Our team
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Mike McDonald
Founder and CEO
Physician. Previous roles include VP of Worldwide Clinical & Medical Development @ Eli Lilly Head of European Regulatory Affairs @ Eli Lilly Chief Medical Officer @ Oxford Biomedica, Consultant @ UK Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Erwan Bezard
Advisor – Preclinical
Professor at Bordeaux University, Research Director @ INSERM, Visiting Professor at the China Academy of Medical Sciences (Beijing, China) Associate Editor @ Neurobiology of Disease and of Synapse Serves on the board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He is Associate Editor of Neurobiology of Disease and of Movement Disorders. On editorial boards of several neurobiology journals. Advisor – Preclinical
Steven Gill
Advisor – Infusion and Devices
Neurosurgeon & Professor of neurosurgery @ University of Bristol Founder & Chief Medical Officer @ Neurochase. Deep research experience in brain tumours, spinal, and movement disorders. Lead investigator in gene therapy trials to putamen to slow PD progression.
Roger Barker
Advisor – Clinical Development
Professor of Clinical Neuroscience @ University of Cambridge Principal Investigator @ MRC-Wellcome Trust Stem Cell Institute in Cambridge. Heavily involved in gene and
cell-based trials for patients with Parkinson’s disease and co-ordinated EU funded programme of
advanced therapies for PD.
James Huang
Investor and Board Member
Entrepreneur and investor. He founded Panacea Venture to focus on investments in global innovative early and growth stage life sciences companies. Previously Managing Partner of Kleiner Perkins, China, Managing Partner at Vivo Ventures and president of Anesiva. He also held senior roles with Tularik Inc., GlaxoSmithKline LLC, Bristol-Meyers Squibb and ALZA Corp. Currently a director at Kindstar Globalgene Technology Inc. Connect Biopharma Holdings Limited and several private companies.
Chrystyna Bedrij
Investor and Board Member
Co-founder and Principal of Griffin Securities,
Co-founder, CEO and Board member of Aletheia Biotherapeutics, a company developing gene therapy platform for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, with a lead program for ALS.
Co-founder of Agilis Therapeutics, a gene therapy company focused on neurodegenerative diseases, where she played a pivotal role in advancing Kebeldy — a gene therapy for AADC deficiency delivered via convection-enhanced delivery — to FDA and European approvals and acquisition by PTC Therapeutics.
Co-founded and Board Member of Myrtelle, a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused leukodystrophies and other demyelinating diseases.