About Us - Syntropic Medical

Our team

Mark is co-founder and CEO of Syntropic Medical, bringing a strong technical background to the role. He studied Physics at the University of Galway, Ireland, where he gained expertise in both applied and biomedical physics. During his studies, he was awarded a research fellowship in the Translational Medical Device (TMD) Lab under Prof. Martin O’Halloran, now director of the Bioinnovate Fellowship. It was here that Mark became deeply involved in the medical device innovation ecosystem, working with companies like Luminate Medical and Endowave. He later led important projects in the lab, including the development of a novel imaging system for lung ablation procedures.

For his contributions at the TMD Lab, Mark was recognized as one of Ireland’s Leading Innovative Engineers and represented the University of Galway internationally. After completing his studies, he founded his first venture-backed company, focused on developing a neurovascular stimulation device for stroke recovery—an experience that proved invaluable in shaping Syntropic Medical into what it is today. Beyond his work at Syntropic, Mark is also highly active in the volunteering and innovation space with his director role at Sigma Squared Society.

Alessandro is co-founder and Head of Research of Syntropic Medical, where he spearheads research advancements, drawing on his extensive experience in Neurophysiology.

He studied Biomedicine at the University of Pavia (Italy) and during his thesis, he performed electrophysiology and neuronal network modeling in the vestibular system. Afterward, he obtained a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology at the University of Pavia working on the role of microglia in the central auditory pathway. He then moved to the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), in the group of Prof. Siegert as a research scientist. At ISTA he is applying advanced imaging and electrophysiology techniques to study how microglia interact with neurons in healthy and pathological conditions. His study about microglia response to ketamine and pulsed light was selected by the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) as one of the 100 hot topics in neuroscience 2019. He was a visiting scientist at Femtonics/Hungarian Academy of Science (Budapest, Hungary) and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (Cambridge, USA).

In 2023 he co-founded Syntropic Medical, where he is the Head of Research.

Jack O’Keeffe is co-founder and CTO of Syntropic Medical. With a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from University College Dublin and a demonstrated history working with medical devices at leading global companies such as Baxter and Johnson & Johnson, Jack brings specialist knowledge and industry experience in product development and design control to the team. Jack began his career at Baxter International through the Technical Development Programme, a leadership programme designed to provide selected graduates with a solid career foundation and help shape them into future technical leaders in MedTech R&D. With a broad exposure to global teams through rotational assignments, this experience introduced him to a variety of R&D roles across multiple product teams, providing him with strong fundamentals in medical device development and strengthening his technical leadership skills. During his time at Baxter, Jack led multiple key R&D projects and played a pivotal role in driving innovation within the company. In addition to his industry experience, Jack participated in the Novo Nordisk Foundation Fellowship Programme for Biomedical Design, where he collaborated with top physicians to identify and address real-world medical challenges in neurology and neurosurgery. As a result, his hands-on experience in needs-led innovation and development strategy has been instrumental in shaping Syntropic Medical’s approach to product development.

Dr. Sandra Siegert, co-founder and Scientific Advisor at Syntropic Medical, is a trained biologist studying how microglia influence brain function. She received her Diplom at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, in 2005 and her Ph.D. in Neurobiology at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) in Basel, Switzerland, in 2010 in vision processing in the retina. She was awarded an HFSP and SNSF fellowship to perform her postdoctoral work at MIT, where she revealed new insights into the underlying mechanisms causing schizophrenia. In 2015, she returned to Europe, joined ISTA as an independent Assistant Professor with an ERC starting grant, and received tenure in 2023. During the course of her career path, she has been involved in innovative technology development, which resulted in two patent applications, one with Novartis during her PhD and one at ISTA for the discovery of the 60-Hz reduces perineuronal nets, which lock the brain in a functional state. To explore the potential of this non-invasive light therapy as a treatment for mental health challenges and as an ERC PoC awardee, she co-founded the start-up Syntropic Medical GmbH in 2023.

Maria Teresa is a Neuroscientist and science advocate, bringing 20+ years of global experience in brain research to Syntropic Medical in her role of Clinical Development Lead. She holds a Master’s in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Cagliari (Italy) and a PhD in Pharmacology and Therapeutics from McGill University (Canada). As a postdoc and group leader she worked at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) in the group of prof Nitsch, where aducanumab, the first FDA-approved disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s was discovered.

In 2016, she co-founded the ‘Women’s Brain Project’ (WBP) a non-profit exploring the impact of sex and gender on brain and mental health for precision medicine, where she served as Chief Scientific Officer. Maria Teresa has a passion for bridging innovation to patients needs, and her dedication to scientific communication is evident through multiple keynote lectures, media appearances, TED-x talks, and two authored books for the lay public.

Maria Teresa is a well known expert in neuroimmune interactions and sex and gender differences in brain disorders. She is faculty member of the Certificate for Advanced Studies (CAS) in Gender Medicine at the University of Zurich, an affiliated researcher at the Center of Alzheimer Research (CAR) at Karolinska, an External Teacher (Privat Dozent) at the Medical University in Vienna and a Fellow of The European Academy of Neurology (FEAN).

Amin is a Research and Development Engineer at Syntropic, with a background in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran.

With over six years of experience in deep learning, signal processing, systems neuroscience, software development, and hardware prototyping, he enjoys diving into new technologies and tackling complex challenges. During his studies, Amin researched the effects of 40Hz flickering light on both healthy individuals and Alzheimer’s Disease patients, using EEG, fMRI and signal processing techniques. As a strong advocate for open-source software, Amin actively contributes to various open-source projects. Amin is responsible for designing, implementing, and deploying a cohesive hardware, software, data, and AI infrastructure for Syntropic.

Friederike is a Scientist and currently Biomedical Researcher at Syntropic. She joined the team, bringing with her a strong background in academic accomplishments and publications. She studied in Germany at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and LMU Munich and Israel (Technion, Haifa) and completed her PhD in molecular biology at the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna. Her research focused on the mechanisms of translational regulation at different stages of life and cellular development. Frieda’s research journey ranges from exploring the interactions of single molecules to understanding their impact on whole organisms. After completing her Ph.D., Frieda was eager to explore a new area of research while applying the skills she had acquired during her academic journey. This led her to join Syntropic in the summer of 2024.

Francesca is a Medical Doctor and Entrepreneur. At Syntropic Francesca collaborates closely with the CEO, driving business development and managing the company’s daily operations. Leveraging her medical background, she engages with key stakeholders to understand their needs and develop a strong market understanding. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Padua, Italy, and gained a dynamic blend of experiences that span medical research (Airlangga University), venture capital (Nina Capital), start-ups (DUB Therapeutics), and health policy (School of Politics) across different countries and institutional settings. She is actively involved in several prominent networks, including the High-Impact Medicine community, the Healthcare Leadership Academy, and Nucleate, the world’s largest global community of bio-innovators. This unique skills-set empowers her to play a crucial role in driving Syntropic’s successful market entry and adoption.

Federica Montrone is a Medical Device Engineer at Syntropic Medical GmbH. She previously held the position of Product Engineer at WISE SpA, a biomedical company specialising in stretchable electrodes for neuromodulation. At WISE, she was instrumental in developing a patented device and method for electrotherapy, contributing to its design, testing, and regulatory processes. She also played a key role in risk assessment, preclinical testing, and the development of a prototype device from the research stage to in vivo demonstration. Federica holds a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, graduating summa cum laude, with research conducted at the University of Basel. Her master’s thesis work on cardiac tissue engineering contributed to multiple publications and earned her a national award for best innovative master thesis, along with other national honors.

Board of Advisors

Dr. Leigh Charvet is a professor of neurology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and directs the tDCS program at NYU Langone Health. With nearly 30 years of experience in clinical neuropsychology, she has led advancements in improving the quality of life for patients with chronic neurological and psychiatric conditions through innovative technologies. She pioneered the home-based use of noninvasive brain stimulation, developing a system for remotely supervised tDCS (RS-tDCS). With over 10 years of experience using this home-based delivery, she has led investigations to advance the clinical applications of stimulation, including the treatment of depression and other psychiatric disorders, and support for cognitive, motor, and speech recovery in neurological conditions. In 2019, she established the first tDCS telehealth program in the U.S. at NYU Langone Health, expanding access to this treatment. Before joining NYU, Dr. Charvet worked in neurology at Stony Brook Medicine and in the CNS division at Johnson & Johnson. She earned her doctorate from Vanderbilt University.

Fionn Lahart is the co-founder and CEO of LUMA Vision, a MedTech company that is pioneering a state-of-the-art cardiac navigation and imaging platform that harnesses advanced digital imaging and deep learning to deliver unprecedented data at the point of therapy. This innovation promises to transform the treatment of heart rhythm disorders and structural heart disease, potentially benefiting millions of patients worldwide.

With extensive experience in technical, commercial, and leadership roles, Fionn has spent twenty years at the vanguard of healthcare and innovation, holding positions at companies such as AltaScience, Vasorum, Yvolution, Nypro Healthcare, and FIRE1. As the CEO of LUMA Vision, Fionn has secured $50M in funding, led by top MedTech venture capital firms in Europe, and expanded and scaled the company to a global team of over 60 with bases in Dublin and Munich. Furthermore, Fionn serves on the Board of The Irish Medtech Association, the steering committee of Scale Ireland, is a Fellow at BioInnovate Ireland and was awarded the EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year in 2022.