Who We Are

Since joining the company as CSO in 2021, Chris became the CEO in September of 2023.   Chris is a drug hunter with 25 plus years of experience in large pharma and biotech. He received his PhD in molecular and cellular pharmacology and spent 20 years at Eli Lilly and Co. where he helped bring over 10 molecules into the clinic across multiple therapeutic areas and across both small and large molecule modalities. Prior to leaving Eli Lilly in 2019, Chris was Vice President of Quantitative Biology. Most recently Chris was CSO at Fulcrum Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotech focused on rare diseases, where he was responsible for the full range of drug discovery, translational science and early development activities including building and advancing the company’s preclinical portfolio through Phase 1 clinical trials. He was the scientific lead for Pociredir (FTX-6058) that is currently in phase 1b clinical testing for Sickle Cell Disease. Chris has been instrumental in creating multiple business development partnerships and with engaging the investment community to achieve additional financing for the company.

Alex is our resident bioinformatics expert. In her day-to-day she tries to unlock the mysteries to genetic riddles, big and small, that need demystifying. She loves numbers and stares at thousands of them everyday and can probably assign a significance value to almost anything. In her past life, she has harnessed her passion for numbers and data in the field of CRISPR and food sciences. Staying true to the nerd in herself, she enjoys chilling with her pup, reading, running and video games in her free time.

Amanda began her career in clinical research at the University of California San Francisco’s Center for Maternal Fetal Precision Medicine. While at UCSF, she managed several studies researching the clinical utility of exome sequencing in pregnancies with severe anomalies. Amanda was an integral part of the development of the Hydrops Center of Excellence and the expansion of exome sequencing as standard of care in prenatal clinics at UCSF.As a Project Manager at Transcripta Bio, she works closely with both the Discovery Research and Engineering teams to support internal initiatives and customer programs. She’s excited to be a part of Transcripta Bio’s efforts to revolutionize drug discovery and its impact on human health.

Clayton is an engineer passionate about developing impactful applications of machine learning and computer vision. He received his BS in Symbolic Systems and MS in Computer Science from Stanford. After graduating, he spent several years in a startup and then at Yahoo, where he worked on billion-scale image search and deep learning applications for Flickr. Most recently, before joining Rarebase, Clayton developed industrial computer vision applications such as automated visual inspection for manufacturing at Google Cloud. Shortly before graduating, Clayton was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called NF2 which causes tumors to grow from his nerves. He believes that breakthrough technologies in machine learning and high throughput biology applied in a patient-first approach will drive a revolution in human health.

Daniel has been on the BD team at Transcripta since 2023, and is an accomplished individual with a strong background in biology, biotechnology, and business. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Utah and has demonstrated exceptional skills in the field, as evidenced by his membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. With a passion for biotechnology and business, Daniel has excelled in venture development at the University of Utah's Technology Licensing Office, commercial strategy at Myriad Genetics, and deal sourcing at Sorenson Capital. Daniel's meticulous approach and dedication to quality enhances opportunity recognition, shareholder confidence, and overall investment effectiveness. He also has extensive experience in biotechnology consulting, providing valuable guidance on mergers, market analysis, and commercialization strategies. With his exceptional academic background, professional achievements, and dedication to the intersection of science and entrepreneurship, Daniel brings a unique perspective to the world of biotechnology and venture development.

Deanna Wong is a seasoned operations leader who has previously managed all subspecialties in the UCSF Department of Ophthalmology. She went on to help Pacific Vision Foundation successfully launch a single specialty surgery center and open a low-vision clinical practice in downtown San Francisco. Her previous experience as Executive Director of Loving Eyes Foundation brings the skill sets to create sustainability and structure in early-stage organizations. Deanna brings high-performance management to keep Transcripta Bio’s operations efficient and productive.

Gabriel started his career as a Clinical Lab Technician at a high-throughput screening laboratory and quickly discovered his passion for lab automation. At Transcripta, he has quickly grown as an experienced Research Associate and focuses on molecular biology assays and developing new automation protocols. With a keen eye for optimization and a dedication to advancing scientific progress, Gabriel continues to play a pivotal role in accelerating research at Transcripta.

Katherine is a passionate biologist with a diverse neuroscience and quality assurance background. Her laboratory career began as an undergraduate volunteer at the Medical University of South Carolina Institute of Psychiatry in a Neuroscience laboratory. She graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor’s in Biology and gained industry experience in the microbiology lab for an allograft implant manufacturer, RTI Surgical. Subsequently, she completed her Master’s in Biology at Georgia State University, focusing her research on preventing latent Tuberculosis reactivation. Katherine previously worked with the toxicology team at Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Boston headquarters, where she led the validation of an in-vitro genetic toxicology assay in the Preclinical Sciences department. After making the jump to transcripta bio in October 2023, Katherine has been working as half of the Phenotypic Screening team to explore phenotypic changes in various in-vitro applications. She is motivated by a strong desire to grow as a scientist and to use the latest advancements in scientific technology to benefit those who need it the most.

Following her passion for drug research, Long obtained a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Kansas with a thesis focused on understanding the risk mechanisms and perturbed energy metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease.During her postdoctoral training at UCSF and the Buck Institute, she expanded her research to other neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease. She began working on genomic editing in human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for disease modeling. She is excited to bring her scientific expertise and training to iPSC-based drug screening platform at Transcripta Bio.

Michael started his scientific journey at the University of California, Santa Cruz, as a Master’s student in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, where he investigated the impact of disease-causing mutations on pre-mRNA splicing. His work laid the foundation for an undergraduate research laboratory focused on characterizing the effects of other disease-causing mutations on pre-mRNA splicing. Afterward, he joined Genentech, where his strong foundation in cell culture and molecular biology techniques proved instrumental in driving his team’s research. In his previous role at Stanford University, Michael skillfully led a team specializing in single-cell RNA sequencing, incorporating cutting-edge technologies to construct multimodal single-cell RNA-seq libraries. He expertly integrated next-generation sequencing products and collaborated with Stanford scientists to generate impactful datasets. Michael now applies his scientific expertise at Transcripta Bio to pursue novel therapies for genetic diseases.

Natalie is a board-certified genetic counselor with specific interests in pediatric and cardiac genetics, precision medicine, and project management. She holds a Master's degree in Human Genetics and genetic Counseling from Stanford University. During her clinical genetics career at Stanford and UCSF, Natalie leveraged her knowledge and compassion to assist families with diverse genetic conditions. Her time at UCSF was particularly notable as she spearheaded the establishment of a pediatric cardiogenetics service, underscoring her commitment to advancing innovative healthcare practices. Driven by a desire to broaden her impact, Natalie transitioned into project management and research operations at Transcripta. Drawing upon her clinical perspective and expertise, she is dedicated to Transcripta's mission of advancing therapeutic discovery for patients impacted by genetic disease.

Nicole is passionate about creating unified teams to drive company operations, business initiatives and financial efficiency. Before joining Transcripta, she was VP of Customer Operations at Science Exchange where she led Customer Success and Support teams working closely with pharma and biotech scientists and Contract Research Organizations to manage outsourced R&D programs. She was also a key member of the Reproducibility Project:Cancer Biology which was a large-scale study to examine scientific reproducibility through replication. Nicole received her PhD in Biology from the University of Washington in Seattle and worked as a research scientist at Princeton, UC Berkeley, and the Max Planck Institute.

Riley studied Bioengineering at Santa Clara University and began his career working as a data scientist at Roche Diagnostics on a system engineering team. While at Roche, he worked on building custom web applications for his team to better visualize and understand data during development of a next generation sequencing instrument. He then moved on to Ionpath, a digital pathology start-up based in Menlo Park, California. There, he worked as a full-stack software engineer developing a web-based instrument control application.

As Transcripta's first full-time software engineer, he builds software solutions to streamline the drug discovery workflow. He looks forward to leveraging his background in bioengineering and software to help discover promising new drug candidates.

Ursula brings extensive expertise as a respected neuroscientist specializing in neurodegeneration and iPSC disease modeling. She has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the renowned Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, which was complemented by extensive postdoctoral training at Stanford University, where she studied genetic mutations leading to cognitive decline and autism. Before joining Transcripta, Ursula held vital roles in academic and industrial environments, where she was instrumental in advancing novel therapeutics from bench to bedside. Her track record includes leadership in target identification and biomarker validation, shaping the development of innovative therapies across multiple therapeutic areas. With over 15 years of extensive experience in drug discovery and translational medicine, Ursula is the driving force behind our mission to integrate groundbreaking research findings into concrete clinical applications for patients in need.

John is a seasoned investor, focusing on companies across frontier technology, enterprise software, robotics, healthcare, and artificial intelligence. He gravitates towards startups that are using science and technology to break down barriers to productivity growth and enable a better future for the largest number of people.

Prior to JAZZ, John was at Osage University Partners (OUP) and Lux Capital, where he focused on building and investing in companies at the intersection of science and deep technology. He brings extensive expertise in understanding nascent technologies and how they translate into product.

Zack is an entrepreneur and futurist who has deep insight into how emerging technologies impact industry and human society. He is a proactive board member and investor across a broad array of technology and health-related markets and enjoys helping innovators achieve their visions.

Before JAZZ, Zack built several companies focused on connecting industries including a global conference ecosystem that enabled thousands of startups to tap into new sources of capital. Needing to share his vision for the next 50 years, he wrote the global best-selling book, The Neuro Revolution: How Brain Science Is Changing Our World.

Ciarán O’Leary is a co-founder of BlueYard Capital, a $120m early stage fund based in Berlin that invests in founders decentralizing markets, empowering users and liberating data. Ciarán’s investments include Wunderlist, Carto, BigchainDB, Vectary, deepstream and others from Palo Alto to Bratislava.

Prior to founding BlueYard, Ciarán set-up Earlybird Venture Capital’s Berlin office as a partner and before that was at The Carlyle Group.

A multi-time entrepreneur, investor, and strategic advisor, Ben has held founding, executive and board roles at startups (Wetpaint/VGGL, Fatbrain AI, Blue Nile/NILE, Madrona Venture Labs, Dolly/Updater, Zeitworks), and numerous advisory roles with other companies and venture investors.

Ben has become well-known for finding the golden path that gets investors to 'yes', and for navigating difficult moments with just the right messages for success. He digs in deep with CEOs and management teams and has been referred to as a 'startup rabbi' for his guidance to help them solve their most difficult (and often existential) problems.

Carrie Rich is passionate about making the world better through business and leadership. She is the co-founder and CEO of The Global Good Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the leadership of high-potential social entrepreneurs. Carrie also serves as Managing Director of the Global Impact Fund, a venture capital fund that invests in socially impactful businesses. Following a rare disease diagnosis for her child and several years of searching for treatments, Carrie became an advisor to Transcripta Bio, a proper platform drug development biotech that is revolutionizing the process of discovering and developing medicines at unprecedented speed and scale. She found potential answers by working with Transcripta Bio to discover an alternative path forward with repurposed drugs. Carrie’s goal is that 400M people with rare diseases, two-thirds of whom are children, can benefit from Transcripta Bio's approach. Carrie is also a best-selling author. Her works include Health Entrepreneurship: A Practical Guide, two editions of Sustainability for Healthcare Management: A Leadership Imperative, and Impact The World: Live Your Values and Drive Changes as a Citizen Statesperson, a Wall Street Journal bestseller. She serves on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards. She serves on the Board of Directors of Trinity Health, Cabinet Health, and the Atlas Health Foundation. She is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Health at Lehigh University. In addition, Carrie served as an adjunct faculty instructor and served as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University School of Nursing and George Washington University School of Nursing. Carrie is the recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award and the Politico Women Who Rule award. She received a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences, Science, Technology & Society, and Health & Human Development from Lehigh University and her Master of Science in Health Systems Administration from Georgetown University.

Matt Might has been the Director of the Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) since 2017. At UAB, Matt is the Hugh Kaul Endowed Chair of Personalized Medicine, a Professor of Internal Medicine, and a Professor of Computer Science. From 2016 to 2018, Matt was a Strategist in the Executive Office of the President in The White House. In 2015, Matt joined the faculty of the Department of Biomedical Informatics at the Harvard Medical School, first as Visiting Professor and since 2017 as Senior Lecturer. Matt is co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of NGLY1.org, and he was a co-founder and Scientific Advisor to Pairnomix. Q State Biosciences acquired Pairnomix in October 2018 and Matt remains a Scientific Advisor and Board Member. Prior to medicine, Matt spent nearly a decade as a professor of computer science at the University of Utah. In 2014, he was named one of the University of Utah's first six Presidential Scholars.

Matt is a clinical geneticist and molecular biologist who spent 15 years at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia investigating the genetic and cell biological basis of a number of rare disorders of syndromic intellectual disability. He is currently the Director of Personalized Care at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, where he is passionate about applying genomic medicine to pediatric care and increasing therapeutic options for children with rare disorders.

After surviving cancer as a young teen, Michael has dedicated his life to drug discovery. He has been fortunate to learn from exceptional mentors and be part of efforts leading to marketed products and a compound that has recently been designated fast-track by the FDA. Michael has extensive experience building and leading teams/departments locally and internationally in autoimmune, cardiovascular, diabetes, metabolic, and infectious disease areas.

Elizabeth started her career as a research scientist, getting a PhD in Cancer Biology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and continuing on as a postdoctoral researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of Miami. In 2011 Elizabeth left academic research to found Science Exchange, a research outsourcing platform used by the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. Elizabeth has since served as the CEO of Science Exchange and joined Transcripta Bio as a Scientific Advisor in 2020. Through her work at Science Exchange, Elizabeth has seen breakthrough technology amplify and accelerate biotech and pharmaceutical companies' development pipelines. She is most excited to help Transcripta Bio bring these technologies to bear on therapeutic discovery for rare disorders in partnership with patient advocacy-led non-profit organizations.

Joe is an experienced scientist with a strong business and strategic development background. He has played critical roles in developing multiple early-stage biotechnology companies, including a functional genomics platform acquired by a leading pharmaceutical company developing treatments for neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases. Joe specializes in working with cross-functional teams to apply high-throughput genetic screening to drug discovery and has contributed to the development of small molecules, protein therapeutics, and cell and gene therapies. Joe earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and holds a BS in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University.