Honor
Our guiding light and principle. To us, honor is the necessary foundation for realizing our mission. Without honor, nothing else matters.
Natalie, 10, GRIN2B Patient
We are neuroscience innovators.
Cur•ra•tor
/ˈkyo͝orˌādər,kyo͝oˈrādər,ˈkyo͝orədər/
noun
1. a keeper or custodian of a collection.
We aim to identify, acquire, and develop a collection of high-potential technologies addressing a broad range of neurological and psychiatric disorders and advance them through approval and commercialization. Our decisions to advance projects are based on fundamental analyses of the science, clinical data, regulatory path, commercial viability, and, above all else: our ability to serve patients and caregivers.
As a Blackstone Life Sciences portfolio company, Neurvati is powered by best-in-class expertise, relentless passion, and deep resources to optimize the development of neuroscience therapeutics. We engage hand-picked strategic partners to broaden our reach while aligning ourselves with patient communities to enhance the development of treatments capable of transforming the lives of patients.
We are creative partners.
Our business model is structured to meet the demands of neuroscience drug development and commercialization. We implement a long-term, strategic view of the entire neuroscience ecosystem to assemble and advance a collection of potentially transformative products. We establish fit-for-purpose subsidiary companies around product candidates to maximize business versatility and operational efficiency, supported and facilitated by our deep resource-base. This model enables us to advance a full spectrum of technologies to help patients who are counting on us to develop and commercialize novel products.
Grin Therapeutics
Neurvati’s first subsidiary company, GRIN Therapeutics, is developing an investigational product, radiprodil, as a novel therapy for patients diagnosed with GRIN-related disorders. GRIN-related disorders are genetically defined pediatric encephalopathies that present with a spectrum of symptoms, including epilepsy, behavioral disorders, autism, intellectual disability, and movement disorders. Radiprodil selectively targets receptors in the brain called NR2B receptors. NR2B receptors are overactive in the brains of GRIN2B-related disorder patients with gain-of-function mutations and are believed to drive many of the debilitating symptoms. By targeting the root cause of the disorder, we believe that radiprodil has potential to serve as a possible option for patients.
Learn about GRIN2B variant function on the GRIN Portal
We are working closely with the GRIN-related disorders community to understand the community’s priorities. We are grateful to GRIN2B Foundation, GRIN2B Europe, GRIN Syndroom Netherlands, and CureGRIN for their partnership.
Our Team
Meet our leadership team. We have deep subject matter expertise, extensive networks, and proven track records making the Neurvati team uniquely equipped to deliver on our mission.
Leadership
Board of Directors
Francois Nader, M.D.
Francois Nader, M.D., MBA, Senior Adviser, Blackstone Life Sciences, is a leading value builder in the biopharma industry. He was President, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of NPS Pharma from 2008 to 2015, when the company was sold to Shire (now part of Takeda) for $5.2B. He led NPS’ transformation into a leading, commercial stage biotechnology company focused on innovative new medicines to treat rare diseases.
Prior to NPS, Dr. Nader was head of Medical & Regulatory Affairs, North America at Aventis (currently Sanofi). Dr. Nader currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Talaris Therapeutics and BenevolentAI and is a Board Director at Moderna.
Dr. Nader was recognized as the EY National Life Science Entrepreneur of the Year® in 2013 and was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor® in 2017.
Before NPS, Dr. Nader was a venture partner at Care Capital, LLC. Prior, he served on the North America Leadership Team of Aventis Pharma and its predecessor companies holding a number of executive positions including Senior Vice-President, US integrated healthcare markets and North America medical and regulatory affairs. Previously, he led the global commercial operations at the Pasteur Vaccines division of Rhone-Poulenc.
Dr. Nader is the past Chairman of BioNJ, Acceleron Pharma (XLRN) and Prevail Therapeutics (PRVL) and has served on the board of BIO, NPS Pharma (NPSP), Baxalta (BXLT), Clementia (CMTA), Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAAP), Trevena (TRVN) and Noven (NOVN). Dr. Nader previously served as Independent Director on the Board of Alexion (ALXN) and Moderna (MRNA).
Dr. Nader earned his French Doctorate in Medicine from St. Joseph University in Lebanon and his Physician Executive MBA from the University of Tennessee.
Nicholas Galakatos, Ph.D.
Nicholas Galakatos, Senior Managing Director, is the Global Head of Blackstone Life Sciences and is the Chairman of its Investment Committee, 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 is a founder of Millennium Predictive Medicine and TransForm Pharmaceuticals, where he was the Chairman and Founding CEO. Dr. Galakatos is the Chairman of Anthos Therapeutics and a member of the Board of Directors of Talaris, Inc (NASDAQ: TALS) and BioMed Realty. He is a member of the Director’s Council of the Koch Institute at MIT and a member of the Board of Trustees at Reed College.
Dr. Galakatos earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from MIT and performed his post-doctoral studies at Harvard Medical School. He earned his undergraduate degree at Reed College.
Kiran Reddy, M.D.
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 develop 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.
Jonathan Freeman, Ph.D.
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.
Pierre Jacquet, M.D., Ph.D.
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.
Investor
Backed by a financial investment from Blackstone, Neurvati Neurosciences is well-resourced to advance drug candidates through near and long term milestones. Operating under the Blackstone umbrella, our unique business model maximizes value creation of drug candidates and empowers the operational agility and clinical execution critical to sustainable, competitive success.
Contact
To learn more about our company, partnership opportunities, or if you want to say hello, get in touch with a member of the Neurvati team below.
Hillary Savoie, Ph.D
Hillary Savoie, PhD is the Director of Community Engagement and Communication at Neurvati Neurosciences. Prior to joining Neurvati, Hillary worked as a rare disease advocate, patient engagement consultant, and writer. She is also a mother. Her daughter Esmé, who is medically and developmentally complex, has served as the inspiration for her work in rare disease. Hillary founded The Cute Syndrome Foundation, which focuses on a rare genetic and developmental encephalopathy, in 2013. She served as Executive Director at TCSF for 9 years and now serves on the Board of Directors. Her personal essays and reported features about life with medically-complex children which can be found on Romper.com, New York Times, Rolling Stone, and the podcast Story Collider, among others. Hillary holds a doctorate in Communication and Rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
Elliott Ruiz
Elliott Ruiz began his career in investment banking with time spent at Truist Securities (f/k/a Suntrust Bank) and KPMG’s boutique healthcare corporate finance group. In 2014, Elliott moved into the pharmaceutical space and helped to grow the private equity backed Alvogen Inc., with leadership responsibilities that included corporate development, capital raising, and financial planning and analysis. In 2016, Elliott joined Purdue Pharma to lead their Business Development Finance team. His responsibilities quickly grew over his tenure with his most recent role as Treasurer overseeing Purdue’s FP&A, Business Development Finance, Treasury, Accounts Payable, Credit, and Insurance functions, among other responsibilities. Elliott’s leadership was battle-tested as he helped to lead Purdue through its restructuring process. Elliott received his BA in Economics from Cornell University and his MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. He has also received management training at the Yale School of Management where he received an Executive Leadership Development Certification.
Mariann DiNunzio
Mariann DiNunzio joins Neurvati as Chief of Staff bringing deep expertise and leadership in pharmaceutical sales, operations and human resources at Abbott Laboratories, Bristol Myers Squibb and GreyLion Capital.
Ms. DiNunzio has a proven track record building and nurturing strong relationships that are essential to executing strategies, achieving results and accelerating growth within both privately held and Fortune 500 companies. She began her career in 2000 as a sales specialist for Abbott Laboratories, advancing to Senior Territory Business Manager, Immunoscience, at Bristol Myers Squibb in 2014. During this time, she won numerous sales and sales management awards for creating work environments that cultivate team members and drive optimal performance. Her experience as a sales and operational leader served her well as she transitioned into human resources and operations roles in private equity where she served as Chief of Staff for GreyLion Capital, formerly Perella Weinberg Partners-Growth Equity. In this role, she supported the co-founders and managed the firm’s daily operations through collaboration with key stake holders, including the investment team, finance, compliance, human resources, legal and IT.
As Chief of Staff of Neurvati, Ms. DiNunzio has come full circle in the Neuroscience field to help deliver medicines to patients in need of better treatment options, from selling a neuroscience drug for Abbott more than 20 years ago to supporting the launch and growth of Neurvati.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Clemson University.
Michael A. Panzara, M.D., MPH
Michael A. Panzara, MD, MPH is currently Chief Medical Officer at Neurvati Neurosciences. Dr. Panzara has over 20 years of biopharmaceutical experience focused on developing therapies for neurological disorders having served in leadership roles at Wave Life Sciences, Sanofi, Genzyme, and Biogen before joining Neurvati in 2022 and currently serves on the board of directors of Athira Pharma, Inc., a clinicalstage biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining Neurvati, he was Chief Medical Officer, Head of Therapeutics Discovery and Development at Wave Life Sciences where he oversaw Wave’s therapeutic research and development portfolio with a focus on genetically-defined diseases.
He served as the Head of the Multiple Sclerosis, Neurology and Ophthalmology Therapeutic Area for Global Development at Sanofi Genzyme, where he oversaw global regulatory approvals of the multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs LEMTRADA (alemtuzumab) and AUBAGIO (teriflunomide) and was responsible for development strategy and oversight within these therapeutic areas. He joined Genzyme in 2009 as Group Vice President, Multiple Sclerosis and Immune Diseases, overseeing the development of MS and other inflammatory disease therapies. Prior to joining Genzyme, Dr. Panzara was Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Neurology at Biogen. During his time there, he served as the global clinical lead for the development of TYSABRI (natalizumab) for MS, 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 medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine. He trained in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, received his postdoctoral training in immunology and rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and received his Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Hans Christinger
Hans Christinger is motivated by two factors: to make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives now; and to build a world-class company that will significantly impact those in need. He is passionate about pairing his in-depth experience as a dedicated leader, innovator and advocate across the life science community with Neurvati’s resources and mission to bring treatments to the patients who need them most.
Mr. Christinger has accumulated more than 30 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including roles in business development, drug development and scientific research. He has a track record of leveraging strategic partnerships to build leading science-based, patient-centered companies in neurology and ophthalmology, as evidenced by his prior roles at Ovid Therapeutics and Ophthotech (Iveric). His success is enabled by his experience with, and network from global pharmaceutical companies Abbott and Roche, where he built business units, differentiated portfolios and capabilities through partnering. He is an active Board Member and Advisor to the KIF1A Foundation, Vice Chairperson for NYBIO’s Executive Committee and advises several early-stage biotechnology companies.
Mr. Christinger began his career as a bench scientist at Genentech where he authored 15 structural biology-related peer-reviewed papers. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Babson College, a Master of Science in chemistry from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of Vermont.
Bruce Leuchter, M.D.
Dr. Bruce Leuchter brings deep-rooted, wide-ranging experience to his role as President and CEO at Neurvati, spanning neuroscience, clinical neuropsychiatry, biotechnology equity research, healthcare investment banking and entrepreneurship. His expertise captures all aspects of building and leading a neuroscience company, and his experiences have generated deep empathy for the patient journey. Across his many roles in the clinic, industry, and beyond, Dr. Leuchter has maintained a passion for knowledge and has aimed to purposefully apply that knowledge to help patients suffering from diseases of the brain and nervous system.
A physician by training and neuropsychiatrist by specialty, Dr. Leuchter completed 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. Dr. Leuchter served as Director of Clinical Neuropsychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and maintains a voluntary faculty appointment in the Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Leuchter has also held multiple financial services roles including biotechnology equity research at Goldman Sachs, healthcare investment banking at Credits Suisse, and biotechnology mergers and acquisitions at PJT Partners, all of which drive a nuanced understanding of the biotechnology industry and particularly the neuroscience ecosystem.
Dr. Leuchter is Co-Founder and Founding Neuropsychiatrist of a digital therapeutics company, Click Therapeutics, which specializes in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. He serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Daedelus Fund for Innovation at Weill Cornell Medical College, as a member of the Life Science Institute Leadership Council at the University of Michigan, as a member of the Advisory Board at Michigan Drug Discovery, and as a Business Advisory Board member at FOXG1 Research Foundation.