About Zura Bio
Autoimmune diseases present complex clinical challenges that require sophisticated solutions. Zura Bio is focused on developing novel and transformative solutions to address the challenges posed by the heterogeneity of autoimmune diseases.
Our team, composed of industry experts and asset-hunters, leverages a dual antagonism strategy to target multiple mechanisms or pathways simultaneously, thereby potentially increasing the efficacy of treatment and addressing the multifaceted nature of these diseases.
We aspire to go beyond incremental improvements, aiming for radical breakthroughs that offer superior options for those in need.
Latest CORPORATE PRESENTATION AND PUBLICATIONS
Our Story
- 2022 100%
MAR: crebankitug (ZB-168) in-licensed from Pfizer
DEC: torudokimab (ZB-880) in-licensed from Eli Lilly and Company
MAR: crebankitug (ZB-168) in-licensed from Pfizer
DEC: torudokimab (ZB-880) in-licensed from Eli Lilly and Company
- 2023 100%
- Resulted in approximately $65 million in gross cash proceeds
- Began trading on Nasdaq under “ZURA” ticker
APR: tibulizumab (ZB-106) in-licensed from Eli Lilly and Company and $80M PIPE announced
JUN: Inclusion into the Russell 2000® and 3000® Indexes
SEPT: Entered into sponsored research agreement with Benaroya Research Institute
- Resulted in approximately $65 million in gross cash proceeds
- Began trading on Nasdaq under “ZURA” ticker
APR: tibulizumab (ZB-106) in-licensed from Eli Lilly and Company and $80M PIPE announced
JUN: Inclusion into the Russell 2000® and 3000® Indexes
SEPT: Entered into sponsored research agreement with Benaroya Research Institute
- 2024 100%
APR: $112.5M private financing announced to advance tibulizumab in SSc and HS
JUN: Announced formation of Scientific Advisory Board
APR: $112.5M private financing announced to advance tibulizumab in SSc and HS
JUN: Announced formation of Scientific Advisory Board
Leadership Team
Robert Lisicki
Mr. Lisicki is an experienced executive leader with a career spanning nearly 30 years in the biopharmaceutical industry. He previously served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Arena Pharmaceuticals; a prominent biopharmaceutical company acquired by Pfizer for $6.7 billion in 2022. At Arena, Mr. Lisicki had accountability for building the company’s global commercial infrastructure and contributed to Mergers and Acquisitions activities totaling nearly $8 billion. Currently, he sits on the Boards of Adiso Therapeutics and Cadrenal Therapeutics, Inc. His career also includes senior leadership roles as CEO and Board Member, InCarda Therapeutics, General Manager of Inflammation and Cardiovascular at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, CCO, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., and GM/VP, Amgen. He also held numerous commercial leadership roles at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics from the State University of New York, Albany, New York.
Robert Lisicki
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Verender Badial
Verender S. Badial, our Chief Financial Officer, has more than 20 years of experience as an investment banker and is currently Managing Director of Cryfield Investments, which he founded in 2015 and is responsible for the corporate finance services and capital fundraising activities. Between 1997 and 2015, Mr. Badial held executive functions in the Equity Capital Markets departments of Rothschild (ABN AMRO) and Societe Generale, allowing him to leverage rich experience in structuring and executing equity capital markets transactions as well as building up an extensive network. Mr. Badial also held the role of Managing Director with Rothschild (ABN AMRO) and Societe Generale within the investment banks and is experienced in both buy- and sell-side advisory transactions incorporating leveraged and structured equity and debt finance solutions with a key focus on financial sponsor portfolios in pharma and healthcare.
Mr. Badial brings unique capabilities for the target identification and business combination processes based on his expertise from acquiring and funding numerous corporates, coupled with significant expertise in analyzing potential financial or management improvements to operational businesses. Mr. Badial graduated with an honor’s degree from the London School of Economics & Political Science.
Verender Badial
Chief Financial Officer
Kiran Nistala, MBBS, PhD
Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development
Dr. Nistala is an experienced physician and immunologist with nearly two decades of expertise in translational medicine and the strategic design of clinical trials, spanning a diverse spectrum of medical disorders. His primary areas of specialization encompass rheumatology, dermatology, and respiratory disorders. Dr. Nistala recently held the role of Vice President of late stage clinical development in Immunology at AstraZeneca, where he was instrumental to their therapeutic build in autoimmune disease. His primary focus was on Immunology programs aimed at addressing conditions such as lupus, myositis, scleroderma and eosinophilic disorders. Prior to his tenure at AstraZeneca, Dr. Nistala held a series of increasingly senior positions at GlaxoSmithKline, where his contributions ranged from pivotal roles in research strategy, immune safety governance boards, design of clinical protocols and championing translational medicine initiatives. In addition to his corporate roles, Dr. Nistala served as an Honorary Consultant in pediatric rheumatology at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom, demonstrating his commitment to both academic and clinical excellence.
Dr. Nistala earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Cambridge, a combined MBBS and PhD in Immunology from University College London and completed his scientific training with a prestigious Clinician Scientist Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust.
Kiran Nistala, MBBS, PhD
Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development
Gary Whale, PhD
Chief Technology Officer
Gary Whale, PhD, is a seasoned professional in the pharmaceutical development of biologics with a career spanning over 25 years. Before joining Zura as Chief Technology Officer and part of the executive management team, Dr. Whale was employed as Vice President, Global Head of Technical Operations at EUSA Pharma, a privately held specialty rare disease company focused on the commercial supply of oncology biologics starting in May 2020. Having nurtured this company through significant growth and profitability, this company was successfully sold in 2022 to a larger Italian specialty care company, Recordati S.p.A.
Prior to this, from January 2018 to April 2020, Dr. Whale was Chief Operating Officer at VHsquared, a biotech start-up company specializing the clinical development of treatments focused on autoimmune conditions such as Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. From March 2014 to January 2018, Dr. Whale was VP CMC & Manufacturing Operations at VHsquared. During this time a number of global clinical studies were completed and the assets are currently undergoing further phase 2 trials. Previously, Dr. Whale spent a number of years at other companies, such as: Emergent BioSolutions from January 2007 to June 2013, Microscience Ltd from September 2002 to May 2007 and Proctor and Gamble from November 1996 to October 1999, all of which were in a technical operations role. Dr. Whale holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s degree in Microbiology from the University of London, and a PhD in the purification and characterization of bacterial cell surface antigens from Robert Gordon University.
Gary Whale, PhD
Chief Technology Officer
Kim Davis, JD
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Kim Davis, JD, has served as Chief Legal Officer of Zura since September 2022. Previously, Ms. Davis served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2020 to September 2022, as Arena was acquired by Pfizer until its. From 2014 to 2020, Ms. Davis was Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of Kaleo, Inc. From 2011 to 2014, Ms. Davis was Vice President and Health Care Law & Compliance Officer of Impax Laboratories, Inc. (now Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC). In previous roles, Ms. Davis was Executive Director from 2008 to 2011 and Associate General Counsel from 2000 to 2008 at Amgen, Inc. Ms. Davis holds a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Sweet Briar College.
Kim Davis, JD
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Board of Directors
Amit Munshi
Chairman
Amit D. Munshi is the Chairman of Zura Board of Directors. Most recently, Mr. Munshi was President and Chief Executive Officer of Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. from May 2016 to March 2022 and a member of the Board of Directors from June 2016 until March 2022, when Arena Pharmaceuticals was sold to Pfizer Inc. Previously, Mr. Munshi served as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a director of 288 Epirus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on biosimilars, and Percivia LLC, a biotechnology company which was sold to Johnson & Johnson. Subsequent to an asset sale, in July 2016, Epirus filed a voluntary Chapter 7 petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. Prior to Epirus and Percivia, Mr. Munshi was a co-founder and served as Chief Business Officer of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2005 to 2010, which was sold to Allergan plc, and held multiple leadership positions at Amgen Inc. from 1997 to 2005, including General Manager, Nephrology Europe. He has served as the Chairman of the Board of Enterprise Therapeutics since January 2020.
Simultaneously, Mr. Munshi has also served as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of Galecto Inc. (GLTO) since January 2020. Mr. Munshi likewise served as a member of the Board and Audit Committee of Pulmatrix Inc. (PULM) from June 2017 until March 2021. Additionally, Mr. Munshi currently serves as a director of two U.S. subsidiaries of Zura: Zura Bio Inc. and Z33 Bio Inc. Mr. Munshi holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in History from the University of California, Riverside, and an M.B.A. from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. Mr. Munshi has more than 30 years of global biopharmaceutical industry experience in executive management, business development, product development and portfolio management. Mr. Munshi’s vast executive management and business experience in the global biopharmaceutical industry and in-depth knowledge of product development gives him the qualifications, attributes and skills to serve as one of our directors.
Amit Munshi
Chairman
Arnout Ploos van Amstel
Director
Arnout Ploos van Amstel has been a Director at Zura Bio since November 2023. He is an executive leader in Life Sciences/Biotech with more than 30 years of business and operations experience in a wide variety of leadership positions and geographies. Arnout consistently excelled in devising and implementing comprehensive strategies across Development, Medical, and Commercial-Access domains. He founded Apaxcel Life Sciences GmbH in April 2019, a consulting company that supports biopharma customers in creating strategies that accelerate outcomes. He is currently serving as strategic consultant through Apaxcel Life Sciences GmbH. He is a founder of MoonLake Immuntherapeutics AG since January 2020, a biotech company dedicated to next-level therapies in inflammatory diseases. From July 2010 to March 2019, he worked as the President and Managing Director and then Senior Vice President for Novartis, leading its Global Business Unit Immunology/Dermatology where he achieved remarkable portfolio growth, notably with the success of COSENTYX® (secukinumab), XOLAIR® (omalizumab) for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and with the consistent growth of “orphan blockbuster” ILARIS® (canakinumab). Mr. Ploos van Amstel’s experience includes leadership roles at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Novartis with executive
positions in the US, Canada, Greece, the Netherlands and Switzerland. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Groningen.
Arnout Ploos van Amstel
Director
Jennifer Jarrett
Director
Jennifer Jarrett, a Director, has served as Chief Operating Officer of Arcus Biosciences, a biotechnology company, since October 2020. From January 2019 through September 2020, she served as Vice President of Corporate Development and Capital Markets of Uber Technologies, a technology company, and from June 2018 to January 2019 served as Arcus Bioscience’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer and as its Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer from March 2017 to June 2018. From March 2016 to October 2016, Ms. Jarrett was the Chief Financial Officer of Medivation, a commercial biopharmaceutical company, which was acquired by Pfizer. Before Medivation, Ms. Jarrett spent 20 years in investment banking, most recently at Citigroup where she ran the firm’s west coast life sciences investment banking practice, and prior to that at Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Ms. Jarrett currently serves on the board of Arcus Biosciences, Inc. and Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc., each of which is a publicly traded company, and previously served on the boards of Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Audentes Therapeutics, Inc. and Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corp. Ms. Jarrett received a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College and her M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Jennifer Jarrett
Director
Neil Graham, MBBS, MD, MPH
Director
Neil Graham MBBS, MD, MPH, a Director, is an expert in immunology and inflammation with more than 30 years’ experience in global drug development and commercialization, crossing early and late- stage clinical trials in dermatology, allergy, rheumatology, virology, and pulmonology. From February 2021 to January 2022, Dr. Graham served as Chief Medical Officer of Tiziana Life Sciences LTD, a biotechnology company. Prior to Tiziana, Dr. Graham was VP-Strategic Program Direction & Immunology at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from April 2010 to January 2020. In previous roles, Dr. Graham occupied the position of Chief Operating Officer at XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. from January 2002 to June 2005, SVP- Program & Portfolio Management at Trimeris, Inc. from June 2005 to February 2007, Senior Vice President- Program & Portfolio at Vertex, Inc. from April 2007 to November 2009 and Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from October 1989 to March 1997. Dr. Graham currently serves on the boards of ASLAN Pharmaceuticals and Pharmaxis Ltd. Dr. Graham holds an MD, MPH, MBBS from the University of Adelaide.
Neil Graham, MBBS, MD, MPH
Director
Parvinder Thiara
Director
Parvinder Thiara has been a Director at Zura Bio since May 2023. He is the founder of Athanor Capital LP and holds the positions of Chief Investment Officer and Chief Compliance Officer within the company. Prior to this, Mr. Thiara was a Senior Vice President at D.E. Shaw & Co., Inc. He also serves as a board member of Tourmaline Bio, Inc. Mr. Thiara completed his bachelor’s degree at Harvard College and earned a master’s degree from the University of Oxford. His areas of expertise include hedge fund management, biotechnology investment, and advanced financial strategies.
Parvinder Thiara
Director
Robert Lisicki
Mr. Lisicki is an experienced executive leader with a career spanning nearly 30 years in the biopharmaceutical industry. He previously served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Arena Pharmaceuticals; a prominent biopharmaceutical company acquired by Pfizer for $6.7 billion in 2022. At Arena, Mr. Lisicki had accountability for building the company’s global commercial infrastructure and contributed to Mergers and Acquisitions activities totaling nearly $8 billion. Currently, he sits on the Boards of Adiso Therapeutics and Cadrenal Therapeutics, Inc. His career also includes senior leadership roles as CEO and Board Member, InCarda Therapeutics, General Manager of Inflammation and Cardiovascular at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, CCO, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., and GM/VP, Amgen. He also held numerous commercial leadership roles at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics from the State University of New York, Albany, New York.
Robert Lisicki
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Sandeep C. Kulkarni, MD
Director
Sandeep C. Kulkarni, MD, has served as a Director of Zura Bio since March 31, 2022. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Tourmaline Bio, a role he has held since September 2021. Before co-founding Tourmaline, Dr. Kulkarni served as a Managing Director at KVP Capital from August 2020 to June 2022. Prior to his time at KVP, Dr. Kulkarni held multiple roles at Roivant Sciences from July 2018 to June 2020, including Chief Operating Officer of Immunovant, Inc., Vice President of Special Projects, and Ombudsman to the Investment Committee. Earlier in his career, he was an Investment Analyst on the Life Sciences team at QVT Financial LP from April 2013 to August 2017. From August 2009 to May 2012, Dr. Kulkarni worked as a consultant and then as a project leader at the Boston Consulting Group, Inc., focusing on the biopharma sector. Dr. Kulkarni earned a B.A. in Economics from Harvard College and an M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco.
Sandeep C. Kulkarni, MD
Director
Someit Sidhu, MD
Dr. Someit Sidhu has served as a member of the Board of Directors since March 2023. He previously served as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from March 2023 to April 2024. He is the Co-Founder and has been the CEO of Akaza Bioscience since 2019 and the CEO of Izana Bioscience since 2017 as well as the Co-Founder of Pathios Therapeutics. Since July 2021, Dr. Sidhu has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JATT Acquisition Corp. Dr. Sidhu has broad expertise covering various topics in the life sciences industry. Prior to these companies, he advised many large international pharmaceutical companies as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co, where he primarily focused on Pharmaceutical R&D and Portfolio Strategy.
Dr. Sidhu gained medical experience during his time in Cardiology and General Surgery after graduating from the Oxford Medical School.
Someit Sidhu, MD
Founder and Director
Steve Schoch
Director
Steve Schoch, a Director, served as a member of the Board of Directors of Arena Pharmaceuticals and chaired the Audit Committee from June, 2021 until the company was acquired by Pfizer in March of 2022. Mr. Schoch currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of FLYR Labs, a position he has held since 2022. Prior to joining FLYR Labs, Mr. Schoch served as Chief Financial Officer at 23andMe, Inc. from 2018 to 2022. Mr. Schoch served as the Chief Executive Officer of Miramax Films NY, LLC from 2012 – 2017, while concurrently serving as Miramax’s Chief Financial Officer, a position he held beginning in 2010. From 2001 to 2010, Mr. Schoch held various senior financial positions at Amgen, Inc., including Corporate Controller and divisional Financial Vice President. He served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of eToys, Inc. from 1999 to 2001. Prior to eToys, Inc., Mr. Schoch held a variety of financial positions in the media industry, including at The Walt Disney Company and the Times Mirror Company. Mr. Schoch holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering degree from Tufts University and a M.B.A. degree from the Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College.
Steve Schoch
Director
Scientific Advisory Board
Johann Gudjonsson, MD, PhD
Johann Gudjonsson, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Molecular Skin Immunology and Dermatology at the University of Michigan Dermatology Department and a foremost expert in dermatological science. He leads a National Institutes of Health – funded research group examining the immunological and genetic drivers of inflammatory skin disease, with projects directed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of disorders such as atopic dermatitis, cutaneous lupus, hidradenitis suppurativa, lichen planus, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis. Since 2008, Dr. Gudjonsson has provided dermatology patient care at the University of Michigan Taubman Center. He is a graduate of the University of Iceland Medical School and completed his internship and dermatology residency training at the University of Michigan.
Johann Gudjonsson, MD, PhD
Dinesh Khanna, MD, MSc
Dinesh Khanna, MD, MSc, is a Professor of Medicine and serves as the Director of the University of Michigan Scleroderma Program. Guiding a multidisciplinary team of caregivers, scientists, and clinical researchers, Dr. Khanna is dedicated to advancing knowledge about scleroderma and related conditions. His research interests include developing new patient-reported outcome measures in patients with scleroderma and leading clinical trials evaluating new treatments for scleroderma. Dr. Khanna received an M.D. from University College of Medical Sciences and completed a clinical and research rheumatology fellowship and an M.Sc. in Clinical Research from UCLA.
Dinesh Khanna, MD, MSc
Ajay Nirula, MD, PhD
Ajay Nirula, MD, PhD, is the Executive Vice President and Head of Research and Development at Recludix Pharma. He was previously a Senior Vice President and the Immunology Therapeutic Area Head for Eli Lilly & Co, which he joined in 2015. He was responsible for the company’s research and early clinical development work in immunology. Before his tenure at Lilly, Dr. Nirula held leadership roles at Amgen and Biogen Idec, contributing to various research programs and regulatory filings across diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and vasculitis. Dr. Nirula received his undergraduate degree in molecular biology from UC Berkeley, followed by a medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
Ajay Nirula, MD, PhD
Michael Weinblatt, MD
Michael Weinblatt, MD, is the Co-Director of Clinical Rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. As a recognized authority in rheumatology with 40 years of experience, his clinical interests have been focused on innovations in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. Dr. Weinblatt leads the Brigham and Women’s clinical trial program in rheumatology and was involved in the development of methotrexate for the treatment of RA. Dr. Weinblatt earned an M.D. from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and has been board certified in rheumatology since 1980.
Michael Weinblatt, MD
Steven Ziegler, PhD
Steven Ziegler, PhD, is a Director of External Collaborations and a Member of the Center for Fundamental Immunology at Benaroya Research Institute (BRI). He is also an Affiliate Professor in the Immunology Department at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Ziegler graduated with honors from the University of Michigan in 1979, and in 1984 received his Ph.D. in molecular biology from UCLA. Following post-doctoral training at the University of Washington, Dr. Ziegler spent five years as a staff scientist at Immunex, followed by three years as the Director of Immunology/Molecular Biology at Darwin Molecular. He joined BRI as an Associate Member in 1997.