THE TEAM

Our committed team is ready to help you develop your solutions into real world products.

MYPHUONG LE

President

MyPhuong obtained her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics and Translational Research from University of Florida. From her work at the University of Washington, Blue Heron Biotechnology, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, she has over 20 years of experience in the life science field, including drug and device development.  In addition to research projects, MyPhuong developed and managed the quality management system under ISO 13485 for medical devices for Microtek. MyPhuong enjoys DIY projects and woodworking.

myphuong.le@aquillius.com
(858) 533-7600

LEAH VILLEGAS

Vice President of Operations

Leah brings over 15 years of combined experience in early-stage drug and device development, life science research and business development. She has a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from University of Florida and an MBA, specializing in finance, from University of Colorado Denver. She has worked on research programs such as identification of therapeutic pathways for fungal lung infections at Mayo Clinic, and targeted drug delivery systems for cardiopulmonary diseases the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.  Leah enjoys hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, going to the San Diego Safari Park, and is an aspiring apiarist.

leah.villegas@aquillius.com
(858) 533-7700

MyPhuong Le

President

MyPhuong obtained her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics and Translational Research from University of Florida.  From her work at the University of Washington, Blue Heron Biotechnology, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, she has over 20 years of experience in the life science field, including drug and device development.  In addition to research projects, MyPhuong developed and managed the quality management system under ISO 13485 for medical devices for Microtek.  MyPhuong enjoys DIY projects and woodworking.

(858) 533-7600

Leah villegas

Vice President of Operations

Leah brings over 15 years of combined experience in early-stage drug and device development, life science research and business development.  She has a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from University of Florida and an MBA, specializing in finance, from University of Colorado Denver. She has worked on research programs such as identification of therapeutic pathways for fungal lung infections at Mayo Clinic, and targeted drug delivery systems for cardiopulmonary diseases the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.  In addition, she was involved with corporate finance and operations at Microtek, and venture capital analytics with Rockies Venture.  Leah enjoys hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, going to the San Diego Safari Park, and is an aspiring apiarist.

(858) 533-7700

Ji Hye chun

Program Associate

Ji Hye graduated from University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus with Masters in Modern Human Anatomy with research into cerebral vasculature and diminished cortical connectivity.  As a research technician at the Veterans Affairs, she also performed animal research investigating the mechanisms behind accelerated cardiovascular disease progression in diabetics and potential therapeutics in botanicals. ​ At Microtek, Ji Hye was a product development program manager and was involved in the assembly processes of biomedical microelectronics.  She believes in collaboration and goal-oriented cohesiveness to be the fundamental basis in achieving creativity and efficiency in a group. Ji Hye in her free time enjoys hiking and walking her cat.

(858) 533-7800

Juan Martinez

Program Associate

Juan obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. He also obtained his phlebotomy certification from Emily Griffith Technical College in Denver, CO and Medical Laboratory Technology certification from Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, CO. ​As a Professional Research Assistant at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Juan developed botanical-based peptide extracts as a potential therapy for pulmonary hypertension.  As a Production Engineer/QA at Microtek, he was involved in managing the quality and manufacturing of microelectronic medical devices.  Juan enjoys the outdoors, traveling, and gardening.

(858) 533-7900

Zachary Johnston

Project Associate

Zach graduated from San Diego State University with a B.S. in Biology. While there, he studied the evolution of carnivorous plants in the Renner Lab. A Cancer Sun, Libra Moon, and Aries Rising, he enjoys listening to NPR podcasts and was a big fan of Squid Game.  ​

(858) 533-8100

Elvis Garcia-Gonzalez

Project Associate

Elvis graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology from UC San Diego in 2022. He then became a Lab Operator for Microtek. An amateur basketball player in his free time, he's an ardent LA Lakers fan. #LakeShow​

(858) 533-8200