Ramani Ramchandran, PhD, President and Founder

Professor Ramani Ramchandran completed his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Augusta University. He undertook a research fellowship at Harvard Medical School from 1997 to 2002. In 2002, upon receipt of National Cancer Institute Scholar Award, he moved to National Institutes of Health (NIH) to start his first independent lab. He was recruited to the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in 2007 as an Associate Professor where he has risen through the academic ranks to the position of professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Research Institute.

He has had numerous leadership positions at MCW including the current position of the Director of the Medical Student Summer Research Program. He has published over 100 articles and is considered a leading expert on vascular biology. His research has been continuously funded from NIH since 2002. In 2023, Professor Ramchandran founded CIAN Inc., a company dedicated to developing ciliary proteins as a biomarker for altered blood flow. 

Walt Carney, PhD Business Advisor

Dr. Carney serves as the business advisor for CIAN, Inc. Dr Carney received his Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology with a concentration in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from Thomas Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia, PA. From 1978-1982 he was a Harvard and NIH Fellow in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA. In 1982, Dr Carney joined the DuPont Medical Products Department where he managed a research group focused on HIV and oncogenes. These efforts resulted in a series of patents for the ras and HER-2 oncoproteins.

Dr. Carney was the first to discover and patent the circulating extracellular domain of HER-2. Dr Carney served Oncogene Science as Vice President R&D and eventually became President of Oncogene Science Diagnostics. Dr Carney is the recipient of the Otto Bayer Medal from BHC for the discovery of the HER-2 protein and blood test. At Oncogene Science, Dr. Carney was responsible for R&D, GMP/ISO manufacturing, QMS and international commercialization of numerous blood-based and tissue-based biomarkers to guide targeted oncology therapies.

In addition to leading the team that obtained FDA clearance of serum HER-2 as a Class 2 IVD, Dr Carney was responsible for a new CPT code and has published over 250 articles and abstracts and has been awarded over 30 patents. Dr Carney has designed and implemented biomarker strategies for patient stratification and monitoring of a variety of personalized cancer therapies, including small molecule therapies, Mab-based immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors (Keytruda), anti-HER-2 therapies (Trastuzumab), or immunotherapies such as autologous T cells. During this time, Dr Carney has also advised start-up biotechnology companies on investor presentations, fundraising, and product positioning strategies. 

Nathan Ledeboer, PhD Diagnostic Lab Test Development Expert

Dr. Ledeboer received his Ph.D. Degree in Microbiology from the University of Iowa. Following two years of fellowship training in clinical and public health microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, MO, he joined the faculty of the Department of Pathology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI. 

He is currently a Professor and Vice Chair of Pathology and Medical Director of Microbiology, Molecular Diagnostics, reference services, and laboratory client services at Froedtert Hospital and Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories in Milwaukee, WI. 

His research endeavors, particularly in the area developing diagnostic tools for infectious diseases, have led to numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and more than 100 funded research projects. Dr. Ledeboer’s expertise is in the medical and technical oversight of the Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories where he oversees development and implementation of new assays. He will advise CIAN, Inc on all regulatory requirements to get the test ready for CLIA lab use. 

Strategic Advisors and Partners

Wilson Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati (WSGR)

represents CIAN, Inc in all negotiations associated with licensing IP, and IP portfolio management. For more than six decades. WSGR continues to represent market disruptive technology pioneers, and market creating technologies and companies.

Wisconsin Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC)

CIAN, Inc. has a consulting relationship with Ms. Mary Pangman Smith for market research and data projections, and Ms. Alia Carroll on finance and capital access, marketing and sales growth projections, and management and strategic planning. CIAN, Inc. is associated with several local Wisconsin ecosystem that support small business ventures.