About Salspera

Bringing hope to patients with terminal solid tumors

Salspera is a privately held and privately funded, small biopharma company focused on terminal solid tumor cancers.

A healthcare professional in a clinical setting

Our mission

Salspera's lead program, Saltikva®, provides patients and oncologists with a novel immunotherapeutic option for some of the most difficult-to-treat cancers. Our singular mission is to bring this promising therapeutic — and other pipeline candidates — to the patients who need them most.

We work with expert, professional consultants and advisors across the areas essential to advancing a new therapy, including clinical trial monitoring, regulatory affairs, and trial design.

At a glance

Privately held & privately funded biopharma · Focused on terminal solid tumor cancers · Lead program: Saltikva®, a microbial immunotherapy · Pipeline of additional immuno-modulating constructs in development.

Leadership

Guided by scientific and clinical expertise

Salspera's leadership pairs seasoned biotech operating and investment experience with the scientific vision that created Saltikva®.

Eddie Moradian, PhD

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Eddie Moradian is a co-founder of Salspera and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. A seasoned biotechnology executive, he has founded or co-founded 10 biotech companies over the past 30 years and is an experienced investor and operational chief executive of companies in the life-science research and early-stage drug development sectors, with extensive experience bringing advanced research and development to market.

Since 2004, Dr. Moradian has served as Chief Executive Officer of MD Biosciences Innovalora Ltd., a contract research organization serving early-stage biotechnology companies. He also serves as Chief Executive Officer of Morwell Holding AG and, since 2007, as a partner of MD Bioproducts GmbH and MD Doctors Direct GmbH. He has led Blossom Medical LLC as Chief Executive Officer since 2014, served as co-Chief Executive Officer of Incubology LLC since 2016, as Chief Executive Officer of Kahlo Sciences, LLC since 2020, and as a director of Prava MedTech LLC since 2024. He holds an M.Sc. in Biotechnology and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry/Biotechnology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zürich).

Daniel Saltzman, MD, PhD

Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer

Daniel Saltzman is a co-founder of Salspera and serves as its Chief Medical Officer, and was the originator of the company's technology platform. Dr. Saltzman is a Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery, and the A.S. Leonard Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he has practiced since 2000.

He is internationally recognized for his work in bacterial-based cancer therapy — the science underlying Saltikva® — holds 23 patents across 13 countries, and has authored more than 160 scientific publications. He earned his B.S., M.D., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota, completed his surgical residency at the University of Minnesota, and a fellowship in Pediatric Surgery at Arkansas Children's Hospital.

External Board Members

An experienced, independent Board of Directors

Salspera's independent directors bring decades of experience across gene- and cell-therapy science, life-science capital markets, and public-company governance.

David Schaffer, Ph.D.

Independent Director

Dr. David Schaffer is a globally recognized leader in biotechnology, gene therapy, and stem cell research. Since 1995, he has served as a professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Bioengineering, and Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2022, he was appointed Director of QB3, Bakar Labs, and the Bakar Fellows Program at UC Berkeley. Dr. Schaffer's pioneering research applies engineering principles to gene and stem cell therapies, including the development of advanced viral vectors. Technologies developed in his laboratory have been evaluated in over ten human clinical trials.

A prolific scientist and entrepreneur, Dr. Schaffer has authored over 250 scientific publications, holds more than 50 issued patents, and has co-founded several successful biotechnology companies, including 4D Molecular Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FDMT), Ignite Immunotherapies (acquired by Pfizer), and Rewrite (acquired by Intellia Therapeutics). He has been elected to both the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Schaffer brings significant public company expertise to Salspera, having previously served on the boards of uniQure Inc. and 4D Molecular Therapeutics. He earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Charles (Chuck) Garner

Independent Director

Charles Garner brings extensive financial leadership and deep expertise in public company financings to the Salspera Board of Directors. With a career spanning over two decades in life sciences and corporate finance, Mr. Garner recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Lung Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on novel therapies for orphan pulmonary and fibrosis indications. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Business Officer, and Treasurer for Recro Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: REPH), a specialty pharmaceutical company.

Mr. Garner's robust background includes providing strategic and financial advisory services as an independent consultant and serving as a director in the Merchant Banking Group of Burrill & Company, a global financial services firm focused on life sciences. Earlier in his career, he spent nearly a decade in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group of Deutsche Bank Securities, where he specialized in assisting life sciences companies with complex financing and advisory transactions. He began his career in the Business Assurance Group at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Garner holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with high distinction, concentrating in accounting and finance, from the University of Michigan.

Luisa Ingargiola

Independent Director

Luisa Ingargiola is a highly experienced executive and corporate governance expert with a distinguished track record of serving on public company boards. Currently, she serves as Chief Financial Officer of Avalon GloboCare Corp. (Nasdaq: ALBT), a publicly listed biotech healthcare company. Previously, she co-founded MagneGas Corporation, where she served as Chief Financial Officer for over a decade.

Ms. Ingargiola is a recognized leader in audit and financial oversight, currently serving as a board member and Audit Committee Chair for several public companies, including BioCorRx Inc., Vision Marine Technologies, Inc., Dragonfly Energy Holdings, and Fusion Fuel Green PLC. Her extensive board experience also includes previous roles with Xos, Inc., Progress Acquisition Corporation, Siyata Mobile, and AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. Ms. Ingargiola's comprehensive understanding of public company governance and financial strategy makes her an invaluable asset to the Salspera Board. She holds an M.B.A. in Health from the University of South Florida and a B.S. in Finance from Boston University.

Want to learn more about our work?

Reach out to our team to discuss Salspera, Saltikva®, and our developing pipeline.