Honor
In all areas of our work, honor is the guiding principle and the foundation for realizing our mission.
Natalie, 10, GRIN2B Patient
We are neuroscience innovators.
Neurvati Neurosciences has created a search-evaluate-invest-develop strategy to advance novel therapies targeting a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. We have an unmatched ability to assess advances in neuroscience research, review pre-clinical and clinical data, understand regulatory needs and confirm the commercial potential of promising product candidates.
As a Blackstone Life Sciences portfolio company, Neurvati is powered by best-in-class expertise, relentless passion, and extensive resources that allow us to optimize the development of neuroscience therapies. To fuel our success, we engage with strategic partners including other global leaders in neuroscience research and product development. We also align ourselves closely with the patient communities we serve. These efforts bring us the insights and experience necessary to support our efforts to deliver drugs with the potential to transform the lives of patients.
We are creative partners in neuroscience drug development
The search-evaluate-invest-develop model is structured to meet the demands associated with neuroscience drug development and commercialization. We maintain a long-term, strategic view of the neuroscience ecosystem and have the ability to apply customized business deal structures and strategies to advance our programs, including establishing fit-for-purpose subsidiary companies. Our deep base of resources allows us to achieve the highest levels of business versatility and operational productivity.
Grin Therapeutics
As the first example of our business strategy in action, in 2021 Neurvati established GRIN Therapeutics to advance a targeted approach to the treatment of GRIN-related disorders and other types of pediatric epilepsy.
Team
The Neurvati leadership team has deep expertise in neuroscience research and in all phases of drug development and commercialization, backed by worldwide industry connections and a shared dedication to meeting the needs of the patient communities we serve.
Our Leadership Team
Board of Directors
Deborah Dunsire, MD
From 2018 until her retirement in 2023, Dr. Dunsire served as CEO of H. Lundbeck A/S, a global biopharmaceutical company focused exclusively on neurological and psychiatric diseases. She previously served as president, CEO and a director of XTuit Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a private biopharmaceutical company, and president, CEO and a director of FORUM Pharmaceuticals. She worked for Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited as a corporate officer and director and she served as president, CEO and a director of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to Millennium, Dr. Dunsire held various roles of increasing responsibility at Novartis Pharma AG. She currently serves as a director of Syros Pharmaceuticals and Ultragenyx. She was named one of the “10 Women CEOs Leading the Charge” by BioSpace and “Woman of the Year” by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. She earned her MBBCh from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
Gail Farfel, PhD
Dr. Gail Farfel is an accomplished life sciences executive and neuroscientist who currently serves on the boards of the Dravet Syndrome Foundation, DURECT Corporation, and the American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (ASENT). She was previously Chief Executive Officer of ProMIS Neurosciences Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing antibody therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Farfel brings deep industry experience, having held senior leadership roles at Zogenix, Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and Pfizer. She also served on the boards of AVROBIO and the University of Chicago Medical & Biological Sciences Alumni Association. With over 50 scientific publications and presentations in the fields of neuropsychopharmacology and drug effects, Dr. Farfel is a globally recognized thought leader in neuroscience research. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Virginia and holds a PhD in neuropsychopharmacology from the University of Chicago.
Jonathan Freeman, PhD
Jonathan Freeman, Ph.D., is a Blackstone Life Sciences Senior Advisor and has over 20 years of practical industry experience within the healthcare private equity, start-up, business development, corporate development, and M&A sectors. Dr. Freeman is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Anthos Therapeutics. Dr. Freeman previously served as Senior Vice President of Strategy / Portfolio Management, and Head of Business Development and Licensing at Merck KgaA (FWB: MRK); CBO, Vedanta Biosciences (LSE: PRTC); Head of M&A and Licensing at Baxter International (NYSE: BAX); and Director of Corporate Development at Serono (NYSE: SRA).
Dr. Freeman received a Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Metabolism from the ICRF (now CRUK), an MBA jointly from the Universities of Versailles, Paris-Saclay, and Webster, St Louis, and both an MA and First-Class BA (Hons) from Cambridge University.
Jonathan was previously Vice President of the Swiss PLG, an EMBO fellow at the Swiss Institute of Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) and has authored several peer-reviewed scientific papers in the fields of oncology and drug metabolism.
Nicholas Galakatos, PhD
Nicholas Galakatos is the Global Head of Life Sciences and is the Chairman of its Investment Committees, having joined Blackstone as part of its acquisition of Clarus in December 2018.
Prior to joining Blackstone, Dr. Galakatos was a co-Founder and Managing Director of Clarus since the firm’s inception in 2005. Dr. Galakatos has over 30 years of industry and investment experience in the healthcare sector and has led investments in biotechnology, pharmaceutical company partnerships, and diagnostics, from startups to commercial-stage companies. Before Clarus, Dr. Galakatos was a General Partner at MPM Capital, a healthcare venture capital firm. From 1997 to 2000 he was Vice President of New Business at Millennium Pharmaceuticals (presently Takeda) and a member of the Management Team. He was a founder of Millennium Predictive Medicine, Millennium Biotherapeutics, and TransForm Pharmaceuticals, where he was the Chairman and founding CEO. Dr. Galakatos is the Chairman of Anthos Therapeutics and a Director of BioMed Realty. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees at Reed College.
Dr. Galakatos earned his PhD in Organic Chemistry from MIT and performed his post-doctoral studies at Harvard Medical School. He earned his undergraduate degree at Reed College.”
Pierre Jacquet, MD, PhD
Pierre Jacquet is Vice Chairman, Global Healthcare Managing Director of L.E.K. Consulting. He has served in a variety of leadership roles for L.E.K., including the firm’s Global Leadership Team, the Americas Management Committee, and various partner operating committees since 2001. Dr. Jacquet has spent more than two decades focused on corporate strategy consulting, merger and acquisition advisory services, and value management, both domestically and internationally.
A former physician, he worked with Arthur D. Little from 1998 to 2000 as a manager of its pharmaceutical practice and performed business development for Genzyme in 1997. During his medical career, he was a Fellow at the Washington Cancer Institute from 1993 to 1996, where he authored over 30 publications and presentations.
Dr. Jacquet is a Director of Exact Sciences (Nasdaq: EXAS) and Mereo Biopharma (Nasdaq: MREO). He previously served as a Director of Osprey Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Jacquet earned a Master of Business Administration from the Darden Graduate School at the University of Virginia, was awarded a Doctor of Medicine with high distinction, and a Doctor of Philosophy in biomedical sciences from the University of Liège in Belgium.
Kiran Reddy, MD
Kiran Reddy, M.D., is a Senior Managing Director in the Blackstone Life Sciences group having joined in May 2020. Dr. Reddy was previously the President & CEO of Praxis Precision Medicines, which he co-founded in November 2016.
Previously, Dr. Reddy was at Biogen where he was part of the corporate development and strategy leadership team. Dr. Reddy was also an Associate Partner at Third Rock Ventures. He supported and managed various portfolio companies in addition to focusing on new company formation and new investments. He was part of the founding team and interim Chief Business Officer for SAGE Therapeutics through its IPO. Dr. Reddy was part of the team that launched Foundation Medicine, and he has served as a Board Observer for Alnara pharmaceuticals, Rhythm pharmaceuticals and PanOptica pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Reddy holds M.D. and MBA degrees from Georgetown University. He completed his internship in medicine and his neurology residency at Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Reddy was previously a Howard Hughes science fellow and has authored several peer-reviewed scientific papers in the field of epilepsy, neuroimmunology and neurodegenerative diseases.
Neurvati: Built for Success
Backed by the financial and professional resources of Blackstone Life Sciences, a division of Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, Neurvati Neurosciences is ideally structured to advance drug candidates through near- and long-term clinical and regulatory milestones. Our operational capabilities and global reach and resources empower us to achieve levels of business agility and superior clinical execution that represent significant competitive advantages.
Contact
For additional information, please contact us using the form below.
Bruce Leuchter, MD
Dr. Bruce Leuchter is a co-founder of Neurvati Neurosciences and GRIN Therapeutics and was named President, CEO and board member of Neurvati when the company was established in September 2021. His extensive experience in neuroscience spans clinical research and patient care as well as investment banking, equity research and medical technology. He has served as a senior advisor on matters related to clinical research, corporate strategy, M&A transactions, and financings for many leading life sciences companies.
A physician by training and neuropsychiatrist by specialty, Dr. Leuchter brings a depth of understanding of the unmet need and patient experience in the diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders to Neurvati. He completed his residency training in neurology and psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College and is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He also served as Director of Clinical Neuropsychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, where maintains a voluntary faculty appointment in the Department of Psychiatry.
He has held leadership roles at leading financial services companies including biotechnology equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs, healthcare investment banking at Credit Suisse, and mergers and acquisitions at PJT Partners. He is also a co-founder and founding neuropsychiatrist of Click Therapeutics, a digital therapeutics company that specializes in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Dr. Leuchter is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Daedalus Fund for Innovation at Weill Cornell Medical College and a member of the Life Science Institute Leadership Council at the University of Michigan. He earned his BA at the University of Michigan and his MD at Wayne State University School of Medicine.
Michael A. Panzara, MD, MPH
Michael A. Panzara, MD, MPH, is Chief Medical Officer at Neurvati Neurosciences and GRIN Therapeutics. He joined Neurvati in 2022, bringing more than 20 years of experience in developing therapies for neurological disorders having served in leadership roles at Wave Life Sciences, Sanofi, Genzyme, and Biogen and currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Athira Pharma, Inc., and Cadenza Bio, Inc.
Prior to joining Neurvati, Dr. Panzara was Chief Medical Officer, Head of Therapeutics Discovery and Development at Wave Life Sciences, where he oversaw the company’s therapeutic research and development portfolio with a focus on genetically defined diseases. From 2009-2016 he held leadership positions at Genzyme (later Sanofi Genzyme), initially serving as Group Vice President, Multiple Sclerosis and Immune Diseases and overseeing the development of MS and other inflammatory disease therapies. He was later named Head of the Multiple Sclerosis, Neurology and Ophthalmology Therapeutic Area for Global Development, leading strategic planning and overseeing the development and global regulatory approvals of the MS drugs LEMTRADA (alemtuzumab) and AUBAGIO (teriflunomide). He previously served as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Neurology at Biogen, where he was global clinical lead for TYSABRI (natalizumab), overseeing its clinical program and global approvals and managed clinical development activities for all late-stage MS products including AVONEX (interferon beta-1a), PLEGRIDY (PEG-interferon beta-1a), and TECFIDERA (dimethylfumarate).
Dr. Panzara received his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania and MD from Stanford University School of Medicine. He trained in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and received his postdoctoral training in immunology and rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He earned his MPH degree from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Elliott Ruiz, MBA
As Senior Vice President, Finance & Operations at Neurvati Neurosciences and GRIN Therapeutics, Elliott Ruiz oversees finance, operations, and information technology. With a foundation in healthcare finance and corporate strategy, Elliott brings extensive experience leading financial planning, capital structure design, and operational integration in complex, high-growth settings. His background has spanned investment banking at Truist Securities, healthcare corporate finance at KPMG, and corporate development, capital raising, and financial planning and analysis at specialty pharmaceutical companies like Alvogen and Imbrium Therapeutics. He earned his BA in economics from Cornell University and his MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia, and has completed executive leadership training at the Yale School of Management.
Jason Lettiere
Jason Lettiere is Senior Vice President, Corporate & Business Development at Neurvati Neurosciences and GRIN Therapeutics. He has more than 15 years of experience executing on a range of strategic initiatives including business development and licensing, financial matters, portfolio management and commercial planning at both public and private high-growth biotechnology companies. Prior to joining Neurvati, Jason was Vice President of Business Development at Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he was responsible for developing a comprehensive business development strategy from initial outreach and evaluation through signing. Prior to Terns, Jason spent nearly four years supporting business and corporate development at Neurogene Inc. and he was also formerly a member of the healthcare investment banking team at Bank of America. Earlier in his career, he held roles of increasing responsibility across commercial, strategy and business development at Intercept Pharmaceuticals. Jason received his BS in Economics and Finance from Bentley University.
Anne-Marie Li-Kwai-Cheung
Anne-Marie Li-Kwai-Cheung, MChem, MTOPRA, RAPS, is Senior Vice President, Development, Regulatory, and Quality at Neurvati Neurosciences and GRIN Therapeutics, responsible for the creation of robust product development and regulatory strategies and to oversee their execution to ensure registration of products across Neurvati affiliates. She joined Neurvati in January 2025 bringing over 25 years of broad experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to Neurvati, she was Chief Development Officer at Wave Life Sciences overseeing preclinical and clinical drug development activities having originally joined Wave in February 2022 as the SVP, Regulatory Affairs, Compliance, and Policy. Prior to that, she spent 8 years at Roche in Basel, Switzerland, where she started in Global Regulatory Affairs and went on to hold leadership positions of increasing levels of responsibility in global drug development and global program leadership within the neurology and rare disease therapeutic areas. She served as Life Cycle Leader for tominersen in Huntington’s disease, guiding the Phase 3 program and other late-stage development activities, including responsibility for commercial activity, reimbursement, medical affairs, development and manufacturing and supply. In addition, she led the filing and development team at Roche through the global launch of Ocrevus for multiple sclerosis. Prior to her work at Roche, Anne-Marie was at Genzyme, leading regulatory filings, including a filing team for an advanced therapy during a period of significant legislative changes.
Anne-Marie received her undergraduate and master’s degrees in chemistry at the University of Salford, UK.
Carlos Martin
Carlos Martin brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across global biopharmaceutical markets, with a proven record of building commercial organizations, launching transformative therapies, and strengthening pipeline valuation in highly innovative areas such as gene therapy, radiopharma, oncology, cardiology, and rare diseases.
Carlos Martin most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer at Rocket Pharma, where he oversaw the company’s transition from a clinical-stage biotech to a commercial-ready organization in gene therapies. There, he developed the company’s U.S., EU, and Japan commercialization strategies and go-to-market models including infrastructure and secured pre-launch payer agreements – all designed to accelerate market entry while bolstering investor confidence and company value. Earlier in his career, Martin held senior leadership roles at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. At Advanced Accelerator Applications (a Novartis company), he established the radiopharma commercial business in the U.S. At Novartis Oncology, he managed a $1B portfolio in the U.S. market. Additionally, he was Novartis Oncology country head in Chile where he built a new business unit.