About us

About Us

Ten\vie: the tenacious (Ten\) pursuit to improve the lives (\vie) of patients and caregivers.

Tenvie was purpose-built with a deep and diverse portfolio and a proven team of CNS drug developers with a collective track record of engineering and developing small molecule therapies.

Leadership Team

Tony Estrada

President & Chief Scientific Officer

Leadership Team

Tony Estrada

President & Chief Scientific Officer

Tony Estrada is the President, Chief Scientific Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Tenvie Therapeutics. Tony was a co-founder of Tenvie and led the team and programs acquired from Denali Therapeutics. Prior to joining Tenvie, Tony served as SVP, Head of Discovery Sciences at Denali Therapeutics. In this role, he led the Therapeutic Discovery organization in the advancement of Denali’s portfolio of small molecules and biotherapeutics including multiple clinical molecules spanning neurology, inflammation and immunology. Before joining Denali in 2015, Tony spent seven years at Genentech as a Senior Scientist and Project Team Leader. Tony holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Organic Chemistry from UC San Diego.  

Brian Cuneo

Chief Business & Legal Officer

Leadership Team

Brian Cuneo

Chief Business & Legal Officer

Brian Cuneo is the Chief Business & Legal Officer of Tenvie Therapeutics.  Brian was a co-founder of Tenvie and led the effort on behalf of the investor syndicate to acquire the team and programs from Denali Therapeutics. In addition to his role at Tenvie, Brian is a Senior Partner at ARCH Venture Partners working on new company creation and advising on strategic portfolio matters. He was previously a corporate partner of Latham & Watkins LLP, serving as Global Chair of the firm’s Life Sciences and Healthcare Industry Group.

Brian has spent his career advising public and private companies in the biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics, and health information technology sectors. He has expertise in capital markets transactions, mergers & acquisitions, venture capital and private equity financing, strategic collaborations and corporate governance matters. Brian holds a B.S. in Business Administration and a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law with a concentration in High Technology Law. 

Tanya Fischer

Chief Medical Officer

Leadership Team

Tanya Fischer

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Tanya Fischer is the Chief Medical Officer at Tenvie. Tanya is a physician-scientist with 20 years of experience across numerous modalities, disease areas, and all stages of development.  Prior to joining Tenvie, she served as the Chief Medical Officer and Head of R&D at Zenas Biopharma.  She also held leadership roles in her former companies, including: Chief Development Officer and Head of Translational Medicine at Biohaven, Vice President of Clinical Development (CNS Diseases) at Alnylam and Global Project Head of numerous programs at Sanofi.  Tanya is a neurologist with clinical subspecialties in demyelinating diseases and chronic neuropathic pain. She completed her Neurology residency at Yale New Haven Hospital, where she also was an Assistant Professor studying genetic and acquired forms of pain.  Tanya was also awarded the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) Award in 2011.  She holds an MD from UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a PhD in Neuroscience and Cell Biology from Rutgers University. 

Sulynn Barnes

Vice President, Human Resources and Operations

Leadership Team

Sulynn Barnes

Vice President, Human Resources and Operations

Sulynn Barnes is the Vice President of Human Resources & Operations at Tenvie Therapeutics.

Prior to Tenvie, Sulynn held roles of increasing responsibility across G&A in early-stage biotech companies, including Senior Director, Head of People & Operations at ImmuneID. There, she led all aspects of G&A for the organization, managing the teams that led finance, legal, facilities and ops, and most importantly, people. Prior to ImmuneID, Sulynn occupied similar roles in other early-stage biotech companies, including Walden Biosciences and Alloy Therapeutics, building the systems and processes that support productive and focused organizations.

Prior to her industry roles, Sulynn also practiced law in private practice and as an Assistant District Attorney for Suffolk County. She holds a law degree from Boston University School of Law and is licensed to practice in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Additionally, she holds a B.A. in Religion from the University of Puget Sound.  Sulynn is a Senior Professional in Human Resources® and a certified Gallup Strengths® coach.  

Stephen Cavnar

Vice President, Corporate Development

Leadership Team

Stephen Cavnar

Vice President, Corporate Development

Stephen Cavnar is the Vice President of Corporate Development at Tenvie Therapeutics.  Stephen supports a number of areas including investor relations, business development, program & portfolio strategy, and company operations. Prior to joining Tenvie, Stephen was an early member of Beam Therapeutics where he supported program strategy, portfolio strategy, and multiple corporate milestones (Series B, IPO, and BD partnerships). Earlier in his career, Stephen was a Consultant and Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group where he served numerous biopharma R&D organizations. Stephen obtained his Ph.D. and MSE in Biomedical Engineering, and BSE in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan.   

Javier De Vicente

Vice President, Discovery Sciences

Leadership Team

Javier De Vicente

Vice President, Discovery Sciences

Javier de Vicente is the Vice President of Discovery Sciences at Tenvie Therapeutics. He plays a leading role in building the therapeutic discovery organization and supporting company operations. With over 20 years of experience in drug discovery and development, Javier has held senior and project leadership roles in large pharma and biotech. His professional journey includes contributions at Roche, Novartis, and more recently at Denali Therapeutics with the delivery of multiple clinical development molecules. Javier’s extensive experience is also reflected in co-authoring over 30 publications and named inventor on over 30 issued and pending small molecule patent applications. Javier obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Bristol. 

Jen Sasaki

Vice President, Non-Clinical Safety

Leadership Team

Jen Sasaki

Vice President, Non-Clinical Safety

Jennifer Sasaki is the Vice President of Nonclinical Safety at Tenvie Therapeutics. With an extensive drug development career across a variety of therapeutic areas, she has held a range of Safety Assessment and Project Team Leader roles at Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Genentech and Denali Therapeutics. Most recently, Jennifer served as a Senior Director in Regulatory Affairs for Early and Late Stage programs at Seagen. Jennifer holds a Ph.D. from the University of California – Riverside and completed postdoctoral research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.  

Board of Directors

Paul Berns

Executive Chairman | Managing Director, ARCH Venture Partners

Board of Directors

Paul Berns

Executive Chairman | Managing Director, ARCH Venture Partners

Paul L. Berns is the Executive Chairman of Tenvie Therapeutics. Mr. Berns is a Managing Director of ARCH Venture Partners and is the founder and Executive Chairman of Neumora Therapeutics. Mr. Berns has been a member of ARCH Venture Partners since August 2018 and became a Managing Director in 2021. Mr. Berns previously served as a co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors for HI-Bio, which was acquired by Biogen in July 2024. Mr. Berns currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of two privately held companies, Happy AI and Tenvie Therapeutics. Additionally, Mr. Berns is a member of the Board of Directors of Mirador Therapeutics, Areteia Therapeutics, Metsera Therapeutics, EnCarda, Epirium, Ollin Biosciences and Unity Biotechnology (UBX).

Mr. Berns was the founder and served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Neumora Therapeutics from 2020 to 2023. From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Berns served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Anacor Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company which was acquired by Pfizer in 2016. Previously Mr. Berns served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Allos Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company from 2006 to 2012, when it was acquired by Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Berns was President and Chief Executive Officer of Bone Care International, a specialty pharmaceutical company from 2002 to 2005 when it was acquired by Genzyme Corporation.

Mr. Berns previously served on the Board of Directors of EQRX (2020 to 2023), Jazz Pharmaceuticals, PLC (2010 to 2021), MC2 Therapeutics (2017 to 2020), Menlo Therapeutics (2017 to 2020), Anacor Pharmaceutics (2012 to 2016), XenoPort (2005 to 2016), Allos Therapeutics (2006 to 2012), and Bone Care International (2002 to 2005).  Mr. Berns holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin.

Kristina Burow

Managing Director, ARCH Venture Partners

Board of Directors

Kristina Burow

Managing Director, ARCH Venture Partners

Kristina Burow is a Managing Director of ARCH Venture Partners and is focused on the creation and development of biotechnology, pharmaceutical and health tech companies. She joined ARCH in 2002 as an Associate and has played a significant role in the growth of ARCH’s life sciences portfolio, including multiple public companies exceeding billion-dollar valuations. She is a co-founder and director of Neumora Therapeutics (NMRA), Orbital Therapeutics and is a director of many more, including Scholar Rock (SRRK), Boundless Bio (BOLD), Metsera, Inc., Mirador, Architect, Pretzel, Autobahn, ROME, Treeline, and Magnet Biomedicine. Ms. Burow holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, an M.A. in Chemistry from Columbia University and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

Michele Cucullu

Managing Director of Private Investments, Family Office

Board of Directors

Michele Cucullu

Managing Director of Private Investments, Family Office

Michele Cucullu is Managing Director of Private Investments at a single-family office located in Silicon Valley and oversees the family office’s private equity investments and the foundation’s CNS investment program. Michele has over two decades of investment experience and, prior to her current role, was Director of Private Equity at the University of California for more than a decade. Earlier, she was on the Investment Team at Caltech. 

Alaa Halawa

Head of Healthcare and Executive Director, US Ventures, Mubadala Capital

Board of Directors

Alaa Halawa

Head of Healthcare and Executive Director, US Ventures, Mubadala Capital

Alaa Halawa is the Head of Healthcare and Executive Director at Mubadala Ventures, the San Francisco-based venture capital division of Mubadala Capital. He focuses on investing in venture and early growth-stage companies in biotechnology, healthcare technology, and healthcare services. Some of Alaa’s notable investments include Recursion (RXRX), Neumora Therapeutics (NMRA), Exscientia (EXAI), Vir Biotechnology (VIR), Altos Labs, Insitro, Innovaccer, Orca Bio, Unlearn, Paradigm, Alloy Therapeutics, Pretzel Therapeutics, Juvena Therapeutics and EpiBiologics.

Alaa serves on numerous boards, including Neumora Therapeutics, Innovaccer, Pretzel Therapeutics and Alloy Therapeutics. Alaa joined Mubadala in 2009, where he was part of the early team that built Global Foundries, one of the largest semi-conductor manufacturers. Over the course of a decade, he played a pivotal role in transforming Global Foundries into a publicly traded company valued at $30 billion. This journey led him to Silicon Valley in 2011. Subsequently, in 2016, he began building the groundwork for Mubadala Capital’s ventures business.

Alaa holds an MBA from Cornell University.

Joe Lewcock

Chief Scientific Officer, Denali Therapeutics

Board of Directors

Joe Lewcock

Chief Scientific Officer, Denali Therapeutics

Joe Lewcock is the Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Discovery at Denali Therapeutics, a biotechnology company dedicated to developing innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, and rare genetic disorders. In this role, he oversees Denali’s scientific strategy and preclinical portfolio, resulting the advancement of ten Denali originated molecules into clinical trials. These include both small molecules and biotherapeutics that utilize Denali’s proprietary Transport Vehicle (TV) platform to enable biologics to effectively cross the blood-brain barrier. Before joining Denali in early 2016, Joe spent nine years at Genentech, where he played a key role in shaping the company’s neuroscience disease area strategy and portfolio. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, San Diego, a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute.

Stacie Weninger

President, FBRI | Venture Partner, F-Prime

Board of Directors

Stacie Weninger

President, FBRI | Venture Partner, F-Prime

Stacie Weninger is the President of FBRI and a Venture Partner at F-Prime Capital Partners. Dr. Weninger received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University, and a B.S. degree in chemistry with highest honors from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is CEO and Chairman of the Board for Rugen Therapeutics; is a member of the Board of Directors for Aratome, Atalanta, Engrail, Tenvie, and Target ALS; is a member of the External Advisory Board for Boston Children’s Hospital’s Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center; is a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards for the Breuer Foundation, Brown University’s Carney Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Denali Therapeutics, the Indian Institute of Science’s Centre for Brain Research, the MIT Yang-Tan Center for Molecular Therapeutics, and the UK Dementia Research Institute; and she chairs the Collaboration for Alzheimer’s Prevention. She served as the President of Alzforum for over a decade and continues as a special advisor to the site; served as a founding member of the Board of Directors for Denali Therapeutics; and she previously served on the Board of Directors for Neumora Therapeutics and Sironax.

Tony Estrada

President & Chief Scientific Officer

Board of Directors

Tony Estrada

President & Chief Scientific Officer

Tony Estrada is the President, Chief Scientific Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Tenvie Therapeutics. Tony was a co-founder of Tenvie and led the team and programs acquired from Denali Therapeutics. Prior to joining Tenvie, Tony served as SVP, Head of Discovery Sciences at Denali Therapeutics. In this role, he led the Therapeutic Discovery organization in the advancement of Denali’s portfolio of small molecules and biotherapeutics including multiple clinical molecules spanning neurology, inflammation and immunology. Before joining Denali in 2015, Tony spent seven years at Genentech as a Senior Scientist and Project Team Leader. Tony holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Organic Chemistry from UC San Diego.  

Scientific Advisors and Collaborators

  • Bob Datta Bob Datta

    Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School

    Sandeep Robert “Bob” Datta is scientific advisor of Tenvie. Data’s research focuses on neuroimmunology and neural circuit function. Bob previously founded Syllable (focused on using artificial intelligence for preclinical development) and served on the scientific advisory boards of Neumora (focused on neuropsychiatry) and Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals (focused on psychedelics and related molecules); he currently serves on the scientific advisory boards of Axiom Therapeutics (working on biomarker development), and Osmo (working on digitizing the sense of smell). Bob is a tenured professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, where his lab explores the molecular and circuit basis for cognition and behavior. Bob obtained his BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale, and his MD and PhD at Harvard Medical School.

     

  • Bernardo Sabatini Bernardo Sabatini

    Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School

    Bernardo Sabatini’s research examines the mechanisms by which animals choose what to do next. This process of “action selection” uses information from past experiences, current goals, internal needs, and the current state of the environment to choose an action that achieves near- and long-term objectives, such as access to food, water, mates, and safety from predators. An evolutionarily ancient part of the brain, the basal ganglia, is conserved from fish to humans and mediates action selection. Sabatini and his collaborators study the basal ganglia to uncover the circuits that underlie action selection, and that allow an animal to update its action plan dependent on past experiences. These circuits, and the process of action selection are perturbed in many human neuropsychiatric diseases, including Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, drug addiction, and autism spectrum disorders. To facilitate their studies, the Sabatini group develops novel optical, behavioral, and mathematical methods. Sabatini is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator as well as an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. He earned his MD and PhD from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology.  Along with Dr. Sham Kakade, in 2021 Dr. Sabatini became the founding co-Director of the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University.  The institute strives to understand the mathematical, computational, and biological basis of intelligence.

  • Beth Stevens Beth Stevens

    Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

    F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Research Program, Boston Children’s Hospital
    Institute Member, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

    Beth Stevens received her PhD in Neuroscience(2003) from the University of Maryland, College Park and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine. She has performed seminal work elucidating the role of microglia, complement and neuroimmune interactions in synapse and circuit function in health and disease. A major focus of her research is to delineate conserved neuroimmune mechanisms of disease risk and resilience in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Her laboratory has adopted an interdisciplinary approach that straddles the fields of genetics, immunology, and neuroscience to identify new neuroimmune therapeutic targets and mechanistic biomarkers.

    Stevens is Co-Director of the NIH/NIMH Conte Center for Neuroimmune Studies, Endowed Research Chair of the Lavine Family Foundation and is an Elected Member of the National Academy of Sciences. She was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2015 and is the recipient of several awards including the Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research, Dana Foundation Award, Gill Center Transformative Research Award, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Research Award, and recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2012.