Restoring Cellular
Balance to Stop
Neurodegeneration

Libra Therapeutics is advancing new therapeutics to improve lysosomal function with the potential to halt neurodegeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease, and more.

Our Approach

Many neurodegenerative disorders are caused by the aggregation of toxic proteins and dysfunctional machinery, leading to neuronal damage and cell death. Many of the genetic factors, linked to degenerative diseases, involve lysosome function and autophagy. These natural cellular processes break down and recycle the cell’s proteins and other machinery to maintain proper cell function.

Our novel, small molecule-targeted mechanisms work to increase the body's natural ability to break down and clear away toxic proteins and dysfunctional organelles, as well as to reduce the production of new neurotoxic proteins. Tipping the Balance to Innovation With the ability to restore disrupted cellular balance in lysosome function and autophagy, we have the potential to slow the disease progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

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Our Life’s Work Is to Find Better Treatments

We’ve experienced first-hand the debilitating effects of neurodegeneration, and we’re dedicated to doing our part by leading new perspectives and meaningful breakthroughs in drug development for these devastating diseases.

OUR TEAM

Leadership

Shawn Scranton, PharmD

Chief Executive Officer & President, Libra Therapeutics
Martin Gill, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Gill joined Libra Therapeutics in 2021 and has played a central role in advancing the company’s small molecule portfolio from high-throughput screening into clinical development. Prior to joining Libra, he served as Head of In Vitro Discovery at Neuropore Therapies, where he led efforts to identify and advance small molecule mechanisms that reduce CNS inflammation and protein pathology associated with PD and ALS. Earlier in his career, at Bristol Myers Squibb, Dr. Gill led programs targeting pathogenic mechanisms of neurodegeneration and genetically defined diseases. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas Medical Branch, his B.A. from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Eli Lilly and Company.

Board of Directors

Shawn Scranton, PharmD

Chief Executive Officer & President, Libra Therapeutics
Casey Cunningham, MD

Partner and Chief Scientific Officer of Santé Ventures
Fei Shen, PhD

Managing Director
Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund USA
Gene Kinney, PhD

Chairman of the Board, Libra Therapeutics
President and Chief Executive Officer, Prothena
Lin Ning, PhD

Senior Associate
Dolby Family Ventures
Board observer
Stefan Lohmer, PhD

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AXXAM
Lori Gough, PhD

Partner, Epidarex Capital
Daguang Wang, PhD

Managing Director
Yonjin Venture LLC

Scientific Advisory Board

Don Cleveland, PhD

Professor, Molecular and Cell Medicine
Head, Laboratory of Cell Biology, UCSD
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
John Ravits, MD

Professor of Clinical Neurosciences
Department of Neuroscience, UCSD
John Renger, PhD

Chief Science Officer, Cerevel Therapeutics
Clotilde Lagier Tourenne, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Neurology, MGH, Harvard
Associate Member of the Broad Institute