Science to Startup (S2S) Japan Program - 2026 Final Symposium

Finalist 1 – 柚崎 通介, MD, Ph.D.
慶應義塾大学 / Bio2Q

「神経シナプスをつなぎ直すBiNEs：パーキンソン病から広がる新しい治療プラットフォーム」

パーキンソン病治療のため、ドーパミンシナプスを直接再建・神経回路を再び繋ぐ新規治療薬Bispecific Neuron Engagers（BiNEs）を開発し、運動機能の回復と病気の進⾏抑制の両⽴を⽬指します。
さらに、この治療戦略を他の神経回路にも展開することで、さまざまな神経疾患に応⽤できる新しい治療プラットフォームの構築を⽬指します。

Finalist 2 – 松本 弦, Ph.D.
大阪公立大学

「神経変性疾患の新たな治療戦略：経⼝薬で認知症のない未来へ」

神経変性疾患では、細胞内に蓄積したタンパク質凝集体を除去する治療法がありません。
私たちは、細胞が本来備える凝集体除去機構を利⽤する経⼝低分⼦薬ADIを開発しました。
ADIはアグリファジーを活性化して凝集体を分解することで、不可逆的な神経変性が⽣じる前からの治療介⼊を可能にすることが期待されます。

Finalist 3 – 宮井 智浩, D.Sc.
理化学研究所 生命医科学研究センター

「アトピー性⽪膚炎に対する環状ペプチド外⽤剤の開発」

「抗体では⼤きすぎて、塗っても⽪膚に届かない」という常識を、2.3 kDaの特殊環状ペプチドOsmeritideが覆します。
アトピー性⽪膚炎の重症度を規定するOSMRを特異的に阻害し、モデルマウスではステロイド外⽤薬を超える掻痒・炎症抑制を⽰しました。
⻑期使⽤や幼児にも使いやすい、⾼い安全性と薬効を兼ね備えた新薬の創出を⽬指します。

Finalist 4 – 伊藤 俊介, Ph.D., MBA
 HiLung株式会社

「IPF治療薬候補であるベストインクラス吸⼊LPA1 antagonist HL001の開発」

進⾏性の肺線維症を伴う希少疾患である特発性肺線維症(IPF)に対し、当社が開発するHL001は、ベストインクラスのLPA1 antagonistを吸⼊剤として既存薬/競合開発品に⽐して⾼い薬効と忍容性を両⽴するとともに、肺上⽪細胞再⽣誘導という新しい機序に基づいて、⾼い治療ポテンシャルを有する。
2027年の臨床試験開始を計画している。

Finalist 5 – 森下 大輔, Ph.D.
SODAI Therapeutics株式会社

「NativeSense ADC™: Targeting Glycosaminoglycans through pHConditional Binding for Heterogeneous Tumors」

SODAI Therapeuticsは、ヒト免疫ががんを⾒分ける⼒を活かし、新たな治療薬を⽣み出す。
腫瘍内B細胞が産⽣する抗体を起点に、がん細胞表⾯の抗原の状態を読み解き、既存オミクスでは捕捉できない標的へと遡ります。
新規標的と治療候補となるヒト抗体を対で⾒いだし、がん創薬の未踏領域を切り拓きます。

Finalist 6 – 加藤 忠史, MD, Ph.D.
順天堂大学

「双極症に対するmPTP阻害薬：ミトコンドリアを標的とした新たなアプローチ」

双極症の核⼼となる病態である細胞内Ca2+シグナル異常とミトコンドリア障害を標的とした薬剤開発を進め、mPTP（ミトコンドリア透過性遷移孔）阻害薬として、広く処⽅されている既存薬の光学異性体を⾒出しました。
この治療法は、リアルワールドデータに裏付けられ、抑うつエピソードの再発予防という重要なアンメット・メディカル・ニーズに応えるものです。

Aiden Aceves
Vice President, Insight Partners

Aiden Aceves is a Vice President on the investments team at Insight. He joined the firm in 2021 to focus on investments in therapeutics and enabling technologies. Aiden was previously an associate at Vida Ventures, where he worked in the firm’s LA office making investments in innovative cell and gene therapy companies. Prior to becoming an investor, Aiden worked on founding and operating biotechnology companies in San Diego California, where he is based.

Aiden traces his academic lineage to Caltech, where he earned his doctorate in the lab of Dr. Steven Mayo, a leader in the space of computational protein engineering. Aiden received his B.S. in synthetic chemistry from the University of California, Riverside.

Andrew Levin, MD/Ph.D.
Investor, Entrepreneur

Andrew Levin, MD, PhD, is a biotechnology entrepreneur, investor, physician-scientist, and inventor who has founded or co-founded 14 biotechnology companies. From 2015 to 2026, he served as Partner and Managing Director at RA Capital Management, where he helped create and lead Raven, the firm’s venture creation platform focused on building biotechnology companies from the ground up. In addition to investing, Dr. Levin has served in executive operating roles, including CEO and Chairman positions, helping guide company strategy, development, and growth.

A named inventor on multiple issued and pending patents, Dr. Levin has played a hands-on role in translating scientific discoveries into venture-backed companies developing new therapies for patients. Prior to joining RA Capital, he was a Vice President at H.I.G. BioVentures and served as Executive Director of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Clinton Health Access Initiative, where he worked on expanding access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Levin holds a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University, a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from MIT, and an MD from Harvard Medical School.

Anja Konig, Ph.D.
Global Head of NVF, Novartis Venture Fund

Anja Koenig PhD is the Global Head of the Novartis Venture Fund in Basel, Switzerland. She was previously a Managing Director at NVF investing in Switzerland, the UK and the rest of Europe, as well as Asia/Pacific. Prior to joining NVF, Anja was an Associate Partner at McKinsey and Company in New York, where she worked with healthcare companies in the US, Europe and Emerging Markets. Anja holds a PhD in Physics from Cornell University. She is active in the Swiss start-up ecosystem and is a member of Stiftungsrat and Stiftungsratsausschuss of the Swiss National Science Foundation. She also serves on the board of Sensirion, a publicly listed Swiss engineering company.

Jeff Goater, MBA
Partner, The Column Group (TCG)

Jeff Goater is a Partner at The Column Group (TCG), which he joined in 2021. Prior to joining TCG, he was an operator helping to build and lead biotechnology companies, including serving as CEO of Surface Oncology and CFO of Voyager Therapeutics. Previously, Mr. Goater spent nearly a decade in investment banking, most recently as a managing director at Evercore. He began his career as a research scientist in the field of AAV gene therapy and holds master’s degrees in microbiology/immunology (M.S.), pathology (M.S.) and business administration (M.B.A.) from the University of Rochester.

Kelly Qiao, Ph.D.
Senior Principal, B Capital

Kelly Qiao is a Senior Principal at B Capital, where she leads healthcare investments across Asia. She focuses on opportunities in biotech, medtech and digital health.

Since joining B Capital, Kelly has invested in and serves on the boards of Insilico Medicine, ProfoundBio (acquired by Genmab), Grit Biotechnology, Rona Therapeutics, Vivacta Bio, Spectrumedics Medical, Macrolux Medical, and AlphaLife Sciences. She has also invested in MediTrust Health and Yuanxin Technology.

Prior to joining B Capital, Kelly built over a decade of experience across healthcare investing and operations. She previously worked as Managing Director for global healthcare investment at Fosun (656.HK). Prior to that, Kelly served as an Executive Director at Vertex Ventures, where she invested in Chipscreen Biosciences (688321.SH) and Phoenix Healthcare Group (1515.HK), and served on the Board of Chipscreen. She also worked in drug discovery at GlaxoSmithKline and sales and marketing at Roche.

Kelly holds a PhD in Biology and a BSc in Chemistry from Tsinghua University and an MBA in Finance from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Nandita Shangari, Ph.D.
Managing Director, RA Capital

Nandita Shangari is a Managing Director on the Venture Team at RA Capital Management. Prior to RA, she was a Managing Director with Novartis Venture Fund (NVF), a life science investment firm. Prior to that, Nandita held various positions at Novartis in Business Development and Licensing and as a key member of the Kymriah® Global Program Team, helping to bring this novel cell therapy to market. Nandita has also held strategic and group head roles in the Novartis Preclinical Investigative Toxicology organization. She holds a BS in Biochemistry and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Toronto, Canada.