MN-BRIDGE utilizes the expertise of several accomplished scientists and field professionals to consult on study modeling, create leading educational opportunity curriculum, and supply resources to advance therapies to patients with care.
Dr. Melanie Graham
Professor | Director, Preclinical Research Center | Contact PI, MN-BRIDGE
Dr. Graham is a Professor in the Department of Surgery and in Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota, and Director of the Preclinical Research Center, which serves as the central hub for MN-BRIDGE. She is an internationally recognized leader in translational regenerative medicine, specializing in nonhuman primate models that bridge discovery science and first-in-human clinical trials. Her work has enabled major advances in cell, gene, and immunotherapies by developing clinically realistic and mechanistically informative preclinical platforms. These include foundational contributions to long-term diabetes reversal using cell therapies, immune tolerance strategies that reduce reliance on systemic immunosuppression, and the development of bioengineered implantation sites that allow safe delivery, monitoring, and retrieval of therapeutic cells. As Director of the Preclinical Research Center, Dr. Graham has built a nationally unique translational environment that integrates refined animal care, advanced surgical and imaging techniques, and high-resolution immune and physiologic monitoring. These approaches improve predictive accuracy, reduce variability, and allow researchers to generate more informative data with fewer animals. Dr. Graham also serves on national advisory committees shaping the future of nonhuman primate research and regulatory efficiency, and she is deeply committed to workforce development—training clinicians, scientists, and industry partners to advance regenerative medicine responsibly, rigorously, and efficiently.
Dr. Sab Ramachandran
Associate Professor | Co-PI MN-BRIDGE | Director, Primate Immunobiology Core
Dr. Ramachandran is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota and Director of the Primate Immunobiology Core (PIC), where he leads immune assessment and immune monitoring strategies that are critical for translating regenerative medicine therapies to the clinic. He is a translational immunologist with deep expertise in transplant tolerance, immune modulation, and immune monitoring in nonhuman primate models. Within MN-BRIDGE, Dr. Ramachandran is responsible for the development and deployment of GLP-ready immune assessments, including immune profiling, donor–recipient cross-matching, and mechanistic immune analyses that directly support IND-enabling studies. His team has played a pivotal role in supporting FDA-approved IND applications for cell and regenerative therapies, providing immune data required for regulatory confidence. Dr. Ramachandran also leads the comprehensive characterization of the naïve immune landscape using the MN-BRIDGE nonhuman primate resource. Leveraging state-of-the-art technologies—including spectral flow cytometry, single-cell transcriptome and TCR repertoire profiling, and spatial transcriptomics—this work establishes a foundational immune reference that enables accurate interpretation of therapeutic immune responses across regenerative medicine applications. In addition to his research leadership, Dr. Ramachandran supports MN-BRIDGE workforce development as a subject-matter expert, contributing to workshop design and providing consultation to investigators new to translational immunology and preclinical immune assessment.
Dr. Ben Langworthy
Assistant Professor | Biostatistics & Health Data Science
Dr. Langworthy is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Biostatistics & Health Data Science in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. He is a biostatistician with broad expertise spanning both observational and experimental research, with particular strengths in correlated data analysis, survival analysis, and causal inference. Within MN-BRIDGE, Dr. Langworthy provides statistical leadership across study design, data collection strategies, and data analysis, ensuring that preclinical studies are rigorously designed, appropriately powered, and analytically sound. His work supports the generation of high-quality, interpretable datasets that strengthen translational decision-making and reproducibility. Dr. Langworthy also contributes to MN-BRIDGE workforce development by supporting training programs and workshops, helping investigators and trainees apply modern statistical approaches to complex preclinical and translational research questions.
Dr. John Carney
Assistant Professor | Director, Experimental Surgical Services
Dr. Carney is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota and Director of Experimental Surgical Services (ESS). He brings extensive experience in large- and small-animal preclinical models, biomedical device testing, and GLP and IND-enabling studies. As a key collaborator within MN-BRIDGE, Dr. Carney supports the design and execution of complex preclinical studies, providing expertise in surgical modeling, device evaluation, and translational study operations. His work helps ensure that innovative therapies and technologies are tested under clinically realistic and regulatory-aligned conditions. Dr. Carney also plays an important role in workforce development, contributing as a subject-matter expert and trainer to MN-BRIDGE–supported educational programs and hands-on training initiatives.
Dr. Laura Stone
Research Services Director, Preclinical Research Center
Dr. Stone is the Research Services Director at the Preclinical Research Center at the University of Minnesota, with over a decade of experience supporting regenerative medicine research and in vitro applications. She leads the Research Services team, which facilitates high-quality sample collection, processing, and in-house laboratory workflows that underpin translational preclinical studies. Within MN-BRIDGE, Dr. Stone oversees management of the MN-BRIDGE biorepository, ensuring consistent handling, documentation, and access to critical nonhuman primate samples. She also leads the development of off-the-shelf research components, including validated assays, standardized protocols, and reporting templates that lower barriers to entry and accelerate regenerative medicine research. Through this work, Dr. Stone helps ensure that MN-BRIDGE resources are reliable, reproducible, and readily accessible---supporting efficient study initiation, data quality, and broad engagement across the regenerative medicine research community.
Dr. Partha Rangarajan
Immunologist & Quality Control Specialist, Primate Immunobiology Core
Dr. Rangarajan is an immunologist and quality control specialist in the Primate Immunobiology Core at the University of Minnesota. Working under the direction of Sabarinathan Ramachandran, he is responsible for the development, validation, and deployment of GLP-ready immunology resources that support MN-BRIDGE–enabled research. His work ensures that immune assays and analytical pipelines meet rigorous quality and reproducibility standards, providing reliable immune data for translational studies and IND-enabling applications. Through this role, Dr. Rangarajan helps translate complex immunologic measurements into standardized, regulatory-aligned resources that accelerate regenerative medicine research.
Dr. Hunter Oppler
Animal Services Director, Preclinical Research Center
Dr. Oppler is a veterinarian and the Animal Services Director at the Preclinical Research Center at the University of Minnesota, where he has worked since 2017. In this role, he provides leadership for animal care, welfare, and clinical operations that are foundational to MN-BRIDGE. He plays a central role in establishing and characterizing the MN-BRIDGE primate resource, supporting the generation of high-quality shared datasets, and ensuring the implementation of IACUC-approved protocols and study-specific procedures. His work integrates behavioral and veterinary expertise with research needs to support clinically realistic preclinical studies. Dr. Oppler is deeply committed to advancing best practices in animal welfare and clinical care, recognizing their essential role in producing reliable science. He is enthusiastic about the collaborations fostered through MN-BRIDGE and the opportunity to benefit human patients, train future scientists and clinicians, and honor the animals whose participation makes this research possible.
Jody Janecek
Operational Services Director, Preclinical Research Center
Jody Janecek is the Operational Services Director at the Preclinical Research Center at the University of Minnesota, bringing more than 20 years of experience in research operations, infrastructure management, and translational program support. She serves as a key driver of MN-BRIDGE’s operational strategy, ensuring that shared resources are accessible, efficient, and scalable. Jody oversees resource allocation, logistics, and operational coordination for MN-BRIDGE workforce training, the biorepository, and in vitro services. A central focus of her work is enabling investigators across the spectrum—from teams with modest budgets to fully resourced programs—to effectively leverage MN-BRIDGE tools and infrastructure to advance their research to the next stage. Through careful planning, protocol development, SOP oversight, and fiscal stewardship, Jody helps ensure that MN-BRIDGE resources are deployed equitably and strategically, lowering barriers to entry while maintaining the rigor and quality required for translational regenerative medicine research.
Luke Mutch
Scientific Protocol Implementation Director, Preclinical Research Center
Luke Mutch is the Scientific Protocol Implementation Director at the Preclinical Research Center at the University of Minnesota. With more than 20 years of experience working alongside Dr. Graham, he brings deep institutional knowledge and operational expertise to MN-BRIDGE. Luke provides study director oversight for the MN-BRIDGE primate resource and plays a central role in clinical care, animal behavior, and colony management. He oversees surgical procedures, contributes to the development and review of standard operating procedures, and ensures accurate compilation and management of clinical study data. Within MN-BRIDGE, Luke supports the activation and implementation of study protocols and plays a key role in workforce development by leading facility tours and providing hands-on training during in-person intensive workshops. He is motivated by the collaborative nature of MN-BRIDGE and its mission to share knowledge, advance science, and support responsible, high-quality translational research.
Jade Wilder
Administrative and QA/QC Services Director, Preclinical Research Center
Jade Wilder has supported Dr. Graham and the Preclinical Research Center at the University of Minnesota since 2018. In her role, she provides programmatic and administrative support that helps connect MN-BRIDGE trainees, faculty, and collaborators with the resources they need to succeed. Jade plays an important role in supporting trainees as they build knowledge and skills in regenerative medicine and in sharing the MN-BRIDGE team’s work with the broader community through outreach and website communications. She is deeply motivated by MN-BRIDGE’s mission—to improve the lives of research animals, support the training of future scientists and clinicians, and accelerate therapies for patients who are waiting for new treatment options. Through her work, Jade helps ensure that the impact of MN-BRIDGE is visible, accessible, and grounded in its core values of care, collaboration, and translational progress.