About Us
Averna’s proprietary technology is based on a natural system and inserts therapeutic genetic instructions into “safe harbor” sites in the genome – genomic regions that allow stable gene integration without disrupting normal cell function. Because Averna’s medicines are encoded in RNA, they can be delivered using validated, non-viral delivery platforms that are safe, efficient, scalable, and cost-effective, and that allow redosing to effect with a curative intent.
Roy joined OrbiMed in 2016 and is a Principal on the Private Equity team. Prior to joining OrbiMed, Roy was a Director of Mergers Acquisitions and Licensing at Bayer Health Care where he was responsible for Health Care transactions. Prior to joining Bayer, he was a Summer Associate in the M&A group of Life Technologies (acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific). Roy has published scientific articles on mechanisms of intracellular trafficking, bone and cartilage development, and serum biomarkers in Xofigo patients. He received his B.A. in Chemistry and Biology from Tel Aviv University and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from the Weizmann Institute in Israel. Roy also holds an MBA in Finance and Healthcare Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Roy Amariglio
Board Member
Dr. Thomas (Tom) M. Barnes is the CEO of Averna Therapeutics, joining in 2025. Prior to Averna, he was the CEO of Orna Therapeutics, and an Executive Partner at MPM BioImpact, joining both in 2020. During his tenure at Orna, the company raised Series A and Series B financings, executed a major collaboration and licensing agreement with Merck, and acquired Orna’s sister company ReNAgade, Inc., transitioning his role to ReNAgade’s CEO. Prior to joining Orna, Dr. Barnes was at Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NTLA), which he joined with the founding team as Chief Scientific Officer. During his tenure there, he built and established the discovery team, and helped raise over $300M over several financings, including Intellia’s IPO. He also led efforts to extend the reach of Intellia’s CRISPR platform into ex vivo delivery. He played a significant role as the main corporate spokesperson to lay and industry press, and to governmental and non-governmental organizations on the rapidly evolving and intensely followed CRISPR landscape. Dr. Barnes has wide-ranging knowledge of biological systems through his work across diverse platforms, including gene editing, genomics and gene discovery, small molecule drug repositioning, and protein engineering. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, and completed research fellowships at Harvard Medical School and McGill University.
Tom Barnes
CEO and Board Member
A respected leader in Human Resources, known for her strategic acumen and ability to drive organizational transformation, Summer has a multi decade career in HR spanning executive roles at various venture backed companies as well as Biogen, Cardinal Health, and Bayer. She focuses on implementing HR strategies that promote growth, enhance performance, and cultivate thriving cultures. With a portfolio of over 35 client companies, her track record of successful implementations has solidified her reputation as a trusted advisor. In addition to her work within HR, she serves as a guest lecturer at Cornell University and MIT. She also mentors emerging entrepreneurs through accelerators like MIT Delta V, ACT House Tulsa, and Stadia Ventures. Ms. Busto holds a Bachelor's degree in Management & Society with a minor in Labor Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from MIT Sloan.
Summer Busto
Head of HR
Henry Chen established Delos Capital in 2015 and serves as its Managing Partner. Delos Capital is a global life sciences fund that empowers life sciences leaders to turn bold ideas into medical breakthroughs. Prior to establishing Delos, Mr. Chen was a Partner and Co-Head of Asia at Permira, a private equity firm with a total committed capital of approximately €80 billion. Prior to joining Permira, Mr. Chen was a Managing Director and co-headed the General Industrials Group (Asia excluding Japan) in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Mr. Chen was a corporate finance lawyer at Davis Polk. Mr. Chen has co-founded life sciences startups Curamir Therapeutics Inc. and Tulavi Therapeutics. Mr. Chen also is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tanvex Biopharma, Inc. a San Diego-based biopharma company listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Mr. Chen holds Bachelor and Masters degrees from Harvard University and a Juris Doctorate degree from Harvard Law School.
Henry Chen
Board Member
Dylan Morris is a Managing Director at Insight Partners, where he leads the firm’s bio practice. Mr. Morris joined Insight in 2021 to focus on investments at the intersection of computation and biology. He loves technology-enabled approaches to drug discovery and development, new therapeutic modalities, and curative therapies. He is drawn towards novel methods of generating data and enjoys working with driven founders who agree that the primary goal is to help patients. Mr. Morris currently sits on the board of directors of Insight’s investments in several private life sciences companies, including Superluminal Medicines, Unlearn, and Profluent. Mr. Morris was previously a General Partner at CRV, where he helped build the bioengineering practice, leading the firm’s investments in Recursion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RXRX) and Dyno Therapeutics, among others. Prior to CRV, Mr. Morris invested at Innovation Endeavors, Eric Schmidt’s early-stage venture capital firm, where he drove investments in the areas of computational and synthetic biology. Before becoming an investor, Mr. Morris cofounded Integrated Plasmonics, a venture-backed point-of-care diagnostics startup. Prior to that, he conducted graduate research in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Caltech. Mr. Morris received his AB in Computer Science from Harvard.
Dylan Morris
Board Member
Aaron Nelson MD, PhD is a Managing Director at the Novartis Venture Fund in Cambridge, MA, USA. Prior to NVF, he was an investor at dRx Capital, a joint investment company of Novartis and Qualcomm, focused on Digital Medicine. Previously, Aaron worked on technology strategy across multiple Business Units within Novartis, including Strategic Project Leader for the Trials of the Future program and as Group Head in the Investigative Toxicology organization. Aaron studied Medicine at Tufts University, Cell and Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania and the Karolinska Institutet, and completed his BSc at Cornell University.
Aaron Nelson
Board Member
Ms. Nursella has over 18 years of broad experience in senior financial and operational positions within public and private biotechnology companies supporting fund raising, licensing, partnerships and M&A transactions with total value exceeding billion USD with global companies. She has a deep expertise with building and leading operational and finance functions in addition to overseeing and collaborating with other critical business groups to enable growth and realization of value. Ms. Nursella is a Venture Partner with OrbiMed. Prior to joining Averna Therapeutics , she served as a CFO of ImmPact Bio (acquired by Lyell), a biotechnology company developing cutting-edge potent and selective chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell technologies during the transformative period of growth, including consummation of the merger with Kalthera and Series B financing. Prior to this Ms. Nursella served as a CFO of Adicet Bio, a biotechnology company discovering and developing allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapies for cancer and other diseases (NASDAQ: ACET) and General Manager of Adicet Israel.Ms. Nursella is a former CFO of cCam Biotherapeutics Ltd (acquired by Merck), Keystone Heart Ltd (acquired by Venus Medtech) , RDD Pharma Ltd , OticPharma Ltd, NasVax Ltd (TASE:NSVX), Elutex Ltd (TASE: ELTX). Ms. Nursella holds the MA Law degree from Bar-Ilan University and BA Finance and Economics degree from the University of Haifa and she is a Certified Public Accountant.
Anat Nursella
CFO
Nick is a Principal on the investment team at Innovation Endeavors. He primarily invests in companies developing novel therapeutics and tools that improve the way we diagnose, monitor, and treat disease. Nick has worked across the healthcare ecosystem throughout his career, including prior roles at Tempus AI, Spark Therapeutics, and Bain & Company. Nick has a BS in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Nick Olsen
Board Member
Raju Prasad, Ph.D., has served as Chief Financial Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics since March 2023. Prior to joining CRISPR, he served in various roles at William Blair & Company from March 2014 to March 2023, most recently as a Partner since January 2021. While at William Blair, he was a senior biotechnology analyst covering small-cap, mid-cap and large-cap companies. Raj led the firms’ initiative on launching coverage in the areas of cell therapy, gene therapy, and gene editing. He previously worked as a research associate with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and as an independent consultant with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He also serves on the advisory board of Portal Innovations, a life sciences venture development engine. Raj has a B.A. in cell biology and neuroscience from Rutgers University, an M.S. in exercise physiology from the University of Delaware, and a Ph.D. in environmental sciences and engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a focus in genetic toxicology and mutagenesis. He has authored several publications in scientific journals and is the author of Building Breakthroughs: On the Frontier of Medical Innovation.
Raju Prasad
Board Member
Dr. Stephen Squinto is an entrepreneur and biotechnology industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in drug development. He currently serves as chief investment officer and managing partner of J.P Morgan Life Sciences Private Capital. He previously was an executive partner at OrbiMed Advisors, and served as interim chief executive officer at Passage Bio, Inc. Prior to that, he co-founded Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and served as its executive vice president and chief global operations officer. Earlier in his career, Dr. Squinto held various positions at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and joint academic positions at the Tulane University and LSU Medical Schools. He is a recipient of numerous honors and awards from academic and professional organizations for his scientific work. Dr. Squinto received his B.A. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Loyola University of Chicago.
Dr. Stephen Squinto
Board Member
Tal joined OrbiMed in 2021 and is a Partner in the Private Equity team. Tal was recently the Chief Medical Officer at Moderna, where he led the development of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine and other key programs. Previously, Tal held leadership positions in drug development at major pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline. Tal received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Ben Gurion University and conducted post-doctoral research at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Tal Zaks
Executive Chairman of the BoardOur Investors
