Our Story

Valora Therapeutics was born from a vision to translate groundbreaking glycobiology research into life-changing therapies. Founded in 2023, we build upon the pioneering work of Nobel Laureate Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi (Stanford University, HHMI investigator), a world leader in glycobiology.

Dr. Bertozzi's visionary research in glycoscience has revolutionized our understanding of cell surface sugars and their role in health and disease. Her insights into the 'glycan code' and its importance in immune regulation laid the groundwork for Valora's AbLec ™ platform.

The Ablec platform was developed at Dr. Bertozzi’s laboratories by Dr. Jessica Stark and other scientists. Valora Therapeutics has secured an exclusive license to the AbLec ™ technology from Stanford University.

Both Dr. Bertozzi and Dr. Stark are scientific founders of Valora Therapeutics and serve as Scientific Advisors to the company.

Dr. Stark is currently an Assistant Professor and Underwood Prescott Career Development Professor of Biological Engineering and Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Our Team

  • Miguel Garcia-Guzman, PhD

    CEO

  • Jerry Fong, PhD

    Sr. Director

  • Barbara Visentin, PhD

    Director

  • Roger Heim, PhD

    Sr. Investigator

  • Alexey Teplyakov, PhD

    Sr. Investigator

  • Carlos Daniel De Magalhaes Filho, PhD

    Principal Scientist

  • Daniele Bergeron

    Principal Research Scientist

  • Christine Huh, PhD

    Principal Scientist

  • Alfur Hung, PhD

    Principal Scientist

  • Jennifer Autsen

    Principal Research Scientist

  • Eduard Puig, PhD

    Scientist II

Scientific Advisors

  • Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi

    Co-founder of Valora.

    Baker Family Director of Sarafan ChEM-H.

    Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Chemistry.

    Professor of chemical and systems biology and of radiology (by courtesy) at Stanford University, USA.

    Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA.

  • Dr. Jessica Stark

    Co-founder of Valora.

    Underwood-Prescott Career Development Professor.

    Assistant Professor of Biological Engineering and Chemical Engineering

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.

  • Dr. Jack Bui

    Professor, Pathology

    University of California San Diego, USA.

  • Dr. Heinz Läubli

    Group Leader Cancer Immunotherapy Laboratory. Department of Clinical Research.

    University of Basel, Switzerland.

Our Investors

We're proud to be backed by a syndicate of investors known for their strategic vision and track record of building successful biotech companies.

Our seed funding was co-led by Avalon BioVentures, Bregua Corporation, and Tiger Gene, with additional funding from Alexandria Ventures and Correlation Ventures.

These are top-tier investors with a history of nurturing groundbreaking life science companies from inception to exit and provide a deep industry network to Valora with invaluable strategic guidance and operational support.

Board of Directors

Sanford (Sandy) Madigan, Ph.D.

Managing Partner at Avalon Bioventures.

Stefan Heller, Ph.D.

Representing Bregua Corporation.

Miguel Garcia-Guzman, Ph.D.

CEO, Valora Therapeutics Inc.

Audrey Warner

Managing Partner at TigerGene.