Hanadie Yousef
Hanadie Yousef is a neurobiologist, stem cell biologist and entrepreneur leading Juvena Therapeutics in its mission to develop protein-based therapeutics to promote tissue regeneration and increase healthspan in the elderly. Dr. Yousef’s ground-breaking research over the last 17 years has been supported by multiple fellowships and grants leading to numerous issued and pending patents and high-profile publications on mechanisms of aging and methods for tissue rejuvenation, particularly in brain and muscle. Her key discoveries laid the foundation of Juvena Therapeutics’ venture-backed, drug discovery and preclinical development platform. Dr. Yousef earned a BS in Chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University, a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley, pursued a 5-year postdoctoral fellowship in Neurology at Stanford School of Medicine and conducted R&D at Regeneron and Genentech.
In graduate school in the Schaffer and Conboy labs at UCB, Dr. Yousef studied the role of adult stem cells in the biology of aging and developed methods for tissue rejuvenation in brain and muscle. Dr. Yousef discovered mechanisms by which TGF-β and BMP signaling deregulation inhibits adult hippocampal neurogenesis and myogenesis with age. She also discovered that specific hESC-secreted proteins enhance aged muscle regeneration and human myogenesis and enhance the activity and survival of neural stem cells and cortical neurons. Dr. Yousef studied the molecular and signaling mechanisms underlying muscle rejuvenation by a cocktail of specific hESC-secreted proteins.
Achievements during graduate school include: 4, 1st author publications outlining mechanisms underlying stem cell decline with age, 3 issued patents on methods for brain and muscle tissue rejuvenation, NSF Fellowship.
In the Wyss-Coray lab as a postdoc at Stanford, Dr. Yousef elucidated molecular and cellular mechanisms that contribute to both a decline in brain function with aging and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on understanding the interactions between aged blood and the blood-brain barrier. Her first author discoveries on a mechanism underlying inhibition of brain function by aged blood through the blood-brain barrier were published in Nature Medicine (May 2019) and Cell Reports (March 2020). Dr. Yousef won two consecutive Spark grants to translate her discovery into the clinic for neurodegeneration and vascular dementia and has a pending patent from Stanford. Dr. Yousef spearheaded collaborations across departments that led to numerous discoveries, grants and high-profile publications.
Achievements during her postdoc include: 1st author extensive research article published in Nature Medicine May 2019, 1 co-first research publication accepted Jan. 2020 in Cell Reports, multiple co-authorships in top journals including Nature, 1 pending patent; NIH F32 Fellowship, SPARK scholar and grant recipient
In 2017, Dr. Yousef co-founded Juvena Therapeutics, Inc., to pursue her dream to build a revolutionary biopharmaceutical company that develops new medicines to promote tissue regeneration and increase healthspan in the elderly.
When not actively pursuing her passion for understanding and treating age-related diseases, Hanadie rejuvenates her mind and body with long trail runs in nature, traveling and making new friends while learning about and appreciating diverse cultures and history, and relaxing with her close family and friends in the Bay Area, her native New York, and around the globe.
In graduate school in the Schaffer and Conboy labs at UCB, Dr. Yousef studied the role of adult stem cells in the biology of aging and developed methods for tissue rejuvenation in brain and muscle. Dr. Yousef discovered mechanisms by which TGF-β and BMP signaling deregulation inhibits adult hippocampal neurogenesis and myogenesis with age. She also discovered that specific hESC-secreted proteins enhance aged muscle regeneration and human myogenesis and enhance the activity and survival of neural stem cells and cortical neurons. Dr. Yousef studied the molecular and signaling mechanisms underlying muscle rejuvenation by a cocktail of specific hESC-secreted proteins.
Achievements during graduate school include: 4, 1st author publications outlining mechanisms underlying stem cell decline with age, 3 issued patents on methods for brain and muscle tissue rejuvenation, NSF Fellowship.
In the Wyss-Coray lab as a postdoc at Stanford, Dr. Yousef elucidated molecular and cellular mechanisms that contribute to both a decline in brain function with aging and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on understanding the interactions between aged blood and the blood-brain barrier. Her first author discoveries on a mechanism underlying inhibition of brain function by aged blood through the blood-brain barrier were published in Nature Medicine (May 2019) and Cell Reports (March 2020). Dr. Yousef won two consecutive Spark grants to translate her discovery into the clinic for neurodegeneration and vascular dementia and has a pending patent from Stanford. Dr. Yousef spearheaded collaborations across departments that led to numerous discoveries, grants and high-profile publications.
Achievements during her postdoc include: 1st author extensive research article published in Nature Medicine May 2019, 1 co-first research publication accepted Jan. 2020 in Cell Reports, multiple co-authorships in top journals including Nature, 1 pending patent; NIH F32 Fellowship, SPARK scholar and grant recipient
In 2017, Dr. Yousef co-founded Juvena Therapeutics, Inc., to pursue her dream to build a revolutionary biopharmaceutical company that develops new medicines to promote tissue regeneration and increase healthspan in the elderly.
When not actively pursuing her passion for understanding and treating age-related diseases, Hanadie rejuvenates her mind and body with long trail runs in nature, traveling and making new friends while learning about and appreciating diverse cultures and history, and relaxing with her close family and friends in the Bay Area, her native New York, and around the globe.