Raul G. Saraiva
Non-Executive Director at Exogenus Therapeutics
Raul G. Saraiva
Non-Executive Director at Exogenus Therapeutics
London, England
Overview
Work Experience
Chief Scientific Officer & Venture Partner
2024 - Current
3xP Global is an asset management firm at the forefront of sustainable investment practices, operating as a B Corp in Portugal and guided by the United Nations SDGs. We prioritize ESG integration, actively support founders, and foster transparency and integrity in financial markets, investing in companies that create real value and contribute to a more sustainable world. In my capacity, I play a pivotal role in sourcing, conducting due diligence, and managing investments for the Health & Life Sciences vertical, while also leveraging my expertise in company-building to contribute to 3xP’s venture studio efforts.
Non-Executive Director
2024
Exogenus Therapeutics, established in 2015, is a pioneering research and development company specializing in healthcare solutions derived from extracellular vesicles (EVs) and exosomes. With expertise in umbilical cord blood clinical applications, we lead innovation in EVs/exosome-based therapeutics. Our mission is to revolutionize healthcare by harnessing EVs and exosomes to address significant medical challenges. We develop proprietary products and provide strategic guidance to partners, advancing the field for global healthcare.
Head of Operations
2022 - 2023
Aethon Therapeutics, an ATP company, creates neoantigens by design, to transform cancer treatments into cures. Aethon's novel anti-drug-peptide conjugate/MHC antibodies, engineered using the company's proprietary HapImmune™ platform, are designed to be used in combination with targeted covalent inhibitors (TCI) of RAS, EGFR, and other oncogenic driver mutations, to mount immune attacks to selectively kill residual cancer cells, including drug-resistant "persister" cells. Aethon unites immunotherapy and targeted therapy to expand the power and promise of both approaches for people living with cancer.
Associate
2021 - 2023
As a significant player in life sciences venture capital with $2.65 billion in committed capital, ATP focuses on flexible funding and providing access to a top-tier, aiming to nurture sustainable enterprises advancing therapeutics for human betterment. My role encompassed the entire investment lifecycle: identifying and evaluating opportunities within the therapeutics sector, conducting thorough due diligence, and contributing to investment execution. I also played a pivotal role in portfolio management, assuming interim positions in ATP's ventures, and conducted market research to track industry trends and scientific advancements. Additionally, I actively engaged in relationship building, networking at industry events, and delivered insightful reports to senior management, offering valuable insights on portfolio performance, market dynamics, and emerging investment trends.
Board Observer
2020 - 2022
Proterris is a P2 clinical-stage firm that has pooled a dominant IP position in therapeutic uses of inhaled and small-molecule carbon monoxide. This IP position has been supported by almost 50 preclinical studies and nearly dozen clinical trials, including those supported with ~$23 million in NIH funding to date. The therapeutic indications addressable by both inhaled CO (iCO) and CO-releasing molecules (CORMs) cover a wide range of fibrotic, transplantation, other ischemia-reperfusion injury and anti-inflammatory disorders. Proterris has prioritized CO development in delayed graft function (DGF), acute liver failure, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), with significant opportunities in a number of other indications, including but not limited to acute kidney injury (AKI), renal fibrosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Proterris was co-founded by Apeiron Partners, LLC, a pair of world-renowned academic researchers in CO, and 12th Man Technologies, Inc. In 2017 Proterris merged with Alfama, Inc., a Boston-based company founded in Portugal to develop novel carbon monoxide-releasing molecules (CORMs). These CORMs are based on the work of Werner Haas (formerly of Hoffman-la Roche) and Carlos Romão (professor at ITQB, Nova University Lisbon), and delivers CO in controlled doses to various organs and tissues, with favorable safety and efficacy profiles.
Non-Executive Director
2019 - 2022
CellmAbs is a biotech company focused on the discovery and development of immuno-oncology drug candidates and personalized treatments, targeting solid tumors. Our technology effectively targets cancer cells that express certain glycan structures, with the potential to: a) act by reducing immunesuppression; b) deliver active ingredients to the sites of interest more effectively.
Non-Executive Director
2019 - 2022
BSIM’s mission is to deliver quality drug candidates with high capital efficiency against transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis, including clinical manifestations and related pathologies that still represent unmet medical needs. Our first products are directed against a rare and fatal pathology called Hereditary ATTR amyloidosis with Polyneuropathy (hATTR-PN), also known as Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP). We are developing drug candidates that fit into different target-product profiles and thus enable the treatment of a broader range of hATTR-PN manifestations, including oculopathy (e.g. vitreous opacities, glaucoma) and central nervous system symptoms (e.g. seizures, stroke-like events, progressive dementia). We are also working on development candidates for the treatment of TTR-related cardiomyopathies such as hereditary ATTR amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy (hATTR-CM), also known as Familial Amyloid Cardiomyopathy (TTR-FAC), and wild-type ATTR amyloidosis (wtATTR), also known as Senile Systemic Amyloidosis (SSA).
Investment Manager - Life Sciences
2018 - 2022
Portugal Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative technology-based companies with significant operations in Portugal, but with export-oriented strategies to global markets. My focus was on investments within the life sciences sector, particularly therapeutics and diagnostics as applied to human health. Main responsibilities included: * Sourcing new opportunities for investment. * Conducting due diligence on potential deals. * Managing day-to-day interactions with portfolio companies. * Assuming seats on boards of directors on behalf of Portugal Ventures. * Representing the Life Sciences unit in events across the country.
Board Observer
2020 - 2022
LiMM is the biopharmaceutical company harnessing the molecular cross-talk between neuronal and innate lymphoid cells within peripheral tissues. By decoding the language of the neuroimmune cross-talk, we are developing first-in-class therapeutic products – NRILs: neuronal reprogrammers of innate lymphocytes - to preserve health and treat inflammatory, infectious and metabolic diseases. We are bridging neural sensing and immunology discoveries to unlock therapeutic solutions for the benefit of patients.
Non-Executive Director
2019 - 2022
TargTex SA is a portuguese biotech company founded in 2019 that emerged from a blended academic research and medical environment. Its basic technology was developed in Gonçalo Bernardes research lab at Instituto de Medicina Molecular (iMM) of the University of Lisbon. Its foundation is based on an artificial intelligence algorithm created by one of the founding members that can decipher relationships between biological targets and molecules of interest. Hence, it was possible to identify an unexplored target for a daunting pathology – Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). Considering GBM’s particularities, the company is developing a solution based on a hydrogel to be used as adjunct-to-surgery in a single dose therapy.