Stella Sarraf, PhD, founded Amydis in 2013 after seeing a clinical need for a novel technology for early detection of neurodegenerative diseases. She brings to Amydis a blend of expertise in large pharmaceutical operations, venture investment and entrepreneurship. Dr. Sarraf is viewed as a visionary with a deep understanding of product life cycle and the necessary components to achieve success in product commercialization. Previously, she spent 10 years in venture capital at Foresite Capital Management and Prospect Venture Partners, both growth capital health care funds with over $1 billion in assets under management. She led scientific, regulatory and commercial diligence on more than 400 investment opportunities from companies in developing therapeutics and diagnostics in the areas including cognitive disorders and neurology. Earlier in her career, Dr. Sarraf worked at Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey, as a senior research chemist responsible for creating novel drugs.
Dr. Sarraf holds a doctorate in organic chemistry from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of California, Berkeley.