About
Us

Samir Ounzain is a molecular biologist and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience exploring the regulatory “dark matter” of the human genome. As CEO and Co-Founder of HAYA Therapeutics, he is pioneering a new class of precision RNA medicines that target long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to reprogram the root causes of disease—at the level of cell state. 

Under his leadership, HAYA has grown from foundational discovery to platform-enabled execution, securing top-tier venture backing and forging transformative partnerships, including one of the largest collaborations to date in the regulatory genome space with Eli Lilly and Company. This alliance is focused on uncovering novel lncRNA targets for the development of new therapies in obesity and related metabolic diseases.
Samir’s vision is to build a future where medicine is programmable, preventative, and patient-centric—powered by real-time interaction with the regulatory genome. His dedication and innovation have earned him prestigious recognition, including being named among the top innovators on The Power List 2025  in the ‘Advanced Medicine’ category by Medicine Maker, one of the 2025 Emerging Pharma Leaders by Pharmaceutical Executive, and one of the 100 Personalities who shapes French-speaking Switzerland by Le Temps. Together with his co-founder Dr. Daniel Blessing (CTO), he was also awarded the Andreas & Thomas Struengmann Award (2024) for visionary scientific entrepreneurship. Before founding HAYA, Samir was a Project Leader and Research Fellow at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), where he led the discovery of hundreds of novel cardiac-enriched lncRNAs, including CARMEN, Meteor, and Wisper—the latter forming the scientific and therapeutic foundation for HAYA’s lead program.

Inspired by and dedicated to the premise of programable regulatory genome targeted therapeutics and genetic medicines broadly, Dr. Daniel Blessing is Co-Founder and CTO of HAYA Therapeutics. His role at HAYA is focused on leading R&D to devise and execute strategies to bring assets and drug candidates from early discovery to the translational IND-enabling stage.  As HAYA’s co-founder he was recognized with the Andreas & Thomas Struengmann Award 2024 for their pioneering entrepreneurial vision. Dr. Blessing’s scientific background includes post-doctoral research at the University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV) in genetic medicines and RNA-targeting therapeutics for the modulation of regulatory genome derive non-coding RNAs and PhD research at the University of Lausanne/EPFL focused on therapeutic gene delivery and gene therapy approaches using different modalities.

Richard has spent over 20 years in drug discovery, first as a computational chemist, and then in business development at the intersection of biology and technology. After his degree and Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics at the University of Oxford, he spent several years working in academia, biotech and government labs in California as a computational chemist. In 2008 he was hired as the Global Head of Computational Chemistry at Evotec, and after leading a team and several drug discovery projects, in 2013 became SVP Business Development, managing a team to build successful alliances between Evotec and biotech and pharma. One of many deals Richard helped form while at Evotec was Evotec’s series A investment in a small Dundee University spinout called Exscientia back in 2017, and he joined the company as Chief Business Officer in late 2020 to enable partnerships such as those with BMS, Sanofi, Merck Darmstadt, EQRX, and the Gates Foundation, the acquisition of Allcyte, the company’s Nasdaq IPO in 2021, and finally the merger with Recursion in 2024.

At HAYA Therapeutics, Richard drives business strategy development by leveraging HAYA’s pioneering Regulatory Genome platform to create high-value biopharma partnerships, accelerate company growth, and secure life sciences funding.

Eric Adam has 25 years of experience in managing strategic alliances, partnerships, and operations within the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries. As the Global Head of Operations for Neuroscience and Rare Diseases at ROCHE, Eric played a crucial role in growing the neurosciences portfolio. He led successful partnerships and drug discovery initiatives, refined neuroscience asset prioritization, enhanced leadership structures, decision-making processes, and team performance. His career includes roles at Otsuka Pharma, Athelas SA, and entrepreneurial ventures on Biosafetys and Syrrx. Dr. Adam joined the founding teams of three organizations focused on antimicrobial resistance, including two biotechnology start-ups and a non-profit promoting access to essential medical care in developing countries. These efforts highlight his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to global health challenges.

As Chief Operations Officer (COO) at HAYA Therapeutics, Eric oversees operations, facilitates scalable growth across departments, enhances technological infrastructure, and supports the development of strategic partnerships and business ideas.

Dr. Shin is a medical professional with extensive experience in clinical practice and clinical development initiatives particularly in the gene therapy space. He was Senior Vice President (VP) of Clinical Development and Translational Science, Cardiology at LEXEO Therapeutics where he led the AAV gene therapies aimed at treating cardiomyopathy caused by Friedreich Ataxia and PKP2-mediated arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy from IND acceptance to first patient dosing. Before joining LEXEO, Dr. Shin held the position of Senior VP of Clinical Development and Translational Science at Renovacor, which was later acquired by Rocket Pharma. During his time at Renovacor, he was instrumental in planning translational research and developing the clinical strategy for its Bag3 gene therapy, serving as the strategic lead for the project team.

At Lung Biotechnology, a subsidiary of United Therapeutics, PBC, Dr. Shin was VP of Medical Development. His leadership was crucial in the clinical design, oversight and execution of the company’s small molecule programs, devices, cardiac and renal xenotransplantation and cell and gene therapies. Dr. Shin had a distinguished academic career as a physician-scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He specialized in treating patients with advanced heart failure and heart transplant. He holds an MD and PhD from the University of Alabama and a bachelor’s from Harvard.

As HAYA’s CMO, Jordan will provide strategic direction and leadership to the company’s clinical activities. He will focus on demonstrating the clinical relevance and translatability of HAYA’s regulatory genome targeting therapeutic approach and its impact on human disease.

Jérôme Andries is a finance executive with over 30 years of international experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors. His expertise spans from finance, accounting, strategic planning and business development.

In his most recent role, as Head of Finance for GSK’s R&D organization, he was a key member of the R&D leadership team and of the various R&D investment boards, where he led portfolio prioritizations and fostered external collaborations.

Additionally, Jérôme served as director for the IP holding GSK entities. Prior to this, he was the CFO for ViiV Healthcare, a global specialist HIV company, where he managed finance growth, business development, and played a pivotal role in ensuring global drug supply through flexible pricing and partnerships.

Earlier in his career, Jérôme served as the European CFO for Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) and held various finance and business development roles of increasing responsibility at both Lilly and Hoechst Marion Roussel across Europe, Asia and the Middle-East, gaining broad cross-market experience.

As HAYA’s CFO, he will drive financial strategy and strengthen our financial foundations, ensuring HAYA’s sustainable growth and value creation, as we scale across geographies and advance our pipeline of cell state reprogramming medicines.

With over 15 years of experience, Mihaela brings extensive expertise in financial strategy, corporate finance, and operational efficiency. Before joining HAYA, Mihaela held senior roles at SOPHiA GENETICS, leading the Company’s transition of financial processes from private to public company. Prior to that, she was at the World Trade Organization, where she led global financial operations and reporting. Earlier in her career, Mihaela spent over a decade at Ernst and Young (EY), where she served high growth life sciences companies across the US and Europe, advising on complex transactions such as initial public offerings and M&A ranging from pre-clinical stages through to commercialization.

As Senior Vice President Finance, Mihaela will be in charge of leading strategic planning and budgeting, supporting capital raising efforts, and building relationships with financial institutions. She will oversee financial operations and compliance, ensuring efficient systems and adherence to regulations. Mihaela will support corporate development initiatives and investor relations.

Denis Drygin, PhD, is a Biologist, Chemist, and Pharmacologist with over twenty years of experience in the discovery and development of RNA-targeting therapeutics. He has previously served in leadership positions at several biotech companies including Regulus Therapeutics, Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Nosis Biosciences and Jaan Biotherapeutics. In addition, Denis co-found Pimera Therapeutics, a clinical stage company focused on targeting RNA biogenesis for the treatment of advanced malignancies. During his career, Denis led or directly supervised the discovery and/or development of six therapeutics that entered clinical development including Farabursen, an oligonucleotide therapeutic, later acquired by Novartis. Dr. Drygin holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in chemistry from Moscow State University, and later earned Masters and Doctorate degrees in Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts (UMASS), Amherst. He completed his post-doctoral training at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, where he served as a lead scientist investigating the pharmacology and toxicology of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs).

At HAYA Therapeutics, Denis brings a unique combination of scientific depth and drug development expertise, strengthening our executional capabilities across R&D pipeline, ensuring an effective development from candidate selection through IND.

James G. Karras has devoted more than two decades to leading drug discovery and clinical development initiatives in prominent pharmaceutical companies. His career began in 1997 at Isis Pharmaceuticals (now Ionis Pharmaceuticals), where he held the position of Associate Director. In 2007, he transitioned to Altair Therapeutics, serving as a Scientific Director. In 2010, he joined Regulus Therapeutics as Director of Immunology. Continuing his career path, in 2012, he became Associate Scientific Director of Immunology at Janssen R&D. His career advanced in 2016 when he was appointed Senior Director of In Vivo Pharmacology at Ferring Research Institute. By 2020, he was Vice President of Translational Sciences at Forge Therapeutics, Inc., and in 2021, he continued in the same role at Blacksmith Medicines.

James Karras holds a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from UC San Diego (1979-1983) and a PhD in Pharmacology/Toxicology from Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University (1989 -1994).

At HAYA Therapeutics, James is the Vice President, Translation. He and his team are responsible to advance disease-, tissue- and cell-specific lncRNAs discoveries into novel oligonucleotides-based therapies.  

Dr. Thomas is Founder and CEO of gene editing company Metagenomi. Prior to founding Metagenomi, he spent more than 20 years at the University of California, Berkeley, advancing the science of metagenomics to understand novel biochemistry.

Dr. Thomas’s scientific work has been cited over 17,000 times. He is also listed as an inventor on numerous patents in the field of gene editing. He has a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from The University of Kansas and completed post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley.

Henrijette Richter is a Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners, a leading European venture capital firm.

She joined Sofinnova in 2014, and her investments and board involvements include Mozart Therapeutics, Freya Biosciences, Muna Therapeutics, Nitrase Therapeutics, NodThera, Delinia (sold to Celgene), and iOmx Therapeutics.

Prior to Sofinnova, Henrijette was part of the team that founded Novo Seeds in 2007, and as an Investment Director, she was instrumental in the creation, financing and building of companies such as Orphazyme (ORPHA.CO; ORPH), Avilex Pharma, EpiTherapeutics (sold to Gilead).

Henrijette started her career in venture more than 20 years ago when she joined Sunstone Capital from her postdoctoral fellowship at the MIT Center for Cancer Research in Massachusetts. Henrijette is part of several advisory boards including the SUND Advisory Board (University of Copenhagen), The Sanger Venture Advisory Group, and is part of the Invest Europe VC Council.

Henrijette holds a combined PhD and Industrial Scientist degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Copenhagen and Novo Nordisk A/S. She did her postdoctoral fellowship at the MIT Center for Cancer Research in Massachusetts.

Rabab joined Earlybird Health – a specialized fund within the broader Earlybird platform – in 2020 and is now a Principal. In addition to her board position at HAYA Therapeutics, Rabab serves as a board member of Grey Wolf Therapeutics and a board observer for ImCheck Therapeutics, Argá Medtech, Priothera, and Prothea Technologies.

She has conducted research at renowned institutions, including The George Institute for Global Health, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Research UK, and Cambridge University.

Rabab holds a PhD in Regenerative Medicine from UNSW Sydney and the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, specializing in therapeutics for immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases.

Marianne is a Partner at Apollo Health Ventures. She has more than 10 years of experience in the life science industry spanning venture investing, strategy consulting and research. Prior joining Apollo Health Ventures team, she led investments into a number of life sciences companies across different stages of development, as a Principal with Wellington Partners and as an Investment Manager at HTGF. Earlier in her career Marianne worked as a management consultant and supported pharmaceutical and medical technology companies on strategy, portfolio and business unit development.

Marianne obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with distinction in Biotechnology from RWTH Aachen University and The Scripps Research Institute. She then conducted her PhD research focusing on the molecular imaging of cardiac regenerative medicines, a body of work that has been honored with several awards.

Benjamin Kreitman broadly supports the Broadview Ventures investment team in its day-to-day operations, including identification and screening of new opportunities, due diligence, negotiation of deal structure, and portfolio company involvement.

Prior to joining Broadview, Benjamin was a Consultant at Monitor Deloitte, the strategy management consulting arm of Deloitte Consulting, LLP. At Monitor Deloitte, Benjamin worked alongside senior executives on a variety of engagements including commercial strategy development for biotechnology startups as well as global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and corporate development and investment due diligence across a number of industries.

Benjamin earned undergraduate degrees in Biological Sciences and Financial Economics Magna Cum Laude from Columbia University.

Samir Ounzain is a molecular biologist and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience exploring the regulatory “dark matter” of the human genome. As CEO and Co-Founder of HAYA Therapeutics, he is pioneering a new class of precision RNA medicines that target long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to reprogram the root causes of disease—at the level of cell state. 

Under his leadership, HAYA has grown from foundational discovery to platform-enabled execution, securing top-tier venture backing and forging transformative partnerships, including one of the largest collaborations to date in the regulatory genome space with Eli Lilly and Company. This alliance is focused on uncovering novel lncRNA targets for the development of new therapies in obesity and related metabolic diseases. 

Samir’s vision is to build a future where medicine is programmable, preventative, and patient-centric—powered by real-time interaction with the regulatory genome. Together with his co-founder Dr. Daniel Blessing (CTO), he was awarded the Andreas & Thomas Struengmann Award (2024) for visionary scientific entrepreneurship and was named one of the top innovators on The Medicine Maker Power List 2025 in the ‘Advanced Medicine’ category. Before founding HAYA, Samir was a Project Leader and Research Fellow at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), where he led the discovery of hundreds of novel cardiac-enriched lncRNAs, including CARMEN, Meteor, and Wisper—the latter forming the scientific and therapeutic foundation for HAYA’s lead program.

Dr. John Mattick is the SHARP Professor of RNA Biology at UNSW Sydney. His career includes significant leadership roles, including Executive of Genomics England and Director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney. In addition, he served as the Foundation Director of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience and the Australian Genome Research Facility at the University of Queensland.

Professor Mattick’s work has revolutionized our knowledge of the human genome and noncoding RNAs in the evolution and development of humans and other complex organisms. His work challenged the traditional view that most of the genome is “junk”, and demonstrated that this portion of the genome encodes a sophisticated regulatory system, driven by RNA, that governs epigenetic processes, cellular differentiation, development, and disease.

A globally renowned expert in this field, Professor Mattick has published over 300 scientific articles, cited more than 100,000 times, and is ranked the #1 scholar worldwide in noncoding RNA and #4 in RNA research. He has received several awards including the Associate Membership of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Medal, the Human Genome Organization Chen Medal for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Human Genetics and Genomic Research, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Bertner Award for Distinguished Contributions to Cancer Research. 

Dr. Rinn obtained his PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University. His thesis research in Michael Snyder’s lab was one of the first to discover thousands of lncRNAs encoded in the human genome. Dr. Rinn continued to work on lncRNA regulation as a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellow with Howard Chang at Stanford. He started his independent research program at Harvard University in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and the Broad Institute. After receiving tenure, Dr. Rinn moved his research program to focus more on RNA biochemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder BioFrontier’s Institute. Collectively, the Rinn lab’s research has been recognized by several national and international awards, including NIH Directors Innovator Award and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty scholars program.

Dr. Rinn was recently considered one of the top 1% influential scientists of the decade by the Web of Science in Genetics and Molecular biology.

Cedric Feschotte is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University. Dr. Feschotte have 20 years of experience studying mobile genetic elements. His laboratory uses an integrative approach combining functional and computational genomics, biochemistry, and genetics in different model systems to investigate how mobile element sequences have fueled the evolution and physiology of their host species – including disease states.

Dr. Feschotte is a member of the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, as well as the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology.

Dr. Agrawal is founder and President of ARNAY Sciences LLC. He also serves as a member of the business advisory board of Harvard Medical School’s Initiative for RNA Medicine and serves on the SAB of several biotechnology companies. He is a co-founder of Idera Pharmaceuticals and has held various leadership roles within the company, including Chairman, CEO, and President of Research until 2017. Over the last three decades, his research has been focused on the discovery and development of antisense and RNA-based therapeutics.

He has published over 300 research papers and is listed as a co-inventor on more than 400 patents worldwide. He has edited four books on oligonucleotides and antisense technology, including a recent book on ‘Advances in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics’ published by The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Dr. Mann is recognized as the Ada L. Steininger Professorship in Cardiology, and Professor of Medicine and Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology in the John T. Milliken Department of Medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His research focuses on the role of innate immunity and cryoprotection in heart failure and the basic mechanisms that contribute to left ventricular remodeling and reverse left ventricular remodeling. As a researcher, he has authored almost 400 peer-reviewed publications in world-renowned journals, including JAMA Cardiology, Circulation, Nature Cardiovascular Research, and the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Dr. Mann has also served as Principal Investigator for multiple Phase II and III studies evaluating inflammation and cardiac remodeling in clinical heart failure, including RENAISSANCE, RENEWAL, Acorn Pivotal Trial, INOVATE-HF and the LIFE trial.

Among his prestigious recognitions, Dr. Mann achieved the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Heart Failure Society of America and the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Basic to Translational Science. Dr. Mann holds an M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine and a B.A. in Biology from Lafayette College.

Dr. Schelbert is a cardiologist at the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute. He has focused on measuring myocardial fibrosis for two decades ever since commencing training in cardiology. While at the University of Pittsburgh, he has pioneered the deployment of routine, noninvasive myocardial fibrosis measurements in humans and its strong association with incident patient outcomes. Dr. Schelbert’s work builds upon several investigations from other pioneers and demonstrates that myocardial fibrosis represents a distinct domain of vulnerability for patients, separate from conventional measures.

Dr. Schelbert has published his research in world-leading, peer-reviewed journals including The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and Circulation of the American Heart Association.

Dr. Miller is a cardiologist and cardiovascular researcher in the UK. He leads a heart failure with preserved ejection fraction clinical service and is the director of a cardiovascular magnetic resonance research center. Dr Miller conducts experimental medicine trials evaluating the efficacy and mechanism of new and repurposed therapies designed to target key cardiovascular disease processes. He develops quantitative imaging biomarkers of cardiovascular injury and adaptation and applies these biomarkers to deeply phenotype cardiovascular health and disease. 

He also employs the imaging biomarkers in the experimental medicine trials for predictive enrichment, and to measure the effect of therapies, and as such, he uses imaging to connect human cardiovascular biology with drug mechanisms of action in order to increase the likelihood of Phase III success.

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Dr. Masri’s specializes in caring for patients with conditions that result in abnormally thickened hearts, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis and Fabry’s disease. Dr. Masri trained in Internal Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, where he developed his passion for improving the lives of patients with heart disease. Subsequently, he moved to the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed training in cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Masri is also an expert in cardiac imaging. He spent two years at the University of Pittsburgh supported by a grant from the National Institute of Health, diagnosing and following up patients with thickened hearts.

From diagnostic approaches to therapeutics, Dr. Masri led numerous research projects that resulted in publications in leading academic journals.