Sebastián Bernales, PhD

Observer


Sebastián Bernales, PhD, is General Partner at Humboldt Fund, a leading venture capital fund that supports innovative, early-stage companies by investing in the biotech revolution. Most recently, Dr. Bernales co-founded Metagenomi, a pioneering gene editing company developing next generation therapies for patients. Prior to Metagenomi, Dr. Bernales co-founded Praxis Biotech, a California-based biotech company focused on rapidly translating early-stage ideas into IND ready programs. In 2016, Dr. Bernales started Merken Biotech, a Chilean research organization that supports the research needs of the academic community and the private sector. Dr. Bernales also co-founded Medzyme (merged with Phage Labs), and Mikrovia, a research and development company working on pre- and pro-biotics of the intestinal flora for applications in neurodegenerative diseases and disorders. Dr. Bernales currently serves on the board of directors for both Metagenomi and Phage Labs, in addition to his role as board observer for Cellino Biotech, Endpoint Health, and Haya Therapeutics. Earlier in his career, Dr. Bernales served as Vice President of Discovery Biology at Medivation Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that developed and commercialized medically innovative therapies to treat serious diseases, including XTANDI (enzalutamide), an approved androgen receptor inhibitor used as a treatment for prostate cancer. Medivation was acquired by Pfizer in 2016.

Dr. Bernales obtained his PhD and completed his postdoctoral training at the University of California in San Francisco, where he received Richard Fineberg Memorial Teaching Award and was awarded an American Heart Fellowship. He completed his undergraduate studies in biochemistry at the Catholic University in Chile.

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