https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team daily 0.75 2026-07-25 https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/chelsea-bahney-phd monthly 0.5 2026-07-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/9a8200c1-4c04-4d40-a06e-cba67a3459c5/Chelsea_edit.png Core Team - Chelsea Bahney, PhD - Chief Executive Officer | Regenerative Medicine Scientist Dr. Chelsea Bahney is CEO and Co-Founder of Hydronovo, where she leads the company's strategy and translational development to advance regenerative therapies from the laboratory to the clinic. She is also Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she directs the Laboratory of Regenerative Therapeutics and develops biomaterial-based technologies that harness the body's natural regenerative capacity. Over the past two decades, Dr. Bahney has built a career advancing regenerative technologies through the integration of engineering, biomaterials, and developmental biology. She has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, is an inventor on approximately 20 patents and patent applications, and has secured sustained funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to accelerate regenerative medicine toward patient care. At Hydronovo, Dr. Bahney is leading the company's therapeutic platform through IND-enabling development and toward first-in-human clinical studies. She oversees commercialization strategy and execution, including manufacturing scale-up, regulatory development, and achievement of key translational milestones. Before joining academia, Dr. Bahney spent five years as an R&D Engineer at Medtronic, where she helped develop and commercialize multiple medical technologies and became an inventor on several medical device patents. This unique combination of engineering, scientific innovation, and product development continues to guide Hydronovo's mission to bring transformative regenerative therapies to patients. https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/Blog Post Title One-3zaa9-zlxng-g2dxk-2h56m-pk4xc-8mgl9-lnayh-l8555-be8rf monthly 0.5 2026-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/af024ba3-8df9-4d43-8f6c-cca9327dd2a9/Sarah_edit.png Core Team - Sarah Knox, PhD - Chief Scientific Officer | Salivary Gland Biologist Dr. Sarah Knox, co-founder of Hydronovo and CSO, is a Professor in the Department of Cell and Tissue Biology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she has established herself as a pioneering researcher in salivary gland biology and regenerative medicine. With a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia, Dr. Knox has dedicated over two decades to understanding how peripheral nerves regulate epithelial organ development, regeneration, and repair. Her groundbreaking 2010 Science publication first revealed that parasympathetic innervation is essential for maintaining epithelial progenitor cells during salivary gland development through acetylcholine/muscarinic signaling pathways. Building on this foundational discovery, Dr. Knox's laboratory made the pivotal breakthrough that radiation-damaged salivary glands can be functionally regenerated using the muscarinic receptor agonist cevimeline delivered via a specialized hydrogel—research that directly led to the development of Hydronovo's therapeutic platform. Her innovative work has been recognized with a $2 million California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) grant and holds a patent for this regenerative approach, positioning Hydronovo to deliver the first-ever curative treatment for radiation-induced xerostomia. https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/Blog Post Title One-3zaa9-zlxng-g2dxk-2h56m-pk4xc-8mgl9-lnayh-l8555-be8rf-3ycb8-k5cpa monthly 0.5 2026-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/8c21ed0a-9980-40f6-9b8a-97477beffaa3/portrait_800+%28Tim%29.jpeg Core Team - Tim Bahney, PE - Chief Operating Officer As Chief Operating Officer and Principal Investigator at Hydronovo, Tim combines deep operational expertise with a builder's instinct for what it takes to bring a product to market. Over a 25-year career, he has led engineering and product development teams at early-stage companies in roles spanning VP of Engineering to CTO — earning a reputation for turning complex technical challenges into commercial realities. Today he channels that experience into Hydronovo's mission, overseeing both day-to-day operations and the company's SBIR-funded research program. https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/jill-konowich-md-phd monthly 0.5 2026-07-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/c08a9003-dda6-4bdd-aa71-83e0833de6af/Jill_Headshot.webp Core Team - Jill Konowich, MD, PhD - Medical Director Dr. Jill Konowich is an MD/PhD-trained radiation oncologist, healthcare innovation strategist, and biotech VC investor. Her career trajectory reflects a commitment to advancing oncology and immunology through both clinical care and strategic translation of scientific discoveries into impactful therapies. During her residency training at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, she specialized in radiation oncology with expertise spanning breast, CNS, GI/liver, and radiopharmaceuticals. During this time, she gained extensive experience in advanced treatment modalities while contributing to patient enrollment and monitoring in clinical trials. Her PhD training in Immunology, Infectious Disease, and Microbiology established her scientific foundation in understanding host-pathogen interactions and immune regulation. Since 2022, Dr. Konowich has operated Double DOC Consulting, LLC. Through this consultancy, she advises on healthcare investment opportunities, evaluates pre-clinical and early clinical trials (including GLP toxicology, Phase I and II design, grant applications, and SOPs), and consults on patient-level cases and treatment plans. As Director of Therapeutics and Innovation at Health Innovation Capital, she also led due diligence efforts across therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and AI in digital health. She developed expertise in evaluating scientific rationale, clinical data strength, regulatory strategy, and market potential. Working directly with early-stage founders, she provided strategic guidance on clinical trial design, indication selection, and clinical development pathways. Today, she serves as the medical director of clinical development for Hydronovo. Dr. Konowich is enthusiastic to contribute her unique perspective combining clinical oncology expertise, immunology research background, and strategic advisory experience. She is committed to advancing Hydronovo's regenerative therapeutic CVGN8 for radiation-induced xerostomia. https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/Blog Post Title One-3zaa9-zlxng-g2dxk-cmzlx-zrtay-mj4tm-4lgga-b92e8 monthly 0.5 2026-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/32a0c859-34a7-4051-8ef3-413f200cb19e/Eben.jpg Core Team - Eben Alsberg, PhD - Technical Founder Dr. Eben Alsberg is a Technical Founder at Hydronovo. He is a Richard and Loan Hill Chair and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), and a Research Health Scientist at the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He has over 25 years of experience developing technologies for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and disease therapeutics. He has co-authored >160 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, has ~30 patents issued or pending in the field of tissue engineering, and is a fellow of NAI, TERM, AIMBE, BMES and IAMBE. https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/Blog Post Title One-3zaa9-zlxng-g2dxk-cmzlx-zrtay-mj4tm-apt9l monthly 0.5 2026-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/ae1cf5a3-ae9f-4026-aa23-bda67d398b0b/Oju+Jeon.jpg Core Team - Oju Jeon, PhD - Technical Founder Dr. Oju Jeon, Technical Founder at Hydronovo, brings over 17 years of expertise in biomaterials and 3D bioprinting technology. He serves as Research Professor in the Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where his pioneering work focuses on developing advanced hydrogel-based biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Dr. Jeon has made significant contributions to the field by developing innovative scaffold-free bioprinting technologies and advanced hydrogel systems that enable high-resolution tissue engineering, bringing critical expertise in controlled drug delivery and photocrosslinkable biomaterials to Hydronovo's therapeutic platform. https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/Blog Post Title One-3zaa9-zlxng-g2dxk-2h56m-pk4xc-8mgl9-yhenf monthly 0.5 2026-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/ab981c56-8986-44ee-b98c-3ef3f23fe620/Vahid.jpg Core Team - Vahid Niknezhad, PhD - R&D Engineer Dr. Vahid Niknezhad serves as R&D Engineer at Hydronovo, bringing over 10 years of expertise in regenerative medicine and biotechnology. Currently a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Cell and Tissue Biology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), his research focuses on developing hydrogels for controlled drug release and targeted therapeutic interventions. Dr. Niknezhad is passionate about translating laboratory discoveries into clinical therapies for diseases involving craniofacial tissue damage, many of which remain poorly understood and lack effective treatment options. https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/Blog Post Title One-3zaa9-zlxng-g2dxk-2h56m-pk4xc-8mgl9-lnayh-z9tzz monthly 0.5 2026-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/34aa36a5-b674-436d-b20f-b2b728be0439/james.jpg Core Team - Oliver Hohman, MTM - Engineer Oliver Hohman serves as an Engineer at Hydronovo, where he tackles manufacturing and production challenges to advance the company's therapeutic development. His work focuses on materials research and hydrogel optimization to ensure robust, scalable production processes that meet stringent quality and safety standards. Outside the lab, Oliver is an avid gamer currently collaborating with his brother to develop an online game, and enjoys trail running in the mountains. https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/Blog Post Title One-3zaa9-zlxng-g2dxk-2h56m-l3258 monthly 0.5 2026-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/43b68e16-5004-4415-80f2-36d24a285ed3/Verena+Oberlohr_2.jpg Core Team - Verena Oberlohr - Project Manager Verena Oberlohr, Project Manager, brings a unique combination of clinical, operational, and research expertise to coordinate the company's development initiatives. With experience coordinating clinical trials and managing both clinical practices and public health programs at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), she provides critical oversight to ensure projects advance efficiently and in compliance with regulatory requirements. Her background as a Paramedic provides hands-on clinical perspective, while her experience as a Research Associate at University of Colorado has equipped her with translational and regulatory skills essential to orthopaedic and regenerative research. This multidisciplinary expertise enables Verena to bridge clinical realities with research objectives, facilitating effective communication across cross-functional teams and ensuring Hydronovo's therapeutic development remains grounded in patient-centered outcomes. https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/Blog Post Title One-3zaa9-zlxng-g2dxk-2h56m-l3258-cjhpe monthly 0.5 2026-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/43256f4e-7f4b-4c14-8666-7f0a32cca0cb/Tracy_Heashot.webp Core Team - Tracy Knight - Business Development Intern Tracy Knight is a fifth-year PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, San Francisco and will graduate this fall. Her research focuses on the role of inner nuclear membrane proteins in human skeletal muscle differentiation and maintenance. In parallel with her scientific training, she serves as a UCSF Catalyst Intern leading business development and commercialization activities. Passionate about translating scientific innovation into real-world impact, she is building expertise at the intersection of biotech research, strategy, and venture development. https://www.hydronovo.com/core-team/Blog Post Title One-3zaa9-zlxng-g2dxk-2h56m-l3258-c6d6c monthly 0.5 2026-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/5f5bafc6-ee28-44dd-a39f-fba656a21993/Peter_Headshot.jpeg Core Team - Peter Bertone - IND Intern Peter Bertone is a PhD candidate in Surgical Innovation at Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering, and the Co-founder and CEO of GyroGel Inc., a biomedical technology company developing a patient-specific bone graft substitute. Peter was trained in biomaterials, tissue engineering, physics, and translational strategies for medical devices. Peter brings experience bridging academic research, medical innovation, and commercialization, with expertise spanning preclinical development, regulatory strategy, and product translation. He also enjoys reading, backcountry skiing, camping, and water color painting. https://www.hydronovo.com/advisory-board daily 0.75 2026-07-25 https://www.hydronovo.com/advisory-board/Blog Post Title One-3zaa9-zlxng-545ez-h42wz monthly 0.5 2026-07-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/1bd6e3e7-6e59-4b54-994d-2c5b79e8707c/Nicole_Headshot.jpg Advisory Board - Nicole Ehrhart, VMD, MS - Endowed Professor & Director of the Center for Healthy Aging, Colorado State University Dr. Nicole Ehrhart, VMD, MS, Advisor and Nonclinical PI for Hydronovo, is the director of the Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging at Colorado State University, where she leads an interdisciplinary research effort to identify basic and translational mechanisms that promote healthy aging. Dr. Ehrhart holds the Ross M. Wilkins M.D. Limb Preservation Foundation University Chair in Musculoskeletal Oncology and Biology. She is a board-certified veterinary surgeon (Diplomate ACVS; ACVS Founding Fellow in Surgical Oncology), a professor of surgical oncology in the Dept. of Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and a research faculty member at CSU’s Flint Animal Cancer Center. In her research lab, the Laboratory of Comparative Musculoskeletal Oncology and Traumatology, Dr. Ehrhart conducts translational aging, limb preservation, tissue engineering, and sarcoma research, as well as bone and muscle regenerative medicine, to benefit both human and canine patients. Dr. Ehrhart holds joint faculty positions in the School of Biomedical Engineering, the Cell and Molecular Biology program, the Gates Regenerative Medicine Center at the University of Colorado, and The University of Colorado Cancer Center. In addition to her research, she has held several leadership positions in national and international organizations, such as the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Veterinary Society for Surgical Oncology (President), Veterinary Orthopedic Society (President) and Chair of the 2014 World Veterinary Orthopaedic Congress Committee. https://www.hydronovo.com/advisory-board/blog-post-title-two-t5my5-k4xmd-ec76w monthly 0.5 2026-07-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/4394feb0-aa93-40da-b7ed-00224d375f64/12.2013+photo+Lane_G.Urquiaga-3+copy.jpg Advisory Board - Nancy Lane, MD - Distinguished Professor of Medicine & Rheumatology, UC Davis Dr. Nancy E. Lane, MD is Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology at UC Davis Health, where she provides specialized care for patients with salivary-gland excretory deficiencies, including primary and secondary Sjögren's syndrome and other autoimmune causes of dry mouth. She earned her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco in 1980, completed residency training at UCSF/Mt. Zion, and fellowship training in rheumatology at Stanford University Medical Center and VA Hospital. Inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame for her contributions to medicine, Dr. Lane has served on the FDA Advisory Committee for Arthritis, Allergy, and Immunology and as an elected Advisory Board Member for Nature Reviews Rheumatology. Dr. Lane has led numerous early-phase clinical trials investigating new therapies for arthritis, osteoporosis, glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, and musculoskeletal aging. Her research focuses on understanding the etiology of osteoporosis in elderly populations, the role of muscle in osteoarthritis, and novel treatment approaches including nerve growth factor inhibition. As an author of the 2022 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Prevention and Treatment of Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis, her combined expertise in rheumatologic disease, bone metabolism, and autoimmune disorders informs her comprehensive approach to managing symptoms and improving outcomes for patients with salivary-gland dysfunction and systemic rheumatologic conditions. https://www.hydronovo.com/advisory-board/eric-bernabei-mba monthly 0.5 2026-07-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/e27e4bff-7734-48a6-a81f-f662183351d2/Eric_Headshot.jpeg Advisory Board - Eric Bernabei, MBA - Business Development Advisor & Board Member Eric Bernabei is a commercial and corporate development executive with 25+ years building and scaling healthcare ventures across gene therapy, pharma, diagnostics, and medical devices. As a multi-time CEO and C-suite operator, he has repeatedly taken companies from concept to revenue—growing a genomics diagnostics business from launch to over $90M in year one and more than $400M within three years, securing one of the earliest U.S. commercial EUAs in COVID testing, and driving a pathogen-detection startup from acquisition to commercialization in 24 months. His regulatory and capital-markets fluency spans FDA registrations, first-in-human study planning, and fundraising across Pre-seed to Series B, SPAC, and M&A transactions—including a merger that raised $40M in equity and debt. Having led global product launches and country-level P&Ls inside major multinationals such as Alcon—where he helped drive the worldwide launch of PanOptix and led a $400M surgical business in Japan—Eric pairs large-company operating discipline with founder-level agility across U.S., EMEA, and APAC markets. He currently serves as CEO of Glaive Medical Optics, where he is building the integrated IP, regulatory, and go-to-market strategy for an implantable vision-restoration platform targeting AMD and Stargardt's disease, and he holds board and advisory roles with PNDS Medical, Macuject, UCSF and is mentor to startups in the U.S. NSF AccelCorps program. The result is an operator who de-risks and builds value through the full arc of a venture—science to regulatory approval to commercial scale to exit. https://www.hydronovo.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-10 https://www.hydronovo.com/xerostomia daily 0.75 2026-02-09 https://www.hydronovo.com/contact-1 daily 0.75 2025-12-25 https://www.hydronovo.com/about daily 0.75 2026-01-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/848f8f6f-d0b5-4a85-ae81-6b9cd9bcd9de/GettyImages-1830136385.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/a92a48bf-133d-434b-9b0e-86c4d5f2b9bc/ASF-SBIR-NOAA-4c-01.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/91cddc44-ccc5-4ca7-8aed-a78901b3614e/NIH_Master_Logo_Vertical_2Color.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/79d79fce-7626-4863-b2d5-eb674be82327/logo-cirm-2_0.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/677eecfeefc93408b2d979fb/4607eeb6-1c4e-4fb4-84eb-54f6bbdd0d23/Screenshot+2026-01-08+at+5.47.54%E2%80%AFPM.png https://www.hydronovo.com/services daily 0.75 2026-01-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/294748f1-eac5-43e7-9f28-91ccf0dcc37b/imgg-demo-AbuF0fn3.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/f64d269d-6648-4fff-8ded-3294bd99b0c4/imgg-demo-ZRjbSa11.png