Innovation

Passionate innovators committed to changing patients' lives.

Founders

The scientists who set Mitophilix's direction and keep every decision anchored in patient impact.

Nouri Neamati

Ph.D. · Chief Scientific Officer

Co-Founder

Dr. Neamati is the John G. Searle Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, where he leads research in drug design and discovery with a focus on cancer indications. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in 1995, followed by postdoctoral and research fellowships at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Neamati's career includes faculty positions at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center prior to his current role. He is widely published, with over 300 peer‑reviewed articles, numerous book chapters, and more than 40 patents in medicinal chemistry, and has edited a leading reference on HIV‑1 integrase inhibitor design. His work spans structure‑ and ligand‑based drug design, molecular pharmacology, and preclinical drug development, with active efforts in discovering small‑molecule therapies against various cancers and viral targets. He has received multiple scientific awards, including honors from the NIH, GlaxoSmithKline, and the American Lung Association, reflecting his contributions to drug discovery and translational research. Dr. Neamati also serves in editorial and advisory roles for several scientific journals.

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Ruslan Pryadun

Ph.D., MBA · Chief Executive Officer

Co-Founder

Dr. Pryadun is an experienced operator and investor. In the course of his 20 plus year career, Dr. Pryadun founded 2 successful companies, led M&A functions at Fortune 500 companies resulting in closing of >$110 million in successful deals, invested personal funds to acquire and grow an operating company, acted as a mentor and consultant to numerous executive managers as well as contributed his time and resources to educate and inspire young aspiring scientists and entrepreneurs to tackle salient business challenges. Dr. Pryadun's leadership, scientific and business experience enables Mitophilix to take advantage of both open and obfuscated opportunities, navigate complex commercialization process and tackle interdisciplinary objectives with poise, wisdom and efficiency. Dr. Pryadun earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from SUNY Buffalo, held postdoctoral appointments at Princeton University and Harvard University and obtained his MBA from INSEAD where he led Healthcare Club.

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Scientific Advisory Board

Global experts who stress-test our data, keep trials on course, and open doors to the toughest research collaborations.

Nicholas A. Meanwell

Ph.D.

Dr. Meanwell is internationally recognized as a distinguished medicinal chemist whose leadership in drug discovery has directly advanced multiple breakthrough therapies. His work in antiviral research was instrumental in delivering marketed treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV, including the NS5A inhibitor daclatasvir, the NS3/4A protease inhibitor asunaprevir, the NS5B allosteric inhibitor beclabuvir, and most notably the HIV-1 attachment inhibitor fostemsavir (Rukobia®), now marketed by ViiV Healthcare. The discovery and development of fostemsavir was honored by the American Chemical Society with a Heroes of Chemistry Award, underscoring the impact of his contributions on patient outcomes worldwide. For Mitophilix, Dr. Meanwell's proven track record in guiding first-in-class small molecules from concept to market is directly relevant to our mission of advancing novel therapeutics targeting cancer metabolism. His expertise in medicinal chemistry, coupled with decades of leadership in translational research, aligns seamlessly with Mitophilix's strategic focus on OXPHOS inhibition in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), providing invaluable perspective on drug design, development, and regulatory translation.

Vaibhav Sahai

MBBS, M.S.

Dr. Sahai is Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at the University of Michigan, where he leads the Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Section, serves as Director of the Tumor Response Assessment Core, and is a member of the Rogel Cancer Center. A clinician-scientist, Dr. Sahai directs the pancreaticobiliary cancer biobank and leads multiple investigator-initiated clinical trials across the U.S., with a focus on pancreatic and liver tumors. For Mitophilix, Dr. Sahai provides essential expertise in clinical trial design, translational research, and biomarker development in pancreatic cancer. His leadership in integrating patient-derived samples and real-world clinical endpoints ensures that Mitophilix's OXPHOS inhibitor program remains grounded in clinical relevance and translational potential.

Wendy B. Young

Ph.D.

Dr. Young is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical executive with over 30 years of experience advancing novel medicines from discovery through clinical development. She most recently served as Senior Vice President of Small Molecule Drug Discovery at Genentech, where under her leadership more than 25 clinical candidates in oncology, immunology, neurology, and infectious disease entered clinical development. She is a co-inventor of fenebrutinib, currently in Phase 3 trials for multiple sclerosis, and is an inventor or author on more than 70 patents and publications. Currently, Dr. Young is active in venture capital, company creation, and scientific advising. She is an advisor to GV (Google Ventures), and board/scientific advisor to several private biopharmaceutical companies. For Mitophilix, Dr. Young provides unmatched expertise in medicinal chemistry leadership, portfolio strategy, and clinical translation, directly supporting the company's mission to advance OXPHOS inhibitors for pancreatic cancer.

Duxin Sun

Ph.D.

Dr. Sun is the Charles Walgreen Jr. Professor of Pharmacy and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Michigan, where he directs a leading program in drug delivery, pharmacokinetics, and translational pharmaceutics. He has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, is an inventor on multiple patents, and has extensive experience collaborating with industry and regulatory agencies to advance drug candidates from discovery into clinical development. Dr. Sun's expertise spans formulation science, PK/PD modeling, and translational pharmacology, with a focus on optimizing bioavailability and therapeutic index for oncology drugs. For Mitophilix, Dr. Sun provides critical insight into the development of OXPHOS inhibitors, ensuring rigorous evaluation of pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and formulation strategies to accelerate translation into clinical studies for pancreatic cancer.

Peter Toogood

Ph.D.

Dr. Toogood is a medicinal chemist with experience in academic, big pharma and biotech. He has led programs spanning oncology, immunology, and infectious disease, and has contributed to the discovery and optimization of numerous preclinical and clinical candidates. His work integrates structure-based design, synthetic chemistry, and mechanism-of-action studies to drive innovation in therapeutic development. For Mitophilix, Dr. Toogood provides deep expertise in rational design and lead optimization of small molecules, directly supporting the company's OXPHOS inhibitor program. His academic and translational leadership ensures that Mitophilix's drug discovery efforts are guided by state-of-the-art approaches in medicinal chemistry and structural biology.