James O. McNamara, M.D.
is a co-founder of NeurOp and has been intimately involved in the operations of the company since its inception. He has been a faculty member at Duke University for over 50 years, where he holds the positions of Duke School of Medicine Professor of Neurosciences in the Departments of Neurobiology, Neurology, and Pharmacology. Dr. McNamara’s research seeks to elucidate the mechanisms of epileptogenesis, the process by which a normal brain becomes epileptic. He led clinical programs in epilepsy at both the Durham Veterans Affairs and Duke University Medical Centers. He also served as Chair of the Department of Neurobiology in the Duke University School of Medicine. He has served as President of the American Epilepsy Society and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2005. He has received two Javits Neuroscience Investigator awards from the NIH and a Freedom to Discover Award from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. He is a highly regarded leader in neurology and neuroscience, having authored more than 300 publications and abstracts, and has contributed to leading textbooks in the field.
Raymond J. Dingledine, Ph.D.
is professor emeritus in the Department of Pharmacology at Emory University School of Medicine and one of NeurOp’s founders. Prior to joining Emory in 1992 as Chair of Pharmacology, he was a professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is widely recognized as one of the foremost experts in the field of neuropharmacology, and his current research primarily focuses on the role of inflammation in disease indications involving seizures. He has published more than 200 research papers during his career and served as editor of Molecular Pharmacology. Dr. Dingledine was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2010, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in 2018, and the National Academy of Inventors in 2024. He is the recipient of numerous other scientific honors and awards, including a Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the NIH, the Epilepsy Research Award from the American Epilepsy Society, two Bristol-Myers Squibb Neuroscience Awards, the PhRMA Career Excellence Award, the Robert Ruffolo Career Achievement Award, and the Julius Axelrod Prize from the Society for Neuroscience (SfN). He is past treasurer of SfN and served on the scientific council of NINDS. He currently chairs the SfN Investment Committee. Dr. Dingledine received his Ph.D. degree in pharmacology from Stanford University
Dennis C. Liotta, Ph.D.
was born and raised in New York City. He obtained his B.S. degree in chemistry from Queens College in 1970 and his Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry from the City University of New York in 1974. He then carried out postdoctoral research at the Ohio State University. Dr. Liotta joined Emory University in 1976. Currently, he is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor in the Chemistry Department as well as a Professor in the department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology. He served as the Chair of the Chemistry Department from 1993 to 1996 and Emory’s Vice President for Research from 1996 to 2000. He also served as the Associate Director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research for over a decade and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Cancer Institute-Chemical Biology Consortium at Emory. In 2011, he was honored with the Thomas Jefferson Award, Emory University’s highest service award.
In his decades-long career at Emory University, Dr. Dennis Liotta has dramatically improved the longevity and quality of life of millions worldwide. His accomplishments are not limited to just one significant discovery, as he has been directly involved in the discovery and development of multiple lifesaving therapeutics. As a serial entrepreneur and visionary leader, he has also fostered many businesses in the biotech industry and pioneered new approaches to drug development in academia.
Dr. Liotta’s research focuses on the discovery and development of novel antiviral, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory agents. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications, cited by scientists around the globe tens of thousands of times. These publications fundamentally shaped modern medicinal chemistry and profoundly influenced countless young researchers. An inventor of over 110 US patents, Dr. Liotta contributed to 18 lifesaving, FDA-approved therapies and is recognized as a premier discoverer of novel therapeutics. While his biggest impact came from the HIV/AIDS therapeutics he co-discovered, Dr. Liotta has made important contributions to other therapeutic fronts, such as oncology and neurological diseases, creating many clinical candidates to address unmet medical needs. For example, multiple therapeutic agents co-invented by Dr. Liotta are currently being studied in clinical trials, including an anticancer agent for treating hard-to-treat breast cancers and an oral drug for controlling hot flashes in postmenopausal women.
Dr. Liotta embodies the finest qualities of a scientist dedicated to improving human health through original research in medicinal chemistry.
Robert R. Bonczek, J.D.
is Chief Financial Officer and a director of Cellective BioTherapy, Inc. He also serves as Chief Administrative Officer at Istari Oncology, Inc. and President and Chief Financial Officer of MedBlue Incubator, Inc. Mr. Bonczek has served as a director and President, CFO and General Counsel of b3 bio, Inc.; CFO, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer of Trimeris, Inc.; and Chief Counsel and Global Director of Safety, Health and Environment, Dupont. Mr. Bonczek is founding partner, director and President of Aspen Tree Capital. In addition to NeurOp, Inc., he also serves on the boards of several life science-related companies including Senex Biotechnology, Upstream Therapeutics, Inc., Deep Blue Medical Advances, Inc., Track X Technology, and Istari Oncology, Inc. He is a member of the advisory boards for several companies, including Valence Advantage Life Sciences Fund and Centre Partners. Mr. Bonczek received an AB in chemistry and a JD degree from the University of North Carolina. He also holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Stephen F. Traynelis, PhD,
is currently a Professor and Dean’s Eminent Investigator in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Traynelis is an expert on neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, allosteric modulation of receptors, ion channel biophysics, and ligand-gated ion channels. He has worked on the structural basis of glutamate receptor function for over 35 years, and is considered a leading expert on synaptic and nonsynaptic roles of these receptors in normal brain function and neurological and neuropsychiatric disease. He is the founding Director of the Center for Functional Evaluation of Rare Variants , which has developed the largest database of functionally analyzed missense variants for any rare disease. Dr. Traynelis is the former Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Pharmacology, serves on multiple advisory boards for private foundations and the pharmaceutical industry. He is a recipient of numerous honors and awards, including being elected as a Fellow of AAAS and ASPET Fellow, and being selected as a John Merck Scholar. He received the Pharmacia-ASPET Award for Experimental Therapeutics , a Javits Neuroscience Investigator Awards from the NIH, the Emory School of Medicine Innovation for Impact Award, and was selected to give the prestigious Hodgkin-Huxley-Katz Prize Lecture. He is the author of over 250 publications, book chapters, and invited commentaries (>37k citations, impact factor 90). He has given over 200 invited lectures, and is co-inventor on 12 issued/allowed patents and multiple pending patents. He has served on numerous editorial boards and study sections, including chair of the NTRC study section.