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%
MAR: Closed Business Combination with JATT Acquisition Corp.
- 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
MAR: Closed Business Combination with JATT Acquisition Corp.
- 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
- 2024 100%
APR: $112.5M in private financing announced to advance tibulizumab in SSc and HS
DEC: Phase 2 TibuSURE trial initiated
APR: $112.5M in private financing announced to advance tibulizumab in SSc and HS
DEC: Phase 2 TibuSURE trial initiated
- 2025 100%
MAY: Phase 2 TibuSHIELD trial initiated
MAY: Phase 2 TibuSHIELD trial initiated
- 2026 100%
FEB: Raised approximately $144 million through an underwritten public offering to advance the Company’s pipeline
FEB: Raised approximately $144 million through an underwritten public offering to advance the Company’s pipeline
Leadership Team
Sandeep Kulkarni, M.D.
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Sandeep Kulkarni, M.D.
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Sandeep Kulkarni, M.D., is a co-founder of Zura and has served as Chief Executive Officer since January 2026. He has served on Zura’s Board of Directors since March 2023.
Previously, Dr. Kulkarni was a co-founder of Tourmaline Bio, where he led the company as Chief Executive Officer from September 2021 through its acquisition by Novartis, which closed in October 2025. Prior to co‑founding Tourmaline Bio, he was a Managing Director at KVP Capital from August 2020 to June 2022, focusing on biotechnology investments and company formation.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Kulkarni held multiple roles at Roivant Sciences from July 2018 to June 2020, including Chief Operating Officer of Immunovant, Vice President of Special Projects, and Ombudsman to the Investment Committee. Prior to Roivant, he was an Investment Analyst on the life sciences team at QVT Financial from April 2013 to August 2017. From August 2009 to May 2012, he worked at The Boston Consulting Group, first as a consultant and later as a project leader.
Dr. Kulkarni earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard College and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, San Francisco.
Kim Davis, J.D.
Chief Operating Officer, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Kim Davis, J.D.
Kim Davis, J.D., serves as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Zura. She previously served as Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer from October 2025 through January 2026, providing leadership continuity during a period of executive transition. Ms. Davis brings extensive experience in legal, compliance, and operational leadership across the biopharmaceutical industry.
Prior to joining Zura, Ms. Davis served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer at Arena Pharmaceuticals from 2020 until the company’s acquisition by Pfizer in September 2022. From 2014 to 2020, she was Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Kaleo. Earlier in her career, she served as Vice President and Health Care Law & Compliance Officer at Impax Laboratories (now Amneal Pharmaceuticals) from 2011 to 2014. Ms. Davis previously held senior legal leadership roles at Amgen, including serving as Executive Director from 2008 to 2011 and Associate General Counsel from 2000 to 2008.
Ms. Davis earned her Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Sweet Briar College.
Muzammil Mustufa
Chief Business Officer
Muzammil Mustufa
Chief Business Officer
Muzammil Mustufa serves as Chief Business Officer at Zura. Mr. Mustufa brings extensive experience in corporate strategy, business development, global marketing, commercial operations and planning across the biopharmaceutical industry.
Prior to joining Zura, Mr. Mustufa served as Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Amicus Therapeutics, where he played an integral part in corporate strategy, business development, and the global launch and commercialization strategies of two innovative medicines in orphan diseases. He subsequently led integration planning for Amicus when the company was acquired by BioMarin in May 2026. Prior to Amicus, Mr. Mustufa held commercial and business development roles at GlaxoSmithKline and focused largely on specialty therapeutic areas including immunology, respiratory, and oncology.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Mustufa held roles at The Frankel Group, a life science focused strategy consultancy, and The D.E Shaw Group, a global investment firm.
Mr. Mustufa earned his Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics from Tufts University and also completed degree requirements for a second major in Chemistry.
Kiran Nistala, MBBS, Ph.D.
Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development
Kiran Nistala, MBBS, Ph.D.
Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development
Kiran Nistala, MBBS, Ph.D., serves as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development at Zura. He 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.
Prior to joining Zura, Dr. Nistala served as Vice President of late-stage clinical development in Immunology at AstraZeneca, where he was instrumental in the company’s 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, the 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, an MBBS and Ph.D. in Immunology from University College London, and completed advanced scientific training through a prestigious Clinician Scientist Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust.
Gary Whale, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer
Gary Whale, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer
Gary Whale, Ph.D., serves as Chief Technology Officer at Zura. He brings more than 25 years of experience in biologics development, technical operations, and manufacturing across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
Prior to joining Zura, Dr. Whale served as Vice President, Global Head of Technical Operations at EUSA Pharma, a privately held specialty rare disease company focused on the development and commercial supply of oncology biologics. During his tenure, the company experienced significant growth and profitability and was acquired in 2022 by the Italian specialty-care company Recordati.
Previously, Dr. Whale served as Chief Operating Officer at VHsquared, a biotechnology company focused on the clinical development of therapies for autoimmune diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, overseeing global clinical manufacturing programs supporting late-stage development. Earlier in his career, Dr. Whale held technical operations leadership roles at Emergent BioSolutions, Microscience, and Procter & Gamble.
Dr. Whale earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and a master’s degree in Microbiology from the University of London before receiving a Ph.D. in the purification and characterization of bacterial cell surface antigens from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.
Board of Directors
Amit Munshi
Chairman
Amit Munshi
Chairman
Amit Munshi has served as Chairman of the Zura Board of Directors since March 2023. He has more than 30 years of global experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Most recently, Mr. Munshi served as President and Chief Executive Officer of ReNAgade Therapeutics, which was acquired by Orna Therapeutics. He subsequently served as Chief Executive Officer of the combined company, which was later acquired by Eli Lilly.
Previously, Mr. Munshi served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Arena Pharmaceuticals from May 2016 to March 2022, when Arena Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Pfizer. During his tenure at Arena, neurology assets were spun out into Longboard Therapeutics, which was subsequently acquired by Lundbeck.
Prior to Arena Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Munshi served as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a director of Epirus Biopharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on biosimilars, and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Percivia, a biotechnology company acquired by Johnson & Johnson.
Prior to Epirus and Percivia, Mr. Munshi was a co-founder and served as Chief Business Officer of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals from 2005 to 2010, which was acquired by Allergan. He also held multiple leadership positions at Amgen from 1997 to 2005, including General Manager, Nephrology Europe.
Mr. Munshi also currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sensorion, Inhibikase Therapeutics, and Enterprise Therapeutics. In addition, he serves as a director of Zura’s U.S. subsidiaries, Zura Bio Inc. and Z33 Bio. Previously, Mr. Munshi served on the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee of Galecto from January 2020 to March 2026 and on the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee of Pulmatrix from June 2017 to March 2021.
Mr. Munshi holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in History from the University of California, Riverside, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.
Sandeep Kulkarni, M.D.
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Sandeep Kulkarni, M.D.
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Sandeep Kulkarni, M.D., is a co-founder of Zura and has served as Chief Executive Officer since January 2026. He has served on Zura’s Board of Directors since March 2023.
Previously, Dr. Kulkarni was a co-founder of Tourmaline Bio, where he led the company as Chief Executive Officer from September 2021 through its acquisition by Novartis, which closed in October 2025. Prior to co‑founding Tourmaline Bio, he was a Managing Director at KVP Capital from August 2020 to June 2022, focusing on biotechnology investments and company formation.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Kulkarni held multiple roles at Roivant Sciences from July 2018 to June 2020, including Chief Operating Officer of Immunovant, Vice President of Special Projects, and Ombudsman to the Investment Committee. Prior to Roivant, he was an Investment Analyst on the life sciences team at QVT Financial from April 2013 to August 2017. From August 2009 to May 2012, he worked at The Boston Consulting Group, first as a consultant and later as a project leader.
Dr. Kulkarni earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard College and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, San Francisco.
Dan Becker, M.D., Ph.D.
Director
Dan Becker, M.D., Ph.D.
Dan Becker, M.D., Ph.D., has served as a member of the Zura Board of Directors since May 2025. He is a physician-scientist and experienced life sciences investor with more than 15 years of leadership in biotechnology investing and corporate strategy. He currently serves as Managing Director at Access Biotechnology, the biopharmaceutical investment arm of Access Industries, a role he has held since August 2019.
Previously, Dr. Becker served as a Principal at New Leaf Venture Partners from 2015 to 2019 and earlier as a Principal in the Health Care practice at The Boston Consulting Group from 2009 to 2015. He trained in internal medicine and nephrology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital and was a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Becker currently serves on the boards of directors of Matchpoint Therapeutics, Khanda Therapeutics, Perfuse Therapeutics, and multiple stealth-stage private companies. Previously, Dr. Becker served on the boards of directors of public and private companies, including Acelyrin, Areteia Therapeutics, Hemab, Mariana Oncology, Day One Biopharmaceuticals, DTx Pharma, Principia Biopharma, and Pandion Therapeutics.
Dr. Becker holds an M.D. and Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Physiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Mark Eisner, M.D., MPH
Director
Mark Eisner, M.D., MPH
Director
Mark Eisner, M.D., MPH, has served as a member of the Zura Board of Directors since February 2026. Dr. Eisner is a biotechnology executive with extensive experience in global clinical development and regulatory strategy across multiple therapeutic areas. He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Vir Biotechnology until April 2026, where he was responsible for clinical development, regulatory sciences, and medical affairs.
Previously, Dr. Eisner served as Chief Medical Officer at Sonoma Biotherapeutics, a private clinical-stage biotechnology company, where he led all development functions, including biometrics, regulatory, clinical science, clinical operations, drug safety and pharmacology. He also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of FibroGen (now Kyntra Bio), where he led global development activities, including serving as Head of China Clinical Development and Clinical Operations.
Prior to FibroGen, Dr. Eisner spent nearly 11 years at Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, holding positions of increasing responsibility, including Senior Vice President, Global Head of Product Development for Immunology, Infectious Disease and Ophthalmology, where he was accountable for late-stage clinical development programs.
Prior to entering the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Eisner was Professor of Medicine and Anesthesia at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Eisner holds an A.B. degree in Human Biology from Stanford University, an M.D. from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MPH focused on epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health.
Jennifer Jarrett
Director
Jennifer Jarrett
Director
Jennifer Jarrett has served as a member of the Zura Board of Directors since March 2023. Ms. Jarrett is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Damora Therapeutics. Prior to joining Damora Therapeutics, she served as Chief Operating Officer of Arcus Biosciences beginning in October 2020. Previously, Ms. Jarrett served as Vice President of Corporate Development and Capital Markets at Uber Technologies from January 2019 through September 2020. Earlier, she served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Arcus Biosciences from June 2018 to January 2019, and as Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Arcus Biosciences from March 2017 to June 2018.
From March 2016 to October 2016, Ms. Jarrett served as Chief Financial Officer of Medivation, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that was acquired by Pfizer. Prior to Medivation, she spent 20 years in investment banking, most recently at Citigroup, where she led the firm’s West Coast life sciences investment banking practice, and previously at Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.
Ms. Jarrett currently serves on the boards of Damora Therapeutics, Syndax Pharmaceuticals, and Sagimet Biosciences, and previously served on the boards of Arena Pharmaceuticals, Audentes Therapeutics, Radius Health, and Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corp.
Ms. Jarrett earned a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Ajay Nirula, M.D., Ph.D.
Director
Ajay Nirula, M.D., Ph.D.
Director
Ajay Nirula, M.D., Ph.D., is a physician-scientist and biotechnology executive with significant experience in immunology research and clinical development and has served as a member of the Zura Board of Directors since February 2026. Dr. Nirula currently serves as President and Head of Research and Development at Recludix Pharma. He also serves as an Independent Director for Adaxion Therapeutics, on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Kao Autoimmunity Institute, and on the Investment Committee of Lupus Ventures.
Previously, Dr. Nirula served as Senior Vice President and Immunology Therapeutic Area Head at Eli Lilly and as Site Head for the Lilly Biotechnology Center in San Diego, where he led discovery research and early- and mid-phase clinical development in immunology. During his tenure at Lilly, he oversaw the development of tibulizumab prior to its licensing to Zura and contributed to the advancement of multiple programs for immunologic disease and treatment of COVID-19 into clinical development and regulatory filings through approval.
Prior to joining Lilly, Dr. Nirula held leadership roles at Amgen and Biogen Idec and was involved in research programs spanning diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and vasculitis. He began his industry career at Merck & Co., leading early clinical development programs in cardiovascular disease and inflammation.
Dr. Nirula received his undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.D. from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology and previously served on the faculty in the Division of Rheumatology at UCSF Medical Center.
Steve Schoch
Director
Steve Schoch
Director
Steven Schoch has served as a member of the Zura Board of Directors since March 2023. Mr. Schoch currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of RefleXion Medical, a position he has held since 2024. He 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 2022.
Prior to joining RefleXion Medical, Mr. Schoch served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of FLYR Labs from 2022 to 2024. Prior to joining FLYR Labs, Mr. Schoch served as Chief Financial Officer at 23andMe from 2018 to 2022. Mr. Schoch served as the Chief Executive Officer of Miramax Films from 2012 to 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, including Corporate Controller and divisional Financial Vice President. He served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of eToys from 1999 to 2001. Prior to eToys, 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 from Tufts University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College.
Parvinder Thiara
Director
Parvinder Thiara
Director
Parvinder Thiara has served as a member of the Zura Board of Directors since January 2026 and previously from March 2023 to May 2025.
Mr. Thiara is a founding director of Athanor Capital, a Cayman-based investment firm. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Oak Hill Bio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company. Mr. Thiara also served as a member of Tourmaline Bio’s Board of Directors from September 2022 through its acquisition by Novartis in October 2025. Previously, Mr. Thiara held various roles at D.E. Shaw & Co., including most recently as a Senior Vice President.
Mr. Thiara earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Harvard College and a Master of Science degree in Theoretical Chemistry from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.