manage meetings, prepare necessary documentation to support the alliance • Build trust and a positive business relationship

As an NRSA post-doctoral fellow, I held a joint appointment at the Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics at MIT and in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University, where I integrated molecular biology, protein engineering, gene delivery, and in silico modeling to develop versatile models to design novel biomaterials with predictable functions. Key Responsibilities: • Integrated experimental design processes with computational modeling and simulation to develop a systematic approach to the preparation of non-viral silk-based gene delivery systems • Investigated the role of block length, composition, and amino acid sequences on the fiber formation properties in spider silk block copolymers • Managed PhD-level and MS-level candidates as direct reports • Designed, mentored, and supervised multi-level student research projects • Served as a senior thesis research mentor and a Master of Engineering project research advisor

The goal of the proposed study was to integrate experimental and modeling for the design and implementation of polymeric, nonviral, gene delivery systems. Nonviral gene delivery systems that are efficient and targeted are needed to improve delivery and to avoid the complications with current delivery systems (both nonviral and viral). It was hypothesized that by using an integrated experimental- computational- approach, a new strategy to guide the preparation and assessment of efficient gene delivery systems can be achieved. I genetically designed tetra-block protein polymers based on spider silk systems to provide specific control of particle size, binding kinetics, and cell targeting. Integrated multiscale modeling and bioengineering approaches were used to guide and accelerate the design process. The unique features of this approach are the highly tailored features controlled via genetic blueprints and the integration of computational predictions to provide iterative feedback to refine the experimental designs (and thus the efficacy) of gene delivery. Key Responsibilities: • Designed and prepared libraries of spider silk gene delivery systems (classical restriction and modifying enzymes, PCR, protein expression and purification techniques, gel retardation assays, pico-green detection, mammalian cell culture) • Evaluated spider silk gene delivery systems for cell-specific and intracellular targeting (hMSCs isolation and expansion, transfection, cytotoxicity tests, fluorescence and confocal microscopy, DLS and Zeta-potential measurements, SEM, gene tracking and expression assays) • Designed, produced, and characterized spider silk block copolymers (cloning, large-scale fermentation, protein purification, AFM, SEM, DLS) • Designed, organized, and conducted a graduate-level laboratory course on advanced recombinant DNA technology, managed an online course page and supervised course co-instructors and a teaching assistant

• Designed and produced a novel family of bioinspired recombinant spider silk block copolymers for use in the fields of biomedical engineering and material science (molecular biology techniques, MALDI-TOF, PAGE, Western blotting, and ELISA) • Genetically engineered and expressed a variety of spider silk/mineralization domain fusion proteins (R5, DMP1, Ti, Fe, Ag-binding sequences) to study bone and tooth regeneration • Determined trends in the silk block copolymer structure and assembly behaviors as a function of the number of hydrophobic blocks, the presence of purification tags and solvent environment (FTIR, CD, AFM, SEM, cryo-TEM, UV-vis, DSC, and DLS) • Explored the role of poly-Ala block distribution on β-sheet formation in a systematic fashion using FTIR and WAXS • Identified and constructed multifunctional peptide-based affinity tags against natural and artificial surfaces for biomedical applications using the phage display technique and recombinant DNA technology (TOPO, TA, and gateway cloning) • Assessed relationships between collagen type I structure and sensitivity to UV radiation with a focus on changes in primary structure, conformation, microstructure, and material properties utilizing PAGE, FTIR, and AFM • Performed structure-morphology-function analysis of complex natural and bioengineered materials using bioinformatics tools, such as ExPassy, GenBank, NCBI, HPRD, Bind, and SwissPort

1) Rabotyagova, O.S.: Cebe, P.; Kaplan, D. L., Protein-based hybrid block copolymers: synthesis, structure, and applications. Biomacromolecules 12(2):269-89 (2011). 2) Rabotyagova, O.; Cebe, P.; Kaplan, D. L., Role of polyalanine domains in ß-sheet formation in spider silk block copolymers. Journal of Macromolecular Bioscience 2010, 10 (1), 49-59. 3) Rabotyagova, O.; Cebe, P.; Kaplan, D. L., Self-assembly of genetically engineered spider silk block copolymers. Biomacromolecules 2009, 10 (2), 229–236. 4) Rabotyagova, O.S.; Cebe, P.; Kaplan, D. L., Collagen structural hierarchy and susceptibility to degradation by ultraviolet radiation. Materials Science and Engineering: C 2008, 28, 1420–1429. 5) Kluge, J. A.; Rabotyagova, O.; Leisk, G. G.; Kaplan, D. L., Spider silks and their applications. Trends in Biotechnology 2008, 26 (5), 244-251.