Paris, France, October 2025 — Astraveus SAS, the Benchtop Cell Factory™ company, has announced the appointments of Didier Masson as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Ken Kotz, Ph.D. as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). These leadership additions mark another milestone in the company’s growth trajectory, following the earlier appointments of Jean-Paul Mangeolle, David Newble, and Laurence Riot Lamotte earlier this year.
Didier Masson brings over 20 years of operational experience spanning pharma, biotech, and medtech, most recently serving as COO at Quantoom Biosciences. At Astraveus, he will lead the scaling of the company’s Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory™, driving manufacturing excellence and developing robust, cross-functional systems for sustainable growth.
“I see a tremendous opportunity to contribute to the growth of Astraveus by optimizing operations, building scalable systems, and promoting collaboration across teams,” said Didier Masson. “The company’s mission and innovative approach truly resonate with me, and I look forward to driving operational excellence to support its ambitious goals.”
Ken Kotz, Ph.D. joins Astraveus with more than 20 years of technical leadership across life sciences, specializing in microfluidic bioprocessing, product development, and cell therapy manufacturing. Formerly Director Process Development at bluebird bio, where he helped commercialize Lyfgenia™, Kotz brings deep expertise in autologous cell therapy and next-generation bioprocess innovation.
“Astraveus’ closed, automated, and truly end-to-end approach to cell therapy manufacturing has the potential to transform the autologous cell and gene therapy landscape,” said Ken Kotz, Ph.D. “I am deeply passionate about helping expand access to these transformative medicines for patients in need.”
Jérémie Laurent, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Astraveus, welcomed the appointments, stating:
“Didier and Ken both bring exceptional and varied qualities to our leadership team and will play pivotal roles as we progress the development of our Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory™. Attracting this level of talent is testament to our ambition and commitment to making groundbreaking treatments accessible to everyone in need.”
These strategic hires reflect Astraveus’ ongoing mission to revolutionize cell therapy manufacturing, advancing innovation through its Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory™ — a closed, automated, microfluidic platform delivering scalable, cost-efficient, and high-quality bioprocessing capabilities.
About Astraveus
Astraveus is a Paris-based life science company dedicated to scaling cell therapy manufacturing with unmatched quality and efficiency at a fraction of traditional costs. Its proprietary Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory™ leverages microfluidic technology to enable enhanced process optimization and scalability from pre-clinical to commercial manufacturing. Founded in 2016 by Jérémie Laurent at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, Astraveus is committed to democratizing access to life-saving therapies through bioprocessing innovation.
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