About Us
By combining deep expertise in peptide discovery and development, MBX Biosciences is pioneering a new era of peptide therapeutics that confront the challenges of managing endocrine and metabolic diseases.
In overcoming the limitations of current therapies, we aim to improve the standard of care by reducing the severity of these diseases and simplifying the treatment regimen.
Mission
Our mission is to help people with endocrine and metabolic disorders live fuller and healthier lives.
Core Values
The pillars of our organization
As both individuals and an organization, we are driven to make a positive impact in the world; that’s why we do what we do. Spanning hiring to company culture to product development, we are guided by our core values to help us reach our goals swiftly, responsibly, and efficiently.
Transparency
Building trust through transparency and authenticity in all aspects of our work and communication.
Integrity
Commitment to honesty and accountability. We act with the highest standards of professionalism and quality.
Teamwork
Embracing collaboration and inclusivity in all our work.
Innovation
Translating leading-edge science into transformative medicines accessible to people in need of them.
Leadership team
MBX was founded by pioneers in the endocrine drug development field and is led by a team of seasoned industry veterans with a common goal to transform the treatment of endocrine and metabolic disorders and improve people’s lives. Members of our leadership team have collaborated successfully over several decades on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class endocrine therapeutics including Forteo®, Humalog®, and Byetta®.
Kent Hawryluk leads MBX Biosciences and has over 20 years’ experience as a life sciences entrepreneur, leader and investor.
Kent Hawryluk has nearly 20 years’ experience as a life sciences entrepreneur, leader and investor. Mr. Hawryluk is President & CEO and one of our co-founders.
Mr. Hawryluk was a Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Avidity Biosciences, a genetic medicines company, from January 2013 to December 2019. Under his leadership, Avidity raised $130 million in equity financings and initiated a significant strategic partnership with Eli Lilly. Previously, he served as Co-founder and CEO of MB2, a clinical-stage company focused on diabetes and obesity, from May 2014 to March 2016. MB2 was acquired by Novo Nordisk in October 2015. Prior to MB2 and Avidity, Mr. Hawryluk co-founded Marcadia Biotech and served as its Chief Business Officer and Vice President, Business Development from January 2006 to April 2011. Marcadia, a pioneer in peptide multi-agonists of incretin receptors, was acquired by Roche in December 2010. Mr. Hawryluk served as a director of Gemphire Therapeutics, a public clinical-stage cardiovascular drug company, from February 2015 to February 2019. He has served as partner of Twilight Venture Partners, a private seed- and early-stage life science venture capital fund, since January 2003.
Mr. Hawryluk earned a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University, a Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Master of Science in Biology from Purdue University.
Rick Bartram has more than 15 years of finance, accounting and business development experience.
Richard Bartram has more than 15 years of finance and accounting experience. Mr. Bartram is our Chief Financial Officer.
Prior to joining MBX, Mr. Bartram served as Chief Financial Officer at Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. a publicly traded pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for patients with elevated LDL-C cholesterol. During his time at Esperion, Mr. Bartram led the completion of several equity and non-equity financings, aggregating to more than $1.2 billion in proceeds, and provided key contributions to business development license transactions and the approval and commercialization of Esperion’s first products, Nexletol® and Nexlizet®. Prior to Esperion, Mr. Bartram served as a public accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in its Assurance practice.
Mr. Bartram earned both a Master of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Michigan State University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of Michigan.
Dr. Prestrelski is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with over 30 years of research and development experience.
Steven J. Prestrelski, Ph.D., M.B.A, is seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with over 30 years of scientific and operational expertise who has led successful endocrine and metabolism product development programs from discovery through regulatory approval. Dr. Prestrelski serves as our Chief Scientific Officer.
Dr. Prestrelski previously served as Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Xeris Biopharma Holdings Inc., a publicly traded pharmaceutical company focused on innovative ready-to-use solutions to improve patients’ lives. During his time at Xeris, he was responsible for all aspects of company research and development and intellectual property operations, portfolio management, and new product development. He also served as the company’s interim Chief Executive Officer from 2013-2014 and served on its board of directors from 2005-2015. Prior to Xeris, Dr. Prestrelski was Vice President, Pharmaceutical Research and Development at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he oversaw its R&D portfolio, including the Bydureon© (GLP-1) program in diabetes and managing the strategic alliances with Eli Lilly and Alkermes. Prior to Amylin, Dr. Prestrelski held significant roles in drug formulation and delivery as Vice President, Biopharmaceuticals at PowderJect Technologies, Inc., and as Director, Biopharmaceuticals at Alza. He also worked as a research scientist at both Amgen and the US Department of Agriculture.
Dr. Prestrelski has published over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and invited book chapters. He has 35 issued U.S. patents (over 100 globally) and 47 pending patent applications in the field of drug development, formulation, and delivery.
Dr. Prestrelski earned a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science from Drexel University, a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics from the City University of New York and a Master of Business Administration from Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Azoulay is an accomplished physician-scientist with over 35 years of experience in global drug development and operations. He has a track record of worldwide regulatory approvals and launching a diverse array of innovative and established products.
Sam Azoulay, MD is an accomplished physician-scientist with over 35 years of experience in global drug development and operations. He has a track record of worldwide regulatory approvals and launching a diverse array of innovative and established products. Dr. Azoulay serves as our Chief Medical Officer.
Dr. Azoulay previously served as Chief Medical Officer of Roivant Sciences and assumed the role of Chief Medical Officer at Sumitovant Biopharma following Roivant’s strategic spin-out of multiple portfolio companies to create an independent subsidiary of Sumitomo Dainippon. Prior to Roivant, he served at Pfizer for nearly 20 years in positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in his position as Chief Medical Officer of Pfizer Essential Health. Dr. Azoulay serves as an advisor to PharmStars’ Board.
Dr. Azoulay earned his M.D., with a specialty in cardiology, from the University of Paris VI. He also holds a D.E.S.S. in Business Administration and Management from the Sorbonne.
Michelle Graham brings 20+ years of experience in HR, talent management, and organizational development.
Michelle Graham is our Chief Human Resources Officer, where she leads the people strategy and culture initiatives to support the company’s vision of transforming lives through innovative biotechnology. She brings over 25 years of experience in human resources, talent management, and organizational development across various sectors of the healthcare industry.
Prior to joining MBX Biosciences, Ms. Graham served as the Chief Human Resources Officer at Albireo Pharma, Tesaro, and Parexel, where she successfully scaled the organizations, enhanced employee engagement, and enabled business performance. She has held senior human resources roles at Bausch & Lomb, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, and Cigna-Intracorp. She has a proven track record of leading global teams, developing and executing HR strategies, and fostering a diverse and inclusive culture.
Ms. Graham is passionate about advancing women’s leadership and HR practices in the healthcare sector. She serves on the board of Notre Dame Academy, is a Healthcare Business Association Advisor, and is a Boston HR Council member and guest speaker. She is also certified by the American College of Corporate Directors.
Ms. Graham earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management and a Master of Human Resources and Labor Relations from Michigan State University.
Dr. Dorato has 45+ years of experience in pharmacology, toxicology, discovery and development
Dr. Dorato has over 45 years of experience in pharmacology, toxicology and drug discovery and development. He spent 30 years at Eli Lilly and Co, retiring as Executive Director, Toxicology and Greenfield Laboratories Site Head.
Dr. Dorato also has significant experience in the Toxicology CRO industry, spending 5 years at Covance as Vice President and CSO Global Discovery Services; 5 years at Smithers Avanza as Executive Vice President Toxicology Services; 2 Years at Inotiv, as Sr. Vice President Toxicology and Pharmacology. In these positions he has led global organizations in safety and efficacy, lead optimization, investigative and regulatory toxicology, discovery and late phase pathology, animal welfare, molecular and anatomical imaging, in vivo pharmacology (oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, inflammation, renal, bone, receptor occupancy), developmental and reproductive toxicology, and model development.
Dr. Dorato has led drug development decisions in various phases of pharmaceutical research and development, organizational growth initiatives, and development of leaders. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences, a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, an Emeritus member of the Society of Toxicology and a full member of the American College of Toxicology.
Dr. Dorato earned his Ph.D. and MS in Pharmacology, and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions.
Dr. Fabbrini has extensive experience in clinical trial design and execution across all phases of drug development, advancing treatments for diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular, and liver diseases
Dr. Elisa Fabbrini is a visionary leader in the field of endocrine disorders, bringing a wealth of experience from both academic and industry perspectives. Her expertise in clinical trial design and execution across various phases of drug development has been instrumental in advancing treatments for diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular, and liver diseases. Dr. Fabbrini serves as our Vice President of Clinical Development.
Dr. Fabbrini most recently served as Senior Director of Translational and Experimental Medicine at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. She was responsible for leading the identification and clinical development strategies for groundbreaking therapies in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. She was responsible for the development of study protocols and study execution across small molecules, biologics and oligonucleotide therapeutics. In addition, Dr. Fabbrini has played a pivotal role in developing biomarker strategies for clinical programs.
Prior to joining Janssen, Dr. Fabbrini served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, where she focused on translational research and made significant contributions to the understanding of obesity pathophysiology and metabolic disease. Dr. Fabbrini’s commitment to scientific inquiry is evident in her extensive publication record, authoring numerous articles that reflect her deep expertise in metabolic kinetics and disease.
Dr. Fabbrini earned her M.D. and Ph.D. in Endocrinology and Metabolism from La Sapienza University School of Medicine. She completed postgraduate training at Tor Vergata University School of Medicine and Washington University School of Medicine.
Matt Gambino has 30+ years of commercial pharmaceutical and biotech experience across multiple therapeutic areas and treatment modalities.
Matt Gambino has over 30 years of commercial pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience. Mr. Gambino serves as our Vice President of Marketing.
Mr. Gambino has extensive experience across a variety of therapeutic areas and treatment modalities – transforming new and existing products into market-leading, well-differentiated brands. Most recently, he served as Executive Director at G2 Life Sciences, a privately held consulting firm focused on the development of US commercialization and launch strategies for new chemical entities, biologics, and medical devices seeking to enter the US market. Prior to this, Mr. Gambino held numerous leadership positions across marketing, strategy, operations, and sales – leading teams at Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline, UCB, and Galderma.
Mr. Gambino has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Troy University and a Master of Business Administration from Butler University.
Stewart Hallett brings 29 years of clinical operations and clinical trial management experience across all phases of drug development.
Stewart Hallett is a biopharmaceutical executive with 29 years of experience in Clinical Operations managing successful clinical trials across multiple therapeutic indications through all phases of development. Mr. Hallett serves as our Vice President of Clinical Operations.
Mr. Hallett most recently served as Vice President, Clinical Operations at Xencor, Inc., a publicly traded company that designs and develops antibody and cytokine drugs. During his time there, he was responsible for the management of over 14 clinical trials in both Oncology (hematologic malignancies and solid tumor) and auto-immune indications. Prior to Xencor, he was the Chief Operating Officer at SFJ Pharmaceuticals where he managed a global operational team to successfully bring 6 products to full regulatory approval.
Prior to SFJ Pharmaceuticals he was the Vice President of Clinical Operations for Medivation, Inc., leading all trial operations for Dimebon (Alzheimer’s Disease and Huntington’s Disease) and Xtandi (enzalutamide) for castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Mr. Hallett has a Bachelor of Science in Biology/Physiology from San Francisco State University and a Master of Business Administration from St. Mary’s College of California.
Dr. Shah has more than 10 years of experience in regulatory strategy and health authority consultations across all phases of pharmaceutical development.
Dr. Shah has 10 years of broad pharmaceutical experience and serves as our Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs.
Prior to joining MBX, Dr. Shah served as Director of Regulatory Affairs at AstraZeneca and also held various regulatory roles at Johnson & Johnson and Janssen. Her experiences include developing regulatory strategy and executing health authority consultations for consumer products, dietary and food supplements, and all phases of pharmaceutical development in a multitude of therapeutic areas including respiratory, immunology, and gastroenterology both in rare and large diseases. Her regulatory career is complimented with experience in external policy engagement and scientific publication.
Dr. Shah obtained her PharmD from Northeastern University and completed a post graduate fellowship at Johnson & Johnson Consumer with a faculty position at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
Dr. Wright has 25+ years of experience in CMC drug development from early phase through commercialization.
Paul B. Wright, PhD, has 25 years of experience in drug development. Dr. Wright is our Vice President for Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC).
He has served in various technical leadership and management roles throughout his pharma career, most recently within the Product R&D organization at Eli Lilly and Company. At Lilly, Dr. Wright supported programs from early phase through commercialization, contributing to many successful regulatory approvals.
Dr. Wright received his Bachelors Degree with college honors from Knox College and his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati.
Board of Directors
Tiba Aynechi is a General Partner of Norwest Venture Partners’ healthcare team with 20+ years of research and investment experience. Prior to joining Norwest, Tiba spent over ten years at Novo Holdings A/S, one of the top life sciences investment firms, with offices in the US and Europe. She has served on various public and private boards including iRhythm Technologies, Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Nkarta Therapeutics, Arcellx, Spruce Biosciences, and MDLive. Earlier in her career Tiba was a banker focused on M&A, licensing, and financing transactions involving biotech/pharma. Tiba attended the University of California Irvine where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics with a Biomedical concentration. She also holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of California San Francisco, where she also did her Postdoctoral Fellowship. Tiba is also a published author of scientific articles and book chapters in rational drug design.
Jim Cornelius is an accomplished global biopharmaceutical leader, with past board and leadership roles at Bristol Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly, as well as a recognized venture investor and philanthropist.
Mr. Cornelius served as Chairman of the Board of Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN) from December 2009 to June 2017, when MJN was acquired by Reckitt Benckiser for $16 billion. Previously, he served as Chairman of the Board of Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) from February 2008 to May 2015, and also held the title Chief Executive Officer from September 2006 to March 2010. BMY completed a successful transformation into a leading specialty biopharmaceutical enterprise during that time.
Mr. Cornelius served as Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Guidant (GDT) from November 2005 to April 2006, when it was acquired by Boston Scientific (BSX) for $27 billion. Previously, he was executive Chairman of the Board of Guidant and its senior executive starting from September 1994 when the Company was formed within Eli Lilly (LLY). Mr. Cornelius was a member of LLY’s Board of Directors and its Chief Financial Officer from 1983 until 1995.
In addition, he has served on the Board of Directors of a dozen private and public companies, including The Chubb Corporation, The DIRECTV Group and Given Imaging. Mr. Cornelius is currently Chairman of Cornelius Family Foundation and Cornelius Private Investments. He earned a B.A. magna cum laude and M.B.A. from Michigan State University.
Carl L. Gordon, CFA, Ph.D is a founding member, Managing Partner, and Co-Head of Global Private Equity at OrbiMed Advisors LLC, an investment firm. Dr. Gordon serves on the boards of several public and private companies. Additionally, Dr. Gordon was a Fellow at The Rockefeller University. Dr. Gordon received a B.A. in Chemistry from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Kent Hawryluk has nearly 20 years’ experience as a life sciences entrepreneur, leader and investor. Mr. Hawryluk is President & CEO and one of our co-founders.
Mr. Hawryluk was a Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Avidity Biosciences, a genetic medicines company, from January 2013 to December 2019. Under his leadership, Avidity raised $130 million in equity financings and initiated a significant strategic partnership with Eli Lilly. Previously, he served as Co-founder and CEO of MB2, a clinical-stage company focused on diabetes and obesity, from May 2014 to March 2016. MB2 was acquired by Novo Nordisk in October 2015. Prior to MB2 and Avidity, Mr. Hawryluk co-founded Marcadia Biotech and served as its Chief Business Officer and Vice President, Business Development from January 2006 to April 2011. Marcadia, a pioneer in peptide multi-agonists of incretin receptors, was acquired by Roche in December 2010. Mr. Hawryluk served as a director of Gemphire Therapeutics, a public clinical-stage cardiovascular drug company, from February 2015 to February 2019. He has served as partner of Twilight Venture Partners, a private seed- and early-stage life science venture capital fund, since January 2003. Mr. Hawryluk holds a BA from Princeton University, an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and an MS, Biology from Purdue University.
Patrick Heron is a Managing Partner of Frazier’s Life Sciences team. He joined the firm in 1999 and opened Frazier’s Menlo Park office in 2003. Throughout his 15 years as a Managing Partner, Mr. Heron has led or co-led investments across 30 companies. He has successfully partnered with entrepreneurs across a range of company types and stages, from early-stage drug discovery companies to $100M commercial-stage dermatology companies. Mr. Heron currently serves on the boards of Arcutis (NASDAQ: ARQT), Imago BioSciences, Iterum Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ITRM), Mirum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MIRM), MBX Biosciences, Passage Bio (NASDAQ: PASG), ScoutBio, and SutroVax (NASDAQ:PCVX). He received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He also holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate and Morehead Scholar.
Ed Mathers is a General Partner at NEA; he joined the firm as a Partner in August 2008 and is focused on biotechnology and specialty pharmaceuticals investments. He is a director of Rhythm Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RYTM), Synlogic (NASDAQ:SYBX), Trevi Therapeutics (NASDAQ: TRVI), Mirum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MIRM), and ObsEva (NASDAQ:OBSV), as well as a number of private life sciences companies. Prior to joining NEA, Mr. Mathers served as executive vice president, corporate development and venture at MedImmune, a biopharmaceutical company, and led its venture capital subsidiary, MedImmune Ventures. Prior to this, he spent 15 years at Glaxo Wellcome (GlaxoSmithKline), where he held sales and marketing positions of increasing responsibility. Mr. Mathers earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from North Carolina State University.
Ora Pescovitz, M.D. is a renowned academic leader, health care executive, pediatric endocrinologist and researcher, and has published extensively.
Dr. Pescovitz was named President of Oakland University in 2017. Previously, Dr. Pescovitz served as Senior Vice President and U.S. Medical Leader for Lilly Biomedicines at Eli Lilly and Company from 2014 to 2017. From 2009 to 2014, she was the University of Michigan’s first female Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Health System CEO. During this time, she led a system that included three hospitals, more than 120 health centers and clinics, and the University of Michigan Medical School, and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. She has also held numerous leadership positions with a broad range of medical research, healthcare, and civic organizations, including president of the Society for Pediatric Research, president of the Lawson Wilkins (North American) Pediatric Endocrine Society, and chair of the March of Dimes Grants Review Committee. She earned her M.D. from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where she has earned Distinguished Alumni Awards from both the Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern University.
Steven Ryder, MD is a biopharmaceutical professional with over 35 years of global drug development experience. He has held various leadership and development roles, and has served as the Chief Medical Officer of Rallybio Corporation since January 2019.
Prior to Rallybio, Dr. Ryder was the Chief Development Officer at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from July 2013 to December 2018 and was the founding President of Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc. from April 2008 to April 2013. Dr. Ryder also worked at Pfizer Inc. for 21 years where he held positions of increasing responsibility, including head of worldwide clinical development.
Dr. Ryder is a past-President of the American Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and has held leadership positions in the Health Section Governing Board, Regulatory Executive Committee, the board of BIO, and the Science and Regulatory section of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (“PhRMA”). In addition, Dr. Ryder has served as the industry representative on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Metabolic/Endocrine Drugs Advisory Committee. He has also held board positions at Reata Pharmaceuticals and Levo Therapeutics.
Dr. Ryder earned his Doctor of Medicine from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Scientific Advisory Board
Dorothy L. and Daniel H. Silberberg Professor of Medicine at the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University; Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine for International Education and Research; Chief Emeritus, Division of Endocrinology; Director, Emeritus, Metabolic Bone Diseases Program, Columbia University Medical Center
Retired Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah (B. Lue and Hope S. Bettilyon Presidential Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine for Diabetes Research)
Glenn W. Irwin, Jr., Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism; Director: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism; Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine
Professor of Medicine at CUIMC, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine