Meet Our Team

Our leadership team brings together decades of experience in pharmaceutical development, regulatory affairs, and strategic partnerships to accelerate life-saving therapies.

Sundeep Dugar, PhD

Co‑Founder & Chief Scientific Officer

35+ years in drug discovery & development (oncology, inflammation, CNS, cardiovascular, metabolic). Co‑inventor of ZETIA® & VYTORIN®, inventor of LADR4.

  • Co‑inventor on 120+ patents; co‑author on 70+ publications.
  • Built Scios small‑molecule discovery; market cap grew to ~$110M; acquired by J&J for $2.4B (2002).
  • Founded Advantium Pharma; acquired by Sequoia Capital for 7× return in 18 months.
  • Founded Sphaera Pharma; integrated discovery & development lab.
  • Co‑founder & CTO, Epirium Bio; exited with $85M Series A.
  • Multiple LADR4 licensing deals (e.g., Inhibikase, Unicycive, Nuance).

Bill Yuen, MBA

Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer

Bill Yuen brings over 25 years of strategic leadership, investment expertise, and operational management experience across global financial institutions and private investment firms. Throughout his ca...

  • Bill's tenure at Fortune 50 companies, including seven years at GE Capital, spanned a range of strategic and leadership roles.
  • He served on the investment, operating, and risk management committees for GE's Private Equity, Insurance, and Capital Markets Divisions, where he helped shape investment strategy, optimize portfolio performance, and guide operational execution at the highest levels.
  • A certified Black Belt in quality and process improvement, Bill has a proven track record in building and managing cross-functional teams, implementing operational efficiencies, and aligning business strategy with long-term growth objectives.
  • Bill received an M.B.A. from the Simon School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in economics.

Paul Maffuid, PhD

Senior Leadership

35+ years in discovery and development of small molecule, peptide, and protein therapeutics. Primary expertise in translational efforts to lead assets into clinical development.

Matt McFarlane, PhD, JD

Managing Director

Matt McFarlane brings over 20 years of legal, scientific, and strategic advisory experience at the intersection of intellectual property, healthcare, and biotechnology. Throughout his legal career, he...

  • Matt's career spans leadership roles in law firms, nonprofit governance, and advisory work for emerging and established enterprises in the life sciences and healthcare sectors.
  • He has successfully represented clients in intellectual property litigation, negotiated technology licensing agreements, and advised on regulatory and compliance strategies—often bridging the gap between highly technical subject matter and practical legal solutions.
  • Matt has a practical scientific background, having performed original research in physiology, molecular biology, and neuroscience, earning an Sc.B in Biochemistry from Brown University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular & Cellular Physiology from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
  • Matt received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and is a Partner at Practus LLP.

Lea Rasile, JD

Managing Director & Head of IP

Lea has over thirty years of experience counseling multinational clients operating in the Americas, Europe, Australia, and Asia in a range of sectors and on a wide variety of transactions. With a bac...

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We're always looking for talented individuals who share our vision of accelerating affordable, novel therapies to improve patient outcomes worldwide.

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