Hanadie Yousef, PhD

Dr. Hanadie Yousef is a scientist, entrepreneur, seasoned executive, and global thought leader in AI-driven regenerative medicine and longevity. With over two decades of experience in biomedical research, she is the Co-Founder of Juvena Therapeutics, where she served as CEO, CFO, and Board Chair from 2017 to 2025. Since the company’s incorporation, she pioneered its evolution from a platform-driven concept into a venture-backed, clinical-stage biotechnology leader. Under her leadership, Juvena secured over $105M in venture capital, non-dilutive grants, and partnerships, and developed a proprietary pipeline of tissue-restorative biologics for muscle and metabolic diseases.
Driven by a vision to decode the mechanisms of age-related tissue degeneration, Dr. Yousef leveraged Juvena’s AI-enabled JuvNET platform to map secreted proteins and build a proprietary library of pro-regenerative stem cell-secreted proteins and novel therapeutic candidates. Her leadership led to the successful completion of Phase 1 first-in-human safety studies for the company’s lead asset, JUV-161, targeting Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 and atrophy-related muscle wasting.
Expanding the boundaries of metabolic health, she advanced a robust preclinical pipeline, including JUV-112, a groundbreaking obesity asset that uniquely enhances lipid metabolism to induce weight loss via an energy-promoting, non-appetite-suppressing mechanism. Validating this platform-first approach, Dr. Yousef secured a prestigious discovery partnership with Eli Lilly to develop novel medicines aimed at enhancing muscle health, body composition, and quality of life for patients with metabolic complications.
Dr. Yousef’s high-impact research has led to multiple issued and pending patents and has been supported by competitive fellowships and grants from the NIH, National Science Foundation, SPARK, and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).
A recognized authority in the industry, Dr. Yousef was named to the 2025 Mayfield | Divot Industry Leader AI List and designated a World Economic Forum 2024 Technology Pioneer. Her extensive accolades include FierceBiotech’s “Fiercest Women in Life Sciences,” Business Insider’s “30 Leaders Under 40,” Endpoints’ “20(+2) Under 40,” the San Francisco Business Times “Women Who Lead in Life Sciences,” and the Biocom Catalyst Award.
Dr. Yousef is a regularly invited speaker at marquee biotech, AI, and healthcare innovation events. She earned her B.S. summa cum laude from Carnegie Mellon University, her PhD from UC Berkeley as an NSF Fellow, and completed a 5-year postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford School of Medicine as an NIH fellow and SPARK scholar. Her lifelong dedication to biomedical research and entrepreneurship began early, with research positions at Regeneron starting at age 15 and a neuroscience internship at Genentech.
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