Redefining What's Possible in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases Innovation and Therapy

Mohamed Genead, M.D., M.Sc.

Co-Founder, President & CEO, Board Chair

Dr. Mohamed Genead is a serial life sciences entrepreneur and senior C-suite executive with more than 20 years of global business and drug development experience, a track record of founding four biotechnology companies across immunology, ophthalmology, neurology, and oncology, and a career spanning drug launches that generated over $1 billion in revenue, and strategic partnerships that exceeded $1.2 billion. As Co-Founder, CEO, President, and Board Chair of Arionix Therapeutics, Dr. Genead leads corporate strategy, capital formation, and pipeline development. He previously co-founded and was CEO of Aviceda Therapeutics, Inc. which he scaled from inception to late-clinical stage and advanced AVD-104, a first-in-class glyco-immune nanoparticle therapy for geographic atrophy, into Phase 2/3 development. He previously held senior leadership roles at GenSight Biologics, Biogen, and Allergan. A named inventor on multiple foundational patents in immunology and nanotechnology, Dr. Genead is also a co-author of more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and abstracts. Dr. Genead earned his M.D. magna cum laude from Suez Canal University, completed retina fellowships at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois at Chicago, and holds an executive degree from Harvard Medical School’s Global Healthcare Leaders program.

Mike Guo, Ph.D., CFA

Co-Founder, Acting COO & CFO, Board Member

Dr. Mike Guo is a biotech investor and operator with more than a decade of experience spanning venture capital, equity research, and corporate development. As Co-Founder and Acting COO/CFO of Arionix Therapeutics, he leads asset sourcing and transaction execution. He previously served as Senior Vice-President of Corporate Development at Aviceda Therapeutics, and a venture investor at OrbiMed, one of the world’s largest healthcare-dedicated investment firms. Dr. Guo holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Boston University and is a CFA charter holder.

Michael Fenn, Ph.D.

Co-Founder, Acting Chief Business Officer

Dr. Michael Fenn is a biotech business development and corporate strategy leader with more than 13 years of experience across oncology, immunology, neurodegeneration, and rare diseases, having closed partnering and licensing transactions with aggregate potential value exceeding $1.5 billion and supported over $650 million in company financings and venture investments. As Co-Founder and Acting Chief Business Officer of Arionix Therapeutics, he led the systematic global search across more than 200 assets, negotiated the in-licensing agreement with a leading Chinese biopharma securing two Phase 1 monoclonal antibodies, and is co-leading the company’s ~$80 million Series A. He previously led corporate development and investor relations at Dewpoint Therapeutics — closing a $480 million ALS collaboration, a $424 million cardiomyopathy out-licensing, and the $150 million Series C — served as the first employee and co-inventor of the foundational nanoparticle platform at Aviceda Therapeutics (now in Phase 3 following a $207 million Series C), and serves as a Venture Partner at Iaso Ventures, where he leads the firm’s biotech investments, including the investment in Neurona Therapeutics, recently acquired by UCB for $1.15 billion in April 2026. Dr. Fenn earned a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, an M.S. in Materials Science & Engineering, and a B.S. in Chemistry & Biochemistry, all from the University of Florida.

Karim Benhadji, M.D.

Acting Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Karim Benhadji is a biopharmaceutical drug development leader with over 20 years of experience advancing oncology assets from IND through regulatory approval. As Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development and Operations at Taiho Oncology, he delivered two FDA approvals — LYTGOBI® (futibatinib) for cholangiocarcinoma and LONSURF® (trifluridine/tipiracil) in combination with bevacizumab for metastatic colorectal cancer — and previously spent over 13 years at Eli Lilly and Company leading multiple immuno-oncology programs. He subsequently served as Chief Medical Officer at Inspirna and GV20 Therapeutics and currently serves biotech companies in a fractional CMO and strategic advisory capacity, including as Acting CMO of Arionix Therapeutics. Dr. Benhadji earned his M.D. from the University of Oran, completed his oncology fellowship at the Universities of Oran and Paris, and holds an M.Sc. in Pharmacology and Therapeutics in Oncology from the University of Paris. He is a named inventor on multiple patents and co-author of more than 70 peer-reviewed publications.

Stephen Machatha, Ph.D.

Acting Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Stephen Machatha is a biopharmaceutical executive with over 20 years of experience leading drug development programs across small molecules, biologics, and advanced platforms, with a track record of advancing therapies from discovery through regulatory approval — including KANUMA®, NEXTERONE®, EVOMELA®, and SESQUIENT®. He served as Chief Development Officer at Aldeyra Therapeutics, overseeing CMC, Translational Science, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Operations, and Intellectual Property. He previously held leadership roles at Synageva Biopharmaceuticals (acquired by Alexion/AstraZeneca), Cubist Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Merck), and CyDex Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Ligand), with deep expertise spanning CMC, regulatory strategy, and next-generation biologic modalities including recombinant protein and mRNA-based therapeutics. Dr. Machatha holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, an M.A. in Chemistry, and a B.S. in Chemistry, all from the University of Arizona.

Benjamin Sigel, Esq.

Acting Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary

Benjamin Sigel is a corporate and life sciences attorney and legal executive with experience building and leading comprehensive legal functions across clinical-stage biotech companies, spanning corporate strategy, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, commercial agreements, governance, privacy, licensing, and human resources. As Acting CLO and Corporate Secretary of Arionix Therapeutics, he oversees the full legal function across both organizations. He previously served as Chief Legal Officer, Chief DEI Officer, and Corporate Secretary of Virb, Inc., an international life sciences talent company, where he built the legal infrastructure from inception and supported the company’s growth across three countries and ~$5 million in financing. Earlier in his career, Mr. Sigel was Director of Client and Community Relations and Special Counsel at Mintz Levin, an Am Law 100 firm, and a litigator at leading Boston firms, advising executives, investors, and boards on complex commercial, regulatory, and governance matters. Mr. Sigel holds a J.D. cum laude from American University Washington College of Law, an M.B.A. from American University’s Kogod School of Business, and a B.A. in Political Science from Middlebury College.

Daniel Karp

Board Member

Daniel Karp is a global pharmaceutical business development and corporate strategy executive with a career spanning more than two decades across M&A, licensing, collaborations, and strategy, having led teams that executed transactions totaling over $100 billion in aggregate value across drugs, gene therapies, vaccines, devices, and technologies. As Executive Vice President, Corporate Development & Chief Strategy Officer at Organon, he leads mergers & acquisitions, licensing, collaborations, alliance management, integration, and corporate strategy. He previously served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development at Biogen, and prior to that held roles of increasing responsibility at Pfizer, including Vice President and Head of Business Development for Worldwide Research & Development, and Vice President, Head of Business Development for Pfizer Vaccines, Oncology and Consumer Healthcare. Earlier in his career, he held roles in healthcare and life sciences strategy consulting. Mr. Karp currently serves as a Director on the board of Cartesian Growth Corp II and previously served on the board of Cartesian Growth Corp, which combined with Tiedemann Group and Alvarium Investments. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Duke University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.