For those unfamiliar with Leen Kawas, she is the managing general partner of Propel Bio Partners, a global equity investment firm committed to helping life science companies advance groundbreaking technologies and therapies that improve human health. Before that, she was the CEO of Athira Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company well-regarded for developing small molecules that restore neuronal health and slow the progression of schizophrenia, ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases. While with Athira Pharma, she helped the company raise roughly $400 million, which helped fund its IPO launch, and oversaw several clinical trials involving ATH-1105. In short, ATH-1105 is a small molecule that Athira Pharma was and is currently evaluating as a possible treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

What Leen Kawas Brings to the Table as the New Managing General Partner of Propel Bio Partners

In her latest role as managing general partner of Propel Bio Partners, which she has held since November 2021, Leen Kawas continues to play an integral role in improving human health. According to several publications, she relies on her experience in drug discovery, clinical trial methodologies, financing, and more to help steer Propel Bio Partners closer to discovering a cure for a plurality of neurodegenerative diseases. Essentially, she is picking up where she left off with Athira Pharma in terms of improving human health. Of course, her ambitions are not altogether that surprising.

Leen Kawas, a 30-something-year-old Jordanian woman, has received high praise and several awards for her work in biotechnology. Some of the more notable ones include being named a Woman to Watch in Biosciences by the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association in 2015 and receiving the Alzheimer’s Cure Coin Award in 2019.

In summary, Leen Kawas is a woman well-versed in biotechnology and its capacity to cure disease. And she has made it a point to align herself with companies that share her vision, like Propel Bio Partners, of ridding the world of ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases that have adversely affected the lives of millions.

Learn more about Leen Kawas: https://www.propelbio.com/team/leen-kawas-phd/