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Team Menghis Bairu, MD, Co-founder, President and CEO

Dr Bairu, is a physician, entrepreneur, coach, business executive, editor, author, and philanthropist. He has 30 years of international experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, drug delivery and device, global health, and non-profit arenas.

With a career spanning over three decades, Dr. Bairu is a true visionary and polymath, leaving an indelible mark in the fields of medicine, entrepreneurship, leadership, and philanthropy. Dr. Bairu embarked on his journey as a physician, driven by a deep commitment to healthcare. Today, his impact extends far beyond the walls of clinics and hospitals. Currently, he serves as the Co-founder and CEO of Bio Usawa Inc., a private company on a noble mission—to develop and manufacture quality and affordable Monoclonal Antibodies, benefiting patients not only in Africa but also globally. His unwavering dedication to addressing healthcare disparities is a beacon of hope in these challenging times. In addition to his role at Bio Usawa Inc., Dr. Bairu is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Proxenia Venture Partners,, which provides capital, management talent, and access to a global networks of experts to companies in late preclinical and early-stage clinical development in biotechnology that address global challenges and improve patient lives. Most recently, he served as Executive Chairman of Treos Bio, a start-up company that uses computational biology to develop precision cancer immunotherapies tailored to patients' genetics. In addition, he is Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Serenus Biotherapeutics, an emerging market focused specialty biopharmaceutical company. In that role he raised up to $43 million in series A funding.

Dr. Bairu concurrently served as Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Head of Global Development for Elan and President/CEO of Speranza Therapeutics. As EVP and CMO, Dr. Bairu was member of the Elan’s Operating Committee. He successfully led corporate R&D due diligence processes that resulted in a transaction with J&J at a value of approximately $1.5 billion. In 2013, he also led corporate R&D due diligence resulting in the sale of Elan to Perrigo for $8.6 billion.

Prior to joining Elan, Dr. Bairu worked at Genentech for more than six years in several managed care, medical, and commercial roles (Rituximab, Herceptin, TNK, tPA, Growth Hormone). He also served on the board of directors of various companies, including One World Health, a non-profit drug development company funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dr. Bairu currently serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine where he lectures on global clinical trials’ design, development, and conduct.

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