Work published in the field's leading journals
Lancet, Science Immunology and Immunity, among 30+ peer-reviewed papers spanning mechanistic immunology and translational science.
BioResolv Solutions — Independent consulting
Helping clients turn mechanistic complexity into translational clarity.
Senior immunology and translational leadership for biologics, antibody and advanced modality programs — from target validation through IND-enabling studies to first-in-human.
Who I am
A senior immunologist and translational program leader on your side of the table.
I am Martin Kolev and I hold a PhD in Immunology. I have 13+ years of experience in academic research (Aarhus University, Cardiff University, King's College London, NHLBI, NIH) and have led multiple successfully completed research projects. Over eight-plus years in industry at Apellis Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline, I have led cross-functional and externalised workstreams spanning biology, CMC, toxicology, regulatory and clinical. I deliver decision-ready data packages and align teams around scientific strategy and execution.
My primary expertise lies in the complement system and immunology, and I have worked on multiple autoimmune IgG- or T cell–driven diseases as well as cancer.
I am platform agnostic, having led multiple antibody, small molecule and base editing drug discovery programs from target validation to toxicology or Phase 1.
Whether you are advancing a novel modality toward Phase 1 readiness or deciding what not to advance, I bring scientific depth, operational rigour and platform-level thinking.
See my background8+
Years advancing biologics toward the clinic
30+
Peer-reviewed publications
3,700+
Citations across the literature
4
US patents as inventor
Services
Where I help programs move forward
I help teams accelerate progress, sharpen decisions, and move confidently toward first-in-human.
Drug discovery leadership
I help organizations define sharper biological strategies, build tighter screening cascades, and apply disciplined go/no-go criteria that keep antibody, gene therapy, and small-molecule programs advancing.
Translational biology & IND strategy
I help companies develop integrated pharmacology, translational, DMPK, and toxicology plans that produce evidence packages ready for regulators and investors. I also help troubleshoot experimental roadblocks so teams can resolve critical bottlenecks and progress faster toward candidate selection.
Regulatory preparation
I help teams strengthen their MHRA, FDA, PEI, and FAMHP interactions with clear non-clinical pharmacology documentation and scientific rationale from pre-submission through first-in-human.
Commercialization perspective
I help clients position assets for clinical success and market differentiation by combining scientific depth with commercial insight.
Cross-disease translational impact
I help organizations integrate pharmacology, biomarkers, and translational strategy across oncology, neurodegeneration, autoimmune disease, and rare immunological conditions to advance confidently into the clinic.
IP strategy & scientific communication
I help teams reinforce their IP with strong scientific rationale and deliver high-impact communication that aligns senior stakeholders and withstands scrutiny.
How I work
Rigorous science, clear decisions, no theatre.
- 01
Understand the mechanism
Every engagement starts with the biology. I get to the mechanistic heart of your program before any strategy is proposed.
- 02
Frame the decisions
I translate complexity into explicit go/no-go criteria, screening cascades and development plans your whole team can act on.
- 03
Deliver evidence
Decision-ready data packages — pharmacology, translational, DMPK, toxicology, CMC — built for regulators, partners and boards.
Background
Experience across big pharma, biotech and world-class research
Apellis Pharmaceuticals
Director / Associate Director, Complement Science
2021 – 2026
- Program lead for antibody discovery and base-editing gene therapy programs, from target validation through candidate selection into GLP toxicology.
- Drove cross-company governance for the Beam Therapeutics collaboration, alongside CMC and CDMO partners for tech transfer and pre-GMP readiness.
- Supported MHRA, FDA, PEI and FAMHP interactions and shaped early clinical strategy with KOLs and clinical development teams.
GlaxoSmithKline
Scientific Investigator, Adaptive Immunity
2018 – 2021
- Biology lead for an autoimmune antibody discovery program, delivering the pharmacology, translational and biomarker data behind a commit-to-first-in-human decision.
- Coordinated matrix partners across biology, CMC, DMPK, toxicology and clinical to deliver preclinical packages aligned with development milestones.
- Authored non-clinical pharmacology sections of the Investigator's Brochure and patent-supporting data.
King's College London & NIH/NHLBI
Senior Research Associate / Visiting Fellow
2012 – 2018
- Discovered and characterised intracellular complement — the "complosome" — establishing a new paradigm in immune cell regulation.
- Built the foundational mechanistic insight that later informed translational and drug discovery programs.
- Recognised with competitive awards including the NHLBI Orloff Science Award.
PhD in Immunology, Cardiff University · BSc & MSc in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Sofia University
Track record
Proof, not promises
Inventor on 4 US patents
Covering complement functional assays, therapeutic programs and novel disease indications — with the scientific rationale to support ongoing filings.
NHLBI Orloff Science Award
Awarded at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for competitive, high-impact research contributions.
Program leadership
Advancing preclinical programs
Advanced 3 programs to candidate selection and GLP Tox. Advanced one program to the clinic.
Publications
A record of peer-reviewed science
34 publications spanning mechanistic immunology, complement biology and translational science — from the discovery of intracellular complement to complement therapeutics in the clinic.
- 01
Riella LV, Borges TJ, Rosales IA, Avillach CT, Palsson R, Hullekes F, Verhoeff R, Pomahac A, Chen JY, Santagata S, Giarraputo A, Smith RN, Le HN, Barth JA, Low SC, Getchell K, Curtis M, Perrin S, Kolev M, Bercovici S, Lindner MS, Ribas GT, Tanguturi VK, Bapat AC, Pattanayak V, Longchamp A, El-Khoury J, Duggan M, Shah S, Pierson R, Madsen JC, Fishman JA, Elias N, Colvin RB, Kawai T. Lancet. 2026 Sep 12;408(10559):1029-1040. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(26)01295-X. Epub 2026 Sep 3. PMID: 42692038.
- 02
Rosales IA, Farris AB, Goutaudier V, Sannier A, Fatima H, Trivin-Avillach C, Bagnasco S, Calabrese F, Clahsen van Groningen MC, Coley SM, Cozzi E, Hodo CL, Kolev M, Kozakowski N, Kwun J, Meier R, Nowak G, Oniscu GC, Riella LV, Rosenberg A, Sekulic M, Sykes M, Tatapudi V, Wu M, Mannon RB, Loupy A, Colvin RB, Mengel M, Drachenberg C, Bruneval P, Batal I; Banff Working Group for Xenotransplantation Pathology. Am J Transplant. 2026 Jul;26(7):1561-1576. doi: 10.1016/j.ajt.2026.04.011. Epub 2026 Apr 14. PMID: 41985627.
- 03
Silwal A, Reese B, Patel B, Li Y, Kolev MV, La-Beck NM, Karbowniczek MM, Markiewski MM. TP53 Codon 72 Polymorphism Impacts Macrophage Activation through Reactive Oxygen Species-Dependent Cell Signaling Alterations. J Immunol. 2024 Dec 15;213(12):1844-1857. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2400212. PMID: 39451031.
- 04
Niyonzima N, Rahman J, Kunz N, West EE, Freiwald T, Desai JV, Merle NS, Gidon A, Sporsheim B, Lionakis MS, Evensen K, Lindberg B, Skagen K, Skjelland M, Singh P, Haug M, Ruseva MM, Kolev M, Bibby J, Marshall O, O'Brien B, Deeks N, Afzali B, Clark RJ, Woodruff TM, Pryor M, Yang ZH, Remaley AT, Mollnes TE, Hewitt SM, Yan B, Kazemian M, Kiss MG, Binder CJ, Halvorsen B, Espevik T, Kemper C. Mitochondrial C5aR1 activity in macrophages controls IL-1β production underlying sterile inflammation. Sci Immunol. 2021 Dec 24;6(66):eabf2489. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abf2489. Epub 2021 Dec 24. PMID: 34932384.
- 05
Yan B, Freiwald T, Chauss D, Wang L, West E, Mirabelli C, Zhang CJ, Nichols EM, Malik N, Gregory R, Bantscheff M, Ghidelli-Disse S, Kolev M, Frum T, Spence JR, Sexton JZ, Alysandratos KD, Kotton DN, Pittaluga S, Bibby J, Niyonzima N, Olson MR, Kordasti S, Portilla D, Wobus CE, Laurence A, Lionakis MS, Kemper C, Afzali B, Kazemian M. SARS-CoV-2 drives JAK1/2-dependent local complement hyperactivation. Sci Immunol. 2021 Apr 7;6(58):eabg0833. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abg0833.
- 06
Kolev M*, West EE*, Kunz N, Chauss D, Moseman EA, Rahman J, Freiwald T, Balmer ML, Lötscher J, Dimeloe S, Rosser EC, Wedderburn LR, Mayer-Barber KD, Bohrer A, Lavender P, Cope A, Wang L, Kaplan MJ, Moutsopoulos NM, McGavern DM, Holland SM, Hess C, Kazemian M, Afzali B, Kemper C. Immunity. 2020 Mar 17;52(3):513-527.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2020.02.006.
- 07
Freeley S, Cardone J, Gunther SC, West EE, Reinheckel T, Watts C, Kemper C*, Kolev MV*+. Asparaginyl endopeptidase (Legumain) supports human Th1 induction via cathepsin L-mediated intracellular C3 activation. Front Immunol. 2018 Oct 24. doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.02449.
- 08
Jiménez-Reinoso A, Marin AV, Subias M, López-Lera A, Román-Ortiz E, Payne K, Ma CS, Arbore G, Kolev M, Freeley SJ, Kemper C, Tangye SG, Fernández-Malavé E, Rodríguez de Córdoba S, López-Trascasa M, Regueiro JR. Human plasma C3 is essential for the development of memory B, but not T, lymphocytes. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017 Nov 4. pii: S0091-6749(17)31730-X.
- 09
Freeley SJ, Popat RJ, Parmar K, Kolev M, Hunt BJ, Stover CM, Schwaeble W, Kemper C, Robson MG. Experimentally-induced anti-myeloperoxidase vasculitis does not require properdin, MASP-2 or bone marrow derived C5. J Pathol. 2016 May 28.
- 10
Kolev M*, Dimeloe S*, Le Friec G*, Navarini A, Arbore G, Povoleri GA, Fischer M, Belle R, Loeliger J, Develioglu L, Bantug GR, Watson J, Couzi L, Afzali B, Lavender P, Hess C, Kemper C. Complement Regulates Nutrient Influx and Metabolic Reprogramming during Th1 Cell Responses. Immunity. 2015 Jun 16;42(6):1033-47.
- 11
Liszewski MK*, Kolev M*, Le Friec G, Leung M, Bertram PG, Fara A, Subias M, Pickering MP, Drouet C, Meri S, Arstilla TP, Pekkarinen Ma M, Cope A, Reinheckel T, Rodriguez de Cordoba S, Afzali B, Atkinson JP, Kemper C. Intracellular complement activation sustains T cell homeostasis and mediates effector function. Immunity. 2013;39(6):1143-1157. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2013.10.018.
- 12
Tediose T*, Kolev M*, Sivasankar B, Brennan P, Morgan BP, Donev R. Interplay between REST and nucleolin transcription factors: a key mechanism in the overexpression of genes upon increased phosphorylation. Nucleic Acids Res. 2010. PMID: 20100803.
- 13
Kolev MV, Morgan BP, Ruseva MM, Donev RM. Targeting neural-restrictive silencer factor sensitizes tumor cells to antibody-based cancer immunotherapy in vitro via multiple mechanisms. J Immunol. 2010 Dec 15;184(11):6035-42.(Retracted by the authors due to inability to reproduce data generated by a co-author.)
- 14
Kolev MV*, Tediose T, Sivasankar B, Harris CL, Thome J, Morgan BP, Donev RM. Upregulating CD59: a new strategy for protection of neurons from complement-mediated degeneration. Pharmacogenomics J. 2010 Feb;10(1):12-9. Epub 2009.
- 15
Ruseva M, Kolev M, Dagnaes-Hansen F, Hansen SB, Takahashi K, Ezekowitz A, Thiel S, Jensenius JC, Gadjeva M. Mannan-binding lectin deficiency modulates the humoral immune response dependent on the genetic environment. Immunology. 2009;127(2):279-88.
- 16
Thiel S, Kolev M, Degn S, Steffensen R, Hansen AG, Ruseva M, Jensenius JC. Polymorphisms in mannan-binding lectin (MBL)-associated serine protease 2 affect stability, binding to MBL, and enzymatic activity. J Immunol. 2009;182(5):2939-47.
- 17
Roumenina LT, Ruseva MM, Zlatarova A, Ghai R, Kolev M, Olova N, Gadjeva M, Agrawal A, Bottazzi B, Mantovani A, Reid KB, Kishore U, Kojouharova MS. Interaction of C1q with IgG1, C-reactive protein and pentraxin 3: mutational studies using recombinant globular head modules of human C1q A, B, and C chains. Biochemistry. 2006;45(13):4093-104. PMID: 16566583.
- 18
Zlatarova AS, Rouseva M, Roumenina LT, Gadjeva M, Kolev M, Dobrev I, Olova N, Ghai R, Jensenius JC, Reid KB, Kishore U, Kojouharova MS. Existence of different but overlapping IgG- and IgM-binding sites on the globular domain of human C1q. Biochemistry. 2006;45(33):9979-88.
* shared first authorship · + corresponding author
View my full publication list on ResearchGateContact
Let's talk about your program
Whether you need a strategic review, interim program leadership or regulatory-ready scientific rationale — the first conversation is free.
Emailmartin@bioresolvsolutions.comPhone+44 7351 239995LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/martin-kolev
Based inLondon, United Kingdom