Meet the Team
Founders
Founder
Alysson Muotri, PhD
Dr. Alysson Muotri is Professor of Pediatrics and Cellular & Molecular Medicine. He is internationally known for his innovative use of brain organoids—miniature, lab-grown human brain models—to explore neurodevelopment, evolutionary biology, and disease. His research has revealed groundbreaking insights, including the discovery that the brain is a genetic mosaic, the development of the first human model for neurodevelopmental disorders, and the creation of functional brain organoids capable of oscillatory activity.
One of Dr. Muotri’s most transformative discoveries is revealing that the human brain is a genetic mosaic shaped by “jumping genes,” overturning the long-held assumption that all cells in the body share identical genomes. His pioneering creation of the first human cellular model for neurodevelopmental disorders using stem cells has opened new avenues for studying complex conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities. Notably, he developed the “Tooth Fairy” project, a global patient recruitment network leveraging social media to connect families affected by neurodevelopmental disorders with research opportunities.
A true innovator, Dr. Muotri has also led space-based neuroscience by sending thousands of brain organoids to the International Space Station to study microgravity’s effects on brain aging. His work bridges basic science and applied medicine, with implications for autism, Alzheimer’s, Zika-related birth defects, and personalized therapeutics. He is a founder of multiple biotech startups and has received numerous accolades, including the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and the EUREKA Award.
Founder
Aline Martins, PhD
Dr. Aline Martins is a distinguished biotechnology and proteomics researcher whose work spans functional proteomics, translational medicine, clinical biomarker discovery, and metabolomic imaging. With a robust academic foundation, international training, and active involvement in teaching and editorial roles, her work significantly advances the interface of clinical science and analytical technology.
Her projects have increasingly focused on developing comprehensive molecular profiles using high-resolution mass spectrometry platforms—bridging proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics to elucidate disease mechanisms at the systems level. Particularly notable is her work in early detection and prognosis of complex diseases like hepatocellular carcinoma, atherosclerosis, and Chagas cardiomyopathy, where she applies multivariate statistical models and machine learning to identify robust, reproducible biomarkers. Through international collaborations and interdisciplinary teams, she has contributed to data-rich clinical studies that enhance personalized medicine, aiming to improve diagnostics, therapeutic targeting, and patient outcomes. Her commitment to translational impact ensures that discoveries in the lab translate into tangible clinical solutions.
Visionary Advisory Board
Visionary Leader
Joe Panetta
Joe Panetta serves as president emeritus of Biocom California, the state’s leader and advocate for the life science industry, and leads international efforts that bridge California to international partners. Previously, Mr. Panetta led Biocom California as president and CEO for 25 years, growing the organization from being San Diego focused to serving the entire state and beyond.
Mr. Panetta is co-founder of the Biocom California Political Action Committee; the Biocom California Institute for workforce development; and Generation STEAM for education. Since 2014, Mr. Panetta has been a member of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, which serves as the governing and oversight board for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and is responsible for providing grant funding under the $5.5 billion California Stem Cell Initiative.
Mr. Panetta holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from LeMoyne College, and a Master of Public Health degree in industrial and environmental health from the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Panetta brings a depth of experience to his role, having worked in the life science industry at companies including Dow AgroSciences, Mycogen, Shearing AG, and Pennwalt Corp. He also served as a senior policy analyst at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. Mr. Panetta joined Biocom California in 1999.
Visionary Leader
Khulood Alsayegh, MD
Dr. Khulood Alsayegh is a distinguished healthcare leader with over 20 years of clinical and regulatory expertise across Ireland, the USA, GCC, and UAE. Trained at the Royal College of Surgeons and Harvard Medical School, she is a multilingual international speaker who shapes transformative healthcare policies. As Head of Clinical Standards & Guidelines at Dubai Health Authority (DHA), she sets excellence benchmarks for Dubai’s public and private healthcare sectors.
A pioneer in AI ethics, Dr. Alsayegh is the Middle East and Africa’s first certified AI Lead Ethical Assessor in healthcare and serves on the UAE’s National Committee for AI Regulation and the Technology-enabled Health Technical committee with the Health Standards Organization, Canada. She integrates technology with precision medicine to redefine care delivery and frequently speaks at global conferences and universities.
Honored with the Emirati Women Award by H.E. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and recognized by the late H.E. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, her work drives impactful change. She also advances healthcare governance as a Research Fellow at Mohamed bin Rashid School of Government.
Visionary Leader
Paul DelVecchio
Paul DelVecchio is a visionary leader at the forefront of commercial space exploration and innovation. With a background that spans human spaceflight, strategic growth, and enterprise partnerships, Paul brings a unique blend of operational excellence and bold, future-focused thinking to every endeavor he supports.
He is instrumental in advancing private human spaceflight. As Private Astronaut Sales Lead, he works to democratize access to space, helping bring the dream of space travel within reach for private citizens around the world. His work directly contributes to the mission of making humanity multiplanetary—a purpose that aligns with his deep belief in expanding access to transformative, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Previously, Paul played a key role in scaling Starlink, SpaceX’s groundbreaking Low Earth Orbit satellite constellation. He led strategic partnerships with global enterprises, facilitating the adoption of satellite-based connectivity solutions across industries and geographies—bridging digital divides and unlocking new opportunities for underserved communities.
In addition to his work in the space sector, Paul has held senior leadership roles across a range of industries, where he led teams focused on revenue growth, innovation strategy, and business development. His cross-sector experience enables him to bring a systems-level perspective to mission-driven initiatives.
Visionary Leader
Rayyanah Barnawi, Saudi Astronaut
Rayyanah Barnawi is a Saudi astronaut, biomedical scientist, and the first Saudi woman to fly to space. In May 2023, she launched aboard Axiom Mission-2 to the International Space Station, where she conducted more than 20 pioneering experiments in microgravity. With over a decade of research experience at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in cancer stem cells and tissue engineering, she has authored multiple scientific publications. She holds a BSc in Biomedical Science from the University of Otago, an MSc with First Class Honors in Biomedical Sciences from Alfaisal University, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Bioscience at KAUST, focusing on oncology, cachexia, and muscle disease.
Rayyanah now serves as General Supervisor of Microgravity Research at the Saudi Space Agency, where she leads the BioGravity Program, a national initiative with four major tracks (Community of Practice, Astronaut-Researcher University Program, Bench-to-Space biotech accelerator, and the BioGravity Research Hub). Her work is aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, aiming to advance biomedical research in space, localize talent, and foster a regional ecosystem for space biosciences.
Scientific Advisory Board
Scientific Leader
Larry Goldstein, PhD
Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, PhD, is a Cell Biologist, Geneticist, and Neuroscientist recognized for his work on molecular motors and the role of molecular transport pathways in neurodegenerative disease. Goldstein was born in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in Thousand Oaks, California.
He graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Biology in 1976 and from the University of Washington with a PhD in Genetics in 1980. He was a postdoctoral fellow in Cell Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder and MIT. He joined the faculty in Cell and Developmental Biology at Harvard University in 1984, where he was promoted to Full Professor with tenure in 1990. He returned to UC San Diego and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1993.
He is currently a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and of Neurosciences at UC San Diego. He is also a Special Advisor to the Vice Chancellor for Stem Cell Research and Policy at UC San Diego where he provides advice about programmatic direction in Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at UC San Diego and to other institutions in San Diego.
In collaboration with faculty and administrative colleagues, he launched the UC San Diego Stem Cell program, the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, and the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center. He has received the Public Service Award from the American Society for Cell Biology and has had a Public Policy Fellowship Program named for him by the International Society for Stem Cell Research. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.
Scientific Leader
Catherine Yeung, PharmD, PhD, MPH
Dr. Yeung’s research includes both basic science and translational studies, and spans from the determination of molecular mechanisms of altered drug metabolism using 3-dimensional cell culture techniques to the evaluation of the effect of drugs and nutritional supplements on health outcomes in patients receiving hemodialysis. She is a key investigator in the development of a “kidney on a chip” micro-physiological system that can be used in preclinical drug development.
She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy at Washington University and an Investigator at the Kidney Research Institute within the Division of Nephrology. Her research focuses on optimizing medication use in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and exploring how kidney function is affected by various physiological conditions. She is particularly interested in the use of microfluidic models to study kidney function in both health and disease, as well as investigating how uremia alters drug transport and pharmacokinetics. Notably, Dr. Yeung is also involved in space-related research, examining the effects of microgravity on kidney structure and function to better understand how spaceflight impacts human renal physiology.
Scientific Leader
Arun Sharma PhD
Dr. Arun Sharma, is an associate professor at the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He is also the director of the Center for Space Medicine Research at Cedars-Sinai. The Sharma lab’s research focuses on the applications of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for studying cardiovascular biology, modeling cardiovascular diseases “in a dish” , and developing platforms for screening drug toxicity and efficacy. In 2016, he led a project that sent human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) to the International Space Station to study the effects of microgravity on human heart function. This was the first long-duration cell culture experiment in space.
Dr. Sharma is an internationally recognized leader in the space biosciences field and is currently leading multiple NASA funded research projects exploring stem cell biomanufacturing in space. Dr. Sharma obtained his PhD in Stem Cell Biology from Stanford University, followed by postdoctoral training at the Harvard Medical School. He has published in leading scientific journals such as Science, Circulation Research, Science Translational Medicine, and Cell Stem Cell. Dr. Sharma has received multiple awards for his work, including being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Science, the Compelling Results Award in Biology and Medicine from NASA, the American Heart Association Career Development Award, and an Igniting Innovation Award from the International Space Station National Laboratory. He is also an advocate for communicating science to general and scientific audiences through social media and public speaking.
Scientific Leader
Raphael Roettgen
Raphael Roettgen is the founding partner of E2MC (Earth-to-Mars Capital, www.e2mc.space), a space-focused early-stage venture capital firm with over 30 space investments globally to date, including several space biotech companies. E2MC also co-founded two space accelerators: KickSky, India’s first space accelerator, and the Orbital Edge accelerator in the U.S. (in partnership with ISS National Lab).
Raphael is also co-founder and acting CEO of Prometheus Life Technologies, a Swiss space biotech startup focused on organoids.
He lectures on space entrepreneurship and investing at universities including the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), International Space University (ISU), and Nova Business School. Raphael hosts the popular Space Business Podcast, and is the author of “To Infinity”, an introductory book on the space economy. Previously, he held senior roles at global investment banks and hedge funds.
He holds degrees in finance and psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, machine learning from PUC-Rio and space studies from the International Space University, where he also serves as adjunct faculty and a governing member.
Scientific Leader
Dorit Donoviel
As Executive Director for the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), Dorit Donoviel, Ph.D., leads a $0.25B NASA-funded consortium of Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), California Institute of Technology, and Massachusetts Institute for Technology. TRISH finds and funds disruptive human health and performance solutions for astronauts exploring deep space. She leads domestic and international research programs bridging academia, industry, and government to deliver fast and cost-effective tangible results. Under her leadership, TRISH has led several Pathfinder projects, including the establishment of the only commercial spaceflight human research program and database, collecting biomedical data and samples from private individuals exploring space into a shared repository to be used by the entire research community. Dr. Donoviel is the recipient of public service awards from the NASA Human Research Program and the Pioneer Award from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute and was selected as a BCM Woman of Excellence and a BCM Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Scholar. She serves on the Brain Trust of the XPrize Foundation, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Advisory Board, and the Board of Trustees of the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute. Dr. Donoviel authors both scientific and thought leadership and policy articles. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at BCM. She serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Space Medicine, where she lectures and mentors graduate and medical students.
Before coming to BCM, Dr. Donoviel led a drug discovery program at Lexicon Pharmaceuticals. She received a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and a doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of Washington. Dr. Donoviel completed a Human Frontiers Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she created and widely distributed novel murine genetic models of Alzheimer's Disease.
