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Julie Anne Smith
Juvena Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing AI-enabled regenerative biologics designed to restore tissue function, has appointed Julie Anne Smith as Chief Executive Officer and member of its Board of Directors.
Smith brings more than two decades of executive leadership experience across clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies focused on rare disease, neuromuscular, and autoimmune therapeutics.
Smith joins Juvena as its first-in-class biologic, JUV-161, advances through a Phase 2a atrophy study. JUV-161 holds U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Orphan Drug Designation for myotonic dystrophy and was discovered using JuvNET, Juvena’s proprietary AI-enabled platform designed to map the therapeutic potential of stem cell-secreted proteins.
Juvena is also expanding its platform through a global licensing and multi-target research collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company to advance additional muscle and metabolic health programs using JuvNET. The company is scheduled to present at Morgan Stanley’s 24th Annual Global Healthcare Conference on September 16, 2026.
Before joining Juvena, Smith served as Chief Executive Officer of Nuvig Therapeutics, a clinical-stage autoimmune company. Previously, she was President and CEO of ESCAPE Bio, which develops targeted therapies for genetic neurodegeneration. She also served as President and CEO of Raptor Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded orphan disease company with two approved global medicines, before its acquisition by Horizon Pharmaceuticals in 2016.
Smith began her industry career in commercial and operational leadership roles at Enobia Pharma, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Genzyme, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. She currently serves on the boards of Stoke Therapeutics and Exelixis.
