# Massimiliano Paganelli

> Massimiliano “Max” Paganelli is the co-founder, president and CEO of Morphocell Technologies, which he has led since 2019. Born and raised in Rome, he moved to Belgium in 2008 and Canada in 2012. He and co-founder Claudia Raggi were named joint recipients of BIOTECanada’s 2026 Gold Leaf Award for Community Leadership (Research & Innovation).

- **Role:** Co-Founder, President & CEO at Morphocell Technologies
- **Organizations:** Morphocell Technologies, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Stem Cell Network
- **From:** Rome, Italy
- **Education:** Medical degree, Sapienza University of Rome, PhD in hepatology and cell therapy, Catholic University of Louvain
- **Known for:** Co-founded Morphocell Technologies in 2018., Led Morphocell through a Series A totaling US$50 million., Joint recipient of BIOTECanada’s 2026 Gold Leaf Award for Community Leadership (Research & Innovation).

## Career timeline

- **2008** — Moved from Italy to Belgium.
- **2012** — Moved to Canada.
- **2016** — Began the research project with Claudia Raggi that preceded Morphocell.
- **2018** — Co-founded Morphocell with Claudia Raggi and Margaret Bywater.
- **2019** — Began leading Morphocell as president and CEO.
- **2024** — Morphocell closed an initial US$40 million Series A led by Genson Capital.
- **2025** — Morphocell completed its US$50 million Series A.
- **2026** — Named joint recipient with Claudia Raggi of BIOTECanada’s Community Leadership Gold Leaf Award.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Morphocell Technologies in 2018.
- Led Morphocell through a Series A totaling US$50 million.
- Joint recipient of BIOTECanada’s 2026 Gold Leaf Award for Community Leadership (Research & Innovation).

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Named a joint recipient of the 2026 Gold Leaf Award with Claudia Raggi; announcement dated August 31.
- **2026-06** — Morphocell appointed Sandra Alves chief financial officer on June 11.
- **2026-05** — Morphocell announced its first laboratory outside Canada, in Irvine, on May 14.
- **2025-12** — Company announced completion of its US$50 million Series A on December 1.

## Links

- Website: https://www.morphocell.com/leadership
- LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/maxpaganelli/en
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/maxpaganelli

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/massimiliano-paganelli
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11