Port Hueneme immunotherapy developer Stellar Biotechnologies announced the expansion of its operations team, including new hires Liliana Marghitoiu, Luis Gonzalez Agraz and Kalam Azad.

Marghitoiu will head up the company’s quality control department for protein processing and manufacturing. Azad will join Stellar’s senior aquaculture team, working with the giant keyhole limpets from which the company derives the protein it uses in immunotherapies for diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancers. Agraz joins Stellar as general manager for the company’s subsidiary in Mexico.

The new additions are part of ongoing efforts to improve manufacturing processes at the company, expand the footprint of its aquaculture technology platform and increase throughput capacity. The company had around 23 employees in 2015.

“These scientists and industry experts bring valuable experience in scaling up production, process validation and regulatory compliance, and we are confident that they will contribute greatly to our growth initiatives,” Gregory Baxter, executive vice president of corporate development, said in a news release.

Marghitoiu has more than 12 years of experience in quality, regulatory and compliance programs in pharmaceutical manufacturing. She holds master’s degrees in regulatory affairs and biotechnology from the University of Southern California and CSU Channel Islands.

Among his more than 25 years of experience developing aquaculture production systems, Azad was most recently at the Centre for Aquaculture and Environmental Research and spent 12 years in North America developing new hatchery and production technologies for various shellfish, including giant keyhole limpets. He received his doctorate from the University of British Columbia.

Agraz will oversee Stellar’s development projects in Mexico after working for six years as director of aquaculture for the Mexican state of Baja California. He attained a master’s degree from the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education at Ensenada in aquaculture and marine biotechnology.

• Contact Marissa Nall at mnall@pacbiztimes.com.