Spring Behrouz, PhD

Chairman, & CEO

Role:

Sets vision and direction for company.

Experience:

Over 15 years working on Parkinson's disease. Founding CEO at NeuroInitiative since 2014 where she laid out a vision for applying advanced computational drug discovery methods which led to creation of Vincere Biosciences where she is also CEO. Previously she worked with Matt Farrer at Mayo clinic to characterize genetic models of Parkinson's disease and was part of the team that discovered a new pathogenic mutation in VPS35. Her PhD work implemented cutting edge laser capture, microarray, and in vivo siRNA techniques to identify protective genomic changes in Parkinson’s models. Recipient of JBJ’s 40 under 40 award, winner of One Spark’s science award, and supporter of science on the TEDx and March for Science stages.

Education:

PhD in Neuroscience from Michigan State University, postdoctoral work at Mayo Clinic.

Favorite Quote:

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. - Alan Kay

Andy D. Lee

Director, & COO

Role:

Responsible for Technology, Licensing, and Operations.

Experience:

Over 20 years software and management experience in multiple industries. Founding CTO at NeuroInitiative where he is co-inventor on multiple granted and pending patents surrounding the SEED simulation platform. Previously VP of Engineering at Black Knight through F500 acquisition, spin-out, and IPO. He has led teams of over 100 members and continues to actively code to create new data-driven solutions.

Education:

B.S. Computer Science from Grand Valley State University. Postgraduate coursework at Michigan State University.

Favorite Quote:

For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled. - Richard Feynman

James L. Liang

Director

Role:

Advises on business strategy and fundraising.

Experience:

Angel investor with 30 years of business strategy and finance experience. Former Head of the Global Technology Banking Group at Morgan and Chief Strategy Officer for IBM’s Services Division.

Education:

Graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy, holds a Sc.B. in Applied Mathematics/Economics from Brown University, and an MBA in Finance/Marketing from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Favorite Quote:

Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out. - James Bryant Conant

Donna Romero, PhD

Medicinal Chemist

Role:

Leads new compound design.

Experience:

More than 25 years of medicinal chemistry experience doing drug discovery in a variety of therapeutic areas for both large pharma (Upjohn, Pharmacia and Pfizer) and biotech. She also serves as a consultant to the NIH NINDS Blueprint program helping small biotechs and academic groups discover drugs for a variety of CNS indications. She has extensive experience in all aspects of drug discovery and design including hit identification, lead optimization, structure-based drug design, preclinical development and early API strategy.

Education:

Phd Organic Chemistry from University of Wisconsin-Madison

Favorite Quote:

Not everything that can be counted counts. Not everything that counts can be counted. - William Bruce Cameron

Edward L. Fritzen

Medicinal Chemist

Role:

Aids new compound design.

Experience:

Over 40 years of experience in drug discovery research at major pharmaceutical companies including The Upjohn Co, Pharmacia, and Pfizer as well as small biotech companies. Expert in the areas of traditional synthetic chemistry, compound library design and high speed automated organic synthesis. Contributed to programs across many therapeutic areas including Infectious Diseases, Cancer, Atherosclerosis, Metabolic Diseases and Hypersensitivity Diseases. Skilled in all aspects of drug discovery research from hit identification, lead finding/ optimization to identification of drug candidates. Authored or co-Authored 11 publications and co-inventor of many patents.

Education:

BA Chemistry, The University of Notre Dame, MS Organic Chemistry, The Ohio State University.

Favorite Quote:

Science can make man comfortable, but only wisdom can make man happy. - Rev. Theodore Hesburgh

Abhirup Das, PhD

Director of Biology

Role:

Leads translational biology studies for mitochondrial therapeutics

Experience:

Mitochondrial biologist focused on in vivo rodent models of mitochondrial quality, neurodegeneration, and age-related decline. Previously Associate Director of Biology at Tranquis developing mitochondrial therapeutics targeting neurodegenerative diseases and Director of Biology at Cartago Biotech.

Education:

PhD in Chemical Biology from Stanford University, with postdoctoral work at MIT and UNSW (Australia) to elucidate the role of NAD+ metabolism in aging with Dr. Leonard Guarente and Dr. David Sinclair.

Favorite Quote:

The most important thing is to never stop questioning. - Albert Einstein

Jeremy Yu, MD PhD

In vivo Pharmacologist

Role:

Design and interpretation of in vivo experiments

Experience:

Physician scientist with 20 years of academic and biotech experience in therapeutic development including head of in vivo pharmacology and pharmacokinetics at CoMentis to advance the first BACE-1 inhibitor to clinical trial and a ~$760M partnership with Astellas. His multi-disciplinary strengths and real-world experiences offer vital benefits toward translation from early discovery into the clinic.

Education:

MD from Shanghai Medical University and PhD in Neuroscience / Pharmacology from University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Favorite Quote:

Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.

Yonghak Seo

Scientist

Role:

Investigating the role of mitophagy-mitochondria activation in Parkinson disease models

Experience:

Molecular biologist with more than 10 years working on cellular senescence and mitochondrial function to improve lifespan and health span of animals. Research focusing on understanding metabolic diseases, cancer signaling pathway, and neuronal disorder mechanism caused by high glucose diets, malfunction of mitochondria, and aging progress. Working to improve both humans’ longevity and healthy living by new neuronal therapy development.

Education:

PhD in Metabolic disease and aging from Ajou University

Favorite Quote:

Ask yourself or your teacher one question every day

Dario Alessi

Scientific Advisory Board

Role:

Parkinson's and biochemistry expertise.

Experience:

Director of the Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation unit at University of Dundee. Alessi has spent decades characterizing how phosphorylation and ubiquitylation cascades control biological function and disease resulting in 275 manuscripts which have been cited over 70,000 times establishing his role as a leader of the field.

Education:

BSc and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Birmingham with postdoctoral research in the MRC PPU.

Stephen K. Burley, MD, DPhil

Scientific Advisory Board

Role:

Structural Biology expertise.

Experience:

Currently professor and Chair, Founding Director of the Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, and Director of the RCSB Protein Data Bank at Rutgers. Previously Distinguished Lilly Research Scholar in Lilly Research Laboratories, which he joined upon acquisition of SGX Pharmaceuticals where he was CSO after SGX acquisition of Prospect Genomics, which he co-founded. Prior to Prospect, Burley was Professor at The Rockefeller University and an Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Education:

B.Sc. in Physics from University of Western Onterio, M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and D.Phil in Structural Biology from Oxford University. Internal medicine training at Brigham and Women's Hospital and postdoctoral work at Harvard and MIT.

Peter Lansbury, PhD

Scientific Advisory Board

Role:

Parkinson's and enzymology expertise.

Experience:

Prior Professor of Chemistry at MIT and current Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School where he founded the Laboratory for Drug Discovery in Neurodegeneration and directed the Morris K. Udall NIH Parkinson’s Disease Research Center of Excellence at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Founder and CSO of Link Medicine through its sale to AstraZeneca. Currently CSO at Lysosomal Therapeutics, Inc. developing disease modifying therapies for Parkinson's disease.

Education:

AB (cum laude) in chemistry from Princeton University and PhD in organic chemistry from Harvard University under the direction of Nobel laureate E. J. Corey. Postdoctoral work at the Rockefeller University.