Employees Archives - Page 5 of 6 - Juvena Therapeutics

Elizabeth Neyens, PhD

With 20 years of experience as a Board-certified toxicological pathologist and a DVM, Dr. Elizabeth Neyens has dedicated their career to advancing drug development. They began as a staff pathologist at Merck and Charles River Preclinical Drug Development, followed by serving as Head of Pathology at Baxter in Europe. During a pivotal year in Israel, she worked as a consultant, supporting an IPO transition, before returning to North America to become a Professor of Pathology at Einstein Medical University in New York.

A recognized expert in biologics, Elizabeth played a advisory role in guiding the preclinical pipeline for JUV-161. Her professional focus lies in delivering GLP-compliant preclinical development programs, conducting peer reviews, and supporting successful IND submissions. Driven by a passion for translating innovative molecules into clinical success, they are committed to making global healthcare advancements accessible to patients worldwide.

Learn more about Elizabeth

Back to Careers

Sarah Tang

Sarah joined Juvena Therapeutics as a Senior Research Associate to contribute to protein expression and assay optimization. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Before joining Juvena Therapeutics, Sarah worked as a Research Associate in the antibody discovery field, where she attained hybridoma sequences, antibody transient expression, and hit identification. Prior to transitioning to research, Sarah worked in the clinical diagnostics field as a Lab Administrative Manager. She managed lab operations while staying active on the bench.

In Sarah’s free time, she enjoys creating content for her cat’s social media, gaming with friends, and attending ballet performances.

Learn more about Sarah

Back to Careers

Megan Smith

Megan brings eight years of industry experience in mammalian cell culture, protein expression, and protein purification. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from California State University, Eastbay. Prior to joining Juvena Therapeutics, Megan worked as an Associate Scientist in the Protein Sciences group at Bristol Myers Squibb. In this position, she played a crucial role in producing various protein modalities in support of R&D efforts across a wide range of biological targets. Outside of work, Megan enjoys puzzles, art, and volunteering at Nine Lives Cat Rescue.

Learn more about Megan

Back to Careers

Annie Yang, MS

Annie joined Juvena Therapeutics as a research associate II working on preclinical in vivo and in vitro disease modeling and drug discovery.

She received her master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California. During her time as a graduate student, Annie participated as a research volunteer in an immunology group. Her project focused on investigating the influence of the coronavirus envelope protein on CD1d expression. This experience provided her with valuable training in fundamental molecular techniques, such as genotyping, flow cytometry, western blotting, and conducting in vivo experiments.

Before joining Juvena, Annie worked as a Research Associate in the field of toxicology at Sorrento Therapeutics for one year. In this position, she played a crucial role in supporting the toxicity team, particularly in the tissue cross-reactivity assay. Her responsibilities included performing histological procedures such as embedding and sectioning both paraffin and frozen tissues, conducting H&E staining, IHC, IF, and acquiring images.

During her free time, Annie finds joy in activities such as jogging, hiking, and gaming with her friends.

Learn more about Annie

Back to Careers

Susan Molineaux, PhD

Dr. Molineaux has been the Chief Executive Officer at Para Therapeutics, Inc., since April 2023. Previously, she was Chief Executive Officer, President and a member of the board of directors of Calithera Biosciences, Inc., since co-founding the company in June 2010 until March 2023.

Dr. Molineaux has served as a member of the board of directors of the Geron Corporation since 2012, Repare Therapeutics since April 2023, Cyteir Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage DNA repair and synthetic lethality company, from December 2020 until May 2023, and Theravance Biopharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from April 2015 to April 2022. She has also been a Scientific Advisor to Lightstone Ventures, a private life sciences investment company, since September 2016. Dr. Molineaux co-founded Proteolix, Inc., a privately held oncology-oriented biopharmaceutical company, where she served as Chief Scientific Officer from December 2003 until December 2005 and from February 2009 until November 2009, and as President and Chief Executive Officer from January 2006 until February 2009, until the company’s acquisition by Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a global oncology-oriented biopharmaceutical company, in November 2009.

Previously, Dr. Molineaux held several senior management positions in the biopharmaceutical industry, including Vice President of Biology at Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, Vice President of Biology at Praelux, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, and Vice President of Drug Development at Praecis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company. Dr. Molineaux holds a B.S. in biology from Smith College, a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Johns Hopkins University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University.

Learn more about Susan

LinkedIn

Back to Careers

Theodore Yu

Theodore Yu joined Juvena Therapeutics as a research associate contributing to protein production and in-vitro assay development. Theodore earned his undergraduate degree in biology, with a minor in chemistry, from San Jose State University. During his time at SJSU, he served as an undergraduate research assistant in the Payumo Lab, focused on cardiac regenerative biology. Theodore’s role investigated molecular and cellular processes regulating cardiomyocyte cell cycle regulation, through molecular cloning techniques and IHC staining. Outside of work, Ted enjoys spending time with his family, friends, and cat. He also finds joy in taking scenic drives through the hills.

Learn more about Theodore

Back to Careers

Louis J. Aronne, MD, FACP, DABOM

Dr. Louis Aronne is a leading authority on obesity and its treatment. He is the Sanford I. Weill Professor of Metabolic Research and the director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center in the division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. A graduate of Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Aronne is a founder and past chairman of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and a past president of The Obesity Society. He is a founder and Executive Chairman of Intellihealth, a cloud-based weight management system for healthcare providers.

He completed his internship and residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Jacobi Medical Center, followed by a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Fellowship in General Internal Medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Dr Lingvay is an active member of the American Diabetes Association, where she has served over the years on several committees, including the Organizing Committee for the Annual Scientific Sessions, Focus on Fellows Advisory Board, WIN-ADA Advisory Board, Grant Review Committee, and the Professional Practice Committee. She is on the Editorial Board of several journals, including Diabetes Care. She participated in nearly 100 clinical trials and has a special interest in cardiovascular outcome trials and obesity trials. She authored over 160 publications in major medical journals and authored chapters in several popular diabetes textbooks.

Learn more about Louis

LinkedIn

Back to Careers

Ildiko Lingvay, MD, MPH, MSCS

Dr. Ildiko Lingvay is a Tenured Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Professor in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Lingvay is the Medical Director of the Office of Clinical Trials Management, overseeing the institutional approval of all clinical trials at UT Southwestern. She is Board Certified both in Obesity Medicine as well as Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism.

Dr Lingvay leads a program that focuses on clinical research in the field of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Her research interests span the spectrum from pathophysiology of the disease to treatment algorithms and comparative effectiveness of various therapeutic approaches. Dr Lingvay treats patients at the UT Southwestern clinics and hospitals as well as the Parkland Health & Hospital System.

Learn more about Ildiko

LinkedIn

Back to Careers

Natalie Ploof

Natalie joined Juvena Therapeutics as a Lab Manager to support, implement and optimize laboratory operations to meet the needs of the growing R&D team.

Before joining Juvena, Natalie worked as a Senior Research Associate at GOOD Meat, where she supported cell line development efforts to identify lead cell lines for their cultivated meat projects. Throughout her tenure at GOOD Meat, Natalie focused her efforts on cell bank management, overseeing all operations related to Master and Master Working Cell Banks. This involved creation of large-scale banks, conducting release and stability testing, managing vial inventories, and overseeing transfers to manufacturing partners. In addition to cell bank management, Natalie managed her department’s controlled document system, working to build-out and standardize relevant quality documents. Through her work, Natalie played a key role in the company’s preparation for the recent FDA/USDA clearances for their cultivated chicken product.

Natalie obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Bioengineering from Santa Clara University. In her free time, she enjoys reading, amateur baking, playing board games with friends, and exploring new neighborhoods in the Bay Area.

Learn more about Natalie

Back to Careers

Dasom (Christine) Yoo, PhD

Christine Yoo, PhD, joined Juvena Therapeutics in May 2025 as Senior Corporate Development Manager. Prior to joining Juvena, she was a Senior Associate at Propel Bio Partners, a life sciences venture capital firm. As the fund’s first hire, Christine played a key role in building internal operations and led due diligence efforts on private therapeutics and biotech companies from Seed through Series B stages.
Before her time in venture capital, Christine served as a Business Development Manager at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, where she supported strategic partnerships and commercialization initiatives.

Christine earned both her B.S. and Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Washington, where her research focused on cardiac regeneration using stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband and their two golden retrievers.

Learn More about Christine

Elizabeth Neyens, PhD

Sarah Tang

Megan Smith

Annie Yang, MS

Susan Molineaux, PhD

Theodore Yu

Louis J. Aronne, MD, FACP, DABOM

Ildiko Lingvay, MD, MPH, MSCS

Natalie Ploof

Dasom (Christine) Yoo, PhD

Navigation

Contact

Stay in touch