At Belenos Biosciences Inc. we believe that clinical remission should be the goal for chronic inflammatory diseases. By advancing bispecific molecules that address validated targets, we believe that our medicines can lead to improved rates of clinical remission. We are advancing our assets quickly to patients using innovative clinical development.
Belenos was founded by a seasoned leadership team with deep experience in chronic diseases, spanning the entire development cycle. We have a demonstrated record of taking therapies from early discovery through commercial launch. This nimble team meets challenges head-on.
CEO & Co-Founder
Donnie McGrath has a long career in drug development. Prior to founding Belenos Biosciences, he was Executive Chairman and President of BioShin (Shanghai) and Chief of Corporate Strategy and Business Development at Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, until its acquisition by Pfizer. Previously, he was Vice President, Business Development and Head of Search of Evaluation for Bristol-Myers Squibb, and he began his career treating patients as an infectious disease physician, working globally with the Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Disease at Tufts New England Medical Center. Donnie earned his medical degree from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and his M.P.H. from Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. McGrath is also a Venture Partner at Orbimed.
COO & Co-Founder
Megan Dow has extensive leadership experience growing biotechs and pipelines. Prior to co-founding Belenos, Megan was Vice President and Head of Portfolio & Corporate Strategy at Biohaven, covering numerous therapeutic areas from discovery to Phase 3 navigating the strategy through beyond the migraine franchise sold to Pfizer in 2022. Before Biohaven, she worked in the Chief Business Office at Pfizer on R&D Strategy across the portfolio. Previously, Megan was the Senior Life Science Advisor for Denmark based in NYC, where she led the U.S. investment, partnering, and portfolio development strategies for Danish biotech and pharma companies. Megan began her career as an equity research analyst covering biotech, and remains on the Steering Committee for the New York Academy of Sciences. She is an immunologist by training, and earned her Ph.D. in Pathobiology and Immunology at NYU School of Medicine.
CFO & Co-Founder
Tania Dimitrova brings 20 years of experience in bio-pharma business and corporate development, capital markets and investing. Prior to co-founding Belenos, she was Chief Business Officer at Artios, where she led strategic transactions, including pivotal for the business collaborations with Merck KGaA and Novartis, positioning the company for successful Series C financing. Earlier, Tania held various roles in Worldwide Business Development at Pfizer and Corporate M&A at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where she executed over 25 transactions with immediate value of over $20 billion and received two Transactionalist Excellence Awards. Tania spent the first half of her career in healthcare investment banking as an equity research associate and a senior healthcare buy-side analyst in asset management. She earned her MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a BA in Economics and Mathematics from Mount Holyoke College.
Head of Early Clinical Development and Translational Medicine & Co-Founder
Glenn D. Rosen is an emeritus Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Stanford University. At Stanford, Glenn served as Division Co-Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine led the Interstitial Lung Disease Program at the Advanced Lung Disease Center. In addition to his time at Standford, Glenn was Head of Discovery Fibrosis Biology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he led early discovery and development efforts, focusing on liver and lung fibrosis, resulting in the clinical development for drugs to treat IPF and lung disease.
Head of Manufacturing
Nick is a seasoned biopharmaceutical professional with 29 years’ experience leading CMC operations with small and mid-sized biopharmaceutical companies. He has successfully participated in and/or led the submission of multiple INDs and several BLAs/NDAs. Nick received his Ph.D in marine biochemistry from the University of Delaware and was an NSF post-doctoral fellow at the University of Maryland.
Head of Clinical Operations
Anna Rightmire is a seasoned professional in clinical operations, with nearly 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. Anna was a key member of the infectious disease clinical operations team at Bristol-Myers Squibb before moving to ViiV as Director of Clinical Operations leading HIV drug development operations. Prior to joining Belenos, Anna was a Senior Director of Clinical Operations at Biohaven.
Head of Regulatory
Lisa Percival has over 25 years experience in the industry across several therapeutic areas and all phases of development, most recently as Head of Regulatory and Quality at Vividion Therapeutics. Prior to joining Vividion, Lisa served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Atlas Ventures, where she provided regulatory and development advice and was Head of Regulatory for Third Harmonic Bio. Previously, Lisa was Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at Zafgen, and served multiple roles across clinical operations and regulatory at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Belenos’ pipeline consists of BEL512 and BEL536, both long-acting bispecific antibodies that have the potential to be pipeline-in-a-products for chronic inflammatory disorders.
The targeted synergy of bispecific antibodies offers an advantage over traditional monoclonal antibodies and over two co-administered monoclonals. By targeting two mechanisms with consistent PK, PD, BEL512 and BEL536 are designed to provide broader disease control for patients and will improve upon established efficacy. Both BEL512 and BEL536 are designed with half-life extension technology, giving patients freedom from frequent injections.
Our lead asset BEL512, targets both TSLP and IL-13. TSLP is an alarmin at the top of the inflammatory cascade, and IL-13 has shown to be a powerful target in chronic inflammatory and allergic diseases. Recent data has demonstrated that targeting TSLP and IL-13 simultaneously leads to greater effects than seen with blocking either target alone. BEL512 suppresses both TSLP and IL-13 – two key drivers of type 2 inflammation – within a single bispecific antibody, comprehensively blocking upstream and downstream inflammation. The lead indication for BEL512 is Asthma. Belenos initiated clinical studies in the USA in 2025.