Over 25 years’ pharma & biotech experience

Industry experience as Senior Director and Head of Chemistry, DMPK and External Discovery at GSK Singapore

Prior biotech experience as CEO at Auspherix Ltd (2015-18)

Ex CEO of Kynos Therapeutics (sold to Dr Falk Pharma)

Over 25 years’ biotech and pharma experience in fundraising and business and corporate development gained at Syndesi Therapeutics, Evotec, Bicycle Therapeutics, Proximagen and Novartis. Scientific background in pharmacology and neuroscience.

Over 20 years’ pharma & biotech experience

Industry experience as Director and Head of Biology at GSK Singapore; Senior Research Biologist at MSD

Prior biotech experience as CSO at Ausperix Ltd (2016-18)

Over 20 years’ finance and operations experience

CFO at Myricx Pharma, Camphos Therapeutics; Inotec AMD

Prior biotech experience as COO at Auspherix Ltd (2014-18)

Over 25 years’ pharma & biotech experience

Previously, Head of Global Clinical Development at H. Lundbeck A/S, Denmark (until 2023). Additional prior pharma experience at Schering AG and Bayer, and in several biotech (Topas Therapeutics, Vico Therapeutics, Forward Pharma) in CMO and SVP positions.

Over 15 years’ academic research in innate immunity

Discovery of a new pathological mechanism in ALS implicating the mPTP

Head of the inflammasomes and autoinflammatory disease lab at WEHI, Melbourne, Australia

Investor Non Executive Director

Partner at SV Health Investors co-leading the Dementia Discovery Fund

Over 20 years’ experience across venture, biotech and pharma

Managing Partner at Omega Funds

Over 20 years’ experience in finance and venture capital

Senior Investment Manager at British Business Bank, since 2021

Eight years’ experience in investing into UK life science companies spanning Series A - crossover financings

Investor at M Ventures

Neuroscience expertise serving on multiple M Ventures portfolio boards

Managing Partner at Novartis Venture Fund, since 2017

Over 20 years’ experience in Pharma R&D, and venture capital

Managing Director at Omega Funds

Over 25 years’ experience in venture investing in life sciences

20 years of international medicinal chemistry experience

Industry as VP, Discovery Chemistry Evotec and at Galderma, AstraZeneca and SCYNEXIS

Has worked on over 20 drug discovery projects generating multiple pre-clinical and four clinical stage development candidates

A medicinal chemist, Jim has more than three decades of research management and drug discovery experience in neurodegeneration and other therapeutic areas. Under his leadership, as Vice President of Neuroscience Research, teams at AbbVie / Abbott have advanced more than twenty compounds into clinical development. Jim has established new research sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Shanghai, China, been the architect of strategies that defined the future direction of global research organizations, and has championed multiple successful licensing deals, biotech collaborations and venture investments. He currently serves on the board of directors and as an advisor to several biotechnology companies including Mission Therapeutics and Nitrase Therapeutics and is a venture partner with the Dementia Discovery Fund. He was awarded his Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University.

Melanie has over 20 years cross-functional experience in the academic, government, industry, and non-profit sectors, specializing in the neuroscience sector with particular expertise in ALS. She currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer for the ALS Investment Fund (a life sciences VC) and is the Founder of Accelerating NeuroVentures, LLC.  Prior to joining the ALS Investment Fund, Dr. Leitner was an advisor to Target ALS and served as Chief Scientific Officer for the ALS non-profit Prize4Life. She has also held Director positions at Biogen and at the non-profit organizations FasterCures and the Society for Neuroscience. She is a Board observer on the Boards of Verge Genomics, QurAlis, and Bloom Science. Melanie was awarded a Howard Hughes Predoctoral Fellowship as well as her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis. 

A neuropharmacologist, Kalpana brings over 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical drug discovery, development and management, with a specific focus on applying translational science strategies to improve the success rate of drug development. She has deep knowledge in neuroscience, including neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's), psychiatric disorders and chronic pain disorders. Following a long career in pharma at Pharmacia followed by Eli Lilly, she retired from the position of Chief Scientific Officer for Translational Sciences/Tailored Therapeutics-Neuroscience. Since then, she has held executive (CEO, CSO) and advisory roles at early-stage companies as an SAB or BOD member. She serves as an advisor to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research and is an Adjunct Professor of Neurology at Northwestern University. She gained her Ph.D. in neuropharmacology at the University of Utah.

Two decades of drug discovery experience.

Industry experience gained at Charles River, Pfizer and BioFocus DPI .

Led project teams in multiple areas including neurodegenerative disease, rare diseases and oncology, delivering preclinical and clinical candidates in a range of modalities.

With close to 40 years’ experience in pharma R&D, Stevan brings a deep understanding of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery & development. He was previously Vice President of the Discovery Chemistry and Technology organization at AbbVie and head of the global medicinal chemistry leadership team, and in 2015, was named an AbbVie Distinguished Research Fellow. During his tenure at Abbott/AbbVie, Stevan led projects across multiple therapeutic areas, several of which advanced compounds into clinical development, including Abbott’s proprietary marketed rapamycin analogue, Zotarolimus, currently licensed to Medtronics for use on their vascular stents. Stevan holds an Adjunct Professorship in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Kansas. He gained his Ph.D. at the University of Leeds, UK.

Over 37 years’ pharma & biotech experience.

Industry experience across all stages of clinical development including senior roles in Clinical Operations and Project Management at Shire Pharmaceuticals, Kissei Pharma Europe, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Takeda and Ono Pharma UK.

Prior biotech start-up experience as Director, Clinical Operations at Outpost Medicine Ltd (2016-2018) and Kynos Therapeutics Ltd (2022-2024).

Over 20 years’ accounting and finance experience

Prior FC roles within the technological and engineering sectors

Director at Criteria Bio Ventures, since 2018

15+ years’ experience in early stage investing and business development in life sciences

Principal at Novartis Venture Fund

20 years of experience in Novartis R&D and corporate venture

Investment team at SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund

Over 10 years’ experience across academia, life science consulting, and venture capital, with research expertise in neuroscience

Investor Observer

Managing Director and Head of Biotechnology Investments at M Ventures 

20 years’ experience in global venture investing in therapeutics, enabling tools, and technologies 

Principal at Omega Funds

Over 7 years’ experience in venture capital, with research experience in Alzheimer’s

Investment Manager at Brandon Capital since 2016

Over 20 years’ experience in academia and venture capital, with research expertise in neuroscience

Director of Research at Parkinson's UK

Over 30 years’ experience in neuroscience