Eva is a Canadian-trained scientist who has had an international career pursuing her curiosity to understand the defects of skeletal muscle in various diseases and now is passionate about finding effective therapies to treat rare neuromuscular diseases.

As the inaugural Executive Director for SOLVE FSHD, Eva will apply that passion and her insight into muscle biology and drug discovery and development to tackle the barriers and accelerate a cure for FSHD. Together with the relentless drive and support of Chip Wilson and Neil Camarta, this team will SOLVE FSHD!

Eva obtained her Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Waterloo in Canada and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Sydney, Australia and UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, focusing on the role of intracellular calcium in muscle fatigue, transcriptional regulation of muscle fiber type determination and muscle plasticity.

Eva’s career has spanned the academic and pharmaceutical industries, with previous positions at Pfizer, the University of Maryland, MyoTherapeutics, Cytokinetics and NMD Pharma. While at Pfizer Eva shifted her career from academic research focusing on cellular and molecular mechanisms of muscle function to the discovery and development of muscle-targeted therapies. Her career has increasingly focused on targeting the underlying skeletal muscle pathologies in rare neuromuscular diseases, including muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Eva has also been a team leader in late-stage drug discovery to early phase clinical development programs across a span of therapeutic areas including neuromuscular and cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis. Over the past five years she has led the nonclinical development of numerous drug candidates in clinical trials for ALS, SMA, myasthenia gravis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Eva has led or contributed to ten programs moving from a novel research idea to first in human clinical trials, focusing on translational pharmacology and safety to support IND and CTA filings. Ten of these molecules have safely been tested in Phase 1 and four have reached Phase 2 proof of concept milestones. Eva has over 50 peer-reviewed publications and more than 100 conference abstracts and presentations focusing on skeletal muscle fatigue and disease mechanisms for metabolic disease, aging and neuromuscular diseases.

Karen is a biomedical scientist and entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in scientific research, biotechnology commercialization, and business development. She has a Ph.D. in Medical Genetics and post-doctoral training in Biochemistry from the University of British Columbia, and a broad scientific background spanning molecular biology, personalized medicine, genomics, molecular diagnostics and drug discovery. She has published over 30 research articles, book chapters, and patents, and currently holds an Adjunct Professorship in the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Karen’s business leadership in the health and biotechnology arenas include notable roles such as Chief Business Officer of a non-profit biomarker development organization, Leader of Innovation and Business Development at Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, and co-founder and CEO of a pioneering health technology start-up for veterinary medicine. With a proven track record across non-profit, industry, healthcare, and academic spheres, Karen has leveraged her scientific and business expertise to foster cross-sectoral partnerships, tackle problems, and deliver tangible impact in health innovation.

Mayel Gharanei is an accomplished research scientist, dedicated to advancing the understanding of human diseases and developing effective treatments. With expertise in muscle mechanics, molecular biology, and genetics, he has focused his career on bridging the gap between basic science and clinical applications. Mayel earned his Ph.D. in Physiology and Pharmacology in the UK, where he studied drug-induced toxicity and developed innovative technologies to investigate muscle mechanics in clinically relevant animal and cell models. As assistant professor of cardiovascular research and post-doctoral scientist in the UK and Canada, his research included the development of novel biomarkers for disease onset and progression and used stem cells, 3D bioprinting, and genome editing technologies for disease modeling and drug screening.

In the industry, Mayel has been instrumental in founding a university spin-out company specializing in muscle mechanics and drug screening. He has collaborated with major pharmaceutical companies to screen novel compounds for toxicity and utilized AI tools to predict disease progression and assess the effectiveness of therapies in hypertensive patients. He has also managed and conducted clinical trials at institutions including New York Presbyterian Methodist Hospital in in New York, USA) and St. Paul’s Hospital, UBC, and Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. Mayel has contributed to over 40 peer-reviewed publications, patents, and conference presentations. His research interests include muscle mechanics, drug screening, regenerative medicine, and genome editing, with a focus on understanding human physiology, modelling diseases, and developing effective and safe therapies.

Richard is an experienced grants manager, having led grants teams in the not-for-profit and higher education sectors in the UK.

Richard completed a Bachelor’s degree in Politics before eventually moving to London, UK, to start a career in the charity sector. He began working at The Royal British Legion in 2014 and became Grants Manager in 2016, overseeing a significant period of development in the charity’s grant-giving to other organizations. He then supervised teams in research grants administration at King’s College London and Queen Mary, University of London before moving to Vancouver in 2021.

Richard joined SOLVE FSHD inspired by its ambitious target for 2027 and aims to bring his skills and experience in grants processes and research management to help make a treatment a reality.