Our team

Matthew Bick, Ph.D. is the Chief Executive Officer of Accipiter Biosciences, bringing deep experience in computational design, therapeutic development, and team leadership.

Most recently, he served as Senior Director of Protein Sciences at Neoleukin Therapeutics, where he led a 13-person team responsible for producing and characterizing computationally designed protein therapeutics. Previously, at Lyell Immunopharma, Matthew was Senior Scientist of Protein Design, leading a focused team in developing novel protein components to enhance cellular therapies. His scientific foundation was shaped during a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. David Baker at the Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, where his research centered on engineering protein-based biosensors for environmental toxins.

Matthew holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics from The Rockefeller University and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Rochester.

Javier Castellanos, Ph.D. is  Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Accipiter Biosciences. At Accipiter, Javier leads the development of next-generation protein therapeutics powered by machine learning. He defined the company’s core technical vision and led its incorporation. He also built the company’s IT and high-performance computing infrastructure from the ground up and leads the computational protein design team, which has developed novel receptor agonists and antagonists for key therapeutic targets.

Prior to joining Accipiter, he was co-founder and CTO at Cyrus Biotechnology and served as Senior Director of Computational Protein Design at Neoleukin Therapeutics, where he contributed to pioneering work in de novo protein engineering.

He holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Chile and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Washington.

Hector Rincon-Arano, Ph.D. is Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Accipiter Biosciences. Hector leads the translation of Accipiter’s proprietary protein design technology into a robust preclinical pipeline. His work focuses on developing synergistic therapeutic strategies in immunology and oncology, particularly targeting mechanisms considered undruggable by conventional biologics.

Previously, Hector served as Senior Director of Cancer Biology and Immunology at Neoleukin Therapeutics, where he led immune-oncology research using de novo proteins. Prior to that, he held several leadership roles at Seagen, Inc., including Associate Director of Cancer Discovery Research, driving target validation and Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) programs from concept to IND-enabling stages.

Hector holds a B.S. in Biomedical Research (Immunology) and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (Epigenetics) from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He completed postdoctoral training in Epigenetics and Cancer Biology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

William J. Canestaro, Ph.D, M.Sc. serves as Chief Strategy Officer/Chief Operations Officer at Accipiter Biosciences, bringing deep expertise in life sciences investing, company building, and business development.

Prior to this role, he was Managing Director at WRF Capital, where he oversaw a portfolio of 30 life sciences venture investments, guiding companies through key stages of growth and commercialization.

He also served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Pioneer Square Labs, where he validated company-building ideas at the intersection of AI and the life sciences, and supported diligence efforts for early-stage investments. As VP of Business Development and Operations at Cyclera Therapeutics, William led the in-licensing of key IP assets, negotiated terms for foundational partnerships, and secured Seed financing from venture capital and angel investors to advance preclinical development.

William holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an M.Sc. from the University of Oxford, and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington.