Our Team
We’ve built a team uniquely positioned to develop sustainable solutions to the petrochemical problem.
Meet our experts.
Ailis Tweed-Kent
CEO & Founder, Board Member
Dr. Ailis Tweed-Kent is an entrepreneur and leader in the development of innovative technologies. She is passionate about the intersection of health and the environment and brings a multidisciplinary approach with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, an M.D. at Harvard Medical School, and training in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2013, Ailis was inspired by her patients to found Cocoon to develop silk as a sustainable materials science platform. Prior to Cocoon, she worked on the design, development, and delivery of diagnostic technologies for global health collaborating with organizations such as the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. She was named to the Boston Business Journal’s 2017 Women to Watch in Science and Technology as well as the Boston MedTech’s 40 Under 40 Healthcare Innovators.
Peter Mitchell
Chief Scientific Officer
Peter Mitchell has been with Cocoon Biotech for over 6 years. In total he has over 30 years of experience in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, including 25 years in drug discovery and early clinical development with Pfizer and Eli Lilly. Peter has both a BSc. honors degree in biochemistry and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry and in addition has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. During his R&D career he has worked across scientific disciplines including analytical chemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, and biochemistry. Since leaving large pharma in 2016, Peter has not only worked with Cocoon Biotech but has also provided consulting services to companies ranging from biotech start-ups to large pharma. Peter has extensive pharmaceutical R&D experience both as a scientific leader and in senior management.
Scott Delisle
Senior Scientist
Scott Delisle has been with Cocoon Biotech for 8 years. He has a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Tufts University with an expertise in silk fibroin. He is an inventor on several key patents at Cocoon, and brings both an inquisitive and creative approach to his research. In addition to his engineering and research expertise, he holds an MFA in writing.
Annalisa Jenkins
Board Member
Dr. Annalisa Jenkins, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.P. is a life sciences thought leader with over 25 years of experience building and financing companies pursuing cures for the most challenging diseases globally. She has consistently mentored leadership teams advancing programs from basic research through clinical development, regulatory approval, and into healthcare systems globally. Dr Jenkins graduated in Medicine at the University of London and received her Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians London. She trained in Cardiovascular medicine and was a research fellow at Imperial College. Earlier in her career, Dr. Jenkins was a medical officer in the British Royal Navy during the Gulf Conflict, achieving the rank of Surgeon Lieutenant Commander. She also held senior leadership roles at Merck Serono, and Bristol Myers-Squibb over 15 years. Dr. Jenkins served as President and CEO of Dimension Therapeutics, a leading gene therapy company she took public on the NASDAQ and subsequently sold to Ultragenyx. Following her relocation back to the UK, she developed a portfolio of roles spanning the public, private and charitable sectors including Genomics England, The King's Fund, British Heart Foundation and Chair of YouBelong, a leading mental health care charity. She is also a Board member of several growing public and private companies including Oncimmune, AVROBIO, COMPASS Pathways, Affimed and Mereo Biopharma. Dr. Jenkins serves on a number of advisory boards and contributes publicly on leadership with purpose, social entrepreneurship, diversity and innovation.
Mary Thistle
Board Member
A biotechnology leader with 25+ year track record of creating shareholder value through strategy, business development, commercial and financial leadership. Ms. Thistle also serves on the Boards of Directors of Homology Medicines, Enterome, Alaunos Therapeutics, Entrada Therapeutics and Vigil Neuroscience. Until June 2022, Ms. Thistle was a Special Advisor for the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, where she previously held the role of Chief of Staff to the CEO. Prior to joining the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, Ms. Thistle was Chief Operating Officer of Dimension Therapeutics, where she directed multiple financing rounds (including the company’s IPO), expanded the pipeline through strategic business development transactions, and led the sale of the company for a significant premium. Previously, Ms. Thistle was Senior Vice President, Business Development at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for multiple acquisitions and assisted in the sale of the company. She has also held leadership positions at ViaCell and PerkinElmer. Ms. Thistle began her career in finance as a Certified Public Accountant, after graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business and accounting from the University of Massachusetts.
Charles Koppel
Board Member
Charles Koppel is an established entrepreneur who over a 30 year career has successfully started, bought, built and sold businesses across a range of industries from media, sports and entertainment to healthcare and natural resources, operating in diverse geographical regions including China, Europe, Latin America, Canada and the United States.
Charles has served as both Chairman and CEO of NASDAQ and TSX-v listed companies, is Chairman of a leading leisure and hospitality business, is a director and strategic advisor to a number of private health and wellness, leisure and FMCG companies both in Europe and North America, and is founder and CIO of a European based family office investment and advisory business.
Charles has a BSc in International Management & Finance and started his career at Merrill Lynch Europe.