Management and Advisors

  • Robert F. Johnston, Chairman of the Board and CEO
    • Johnston founded Johnston Associates, a venture capital firm, in 1968 to provide seed capital for start-ups emerging in the biotechnology and healthcare fields.
    • During his career, he founded numerous public companies including Sepracor (acquired by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co), Cytogen (acquired by EUSA Pharma), I-STAT (acquired by Abbott), Genex (acquired by a VC firm,) and Envirogen (acquired by Shaw Environmental), and was instrumental in the early formation of many private companies such as Sonomed, Immunicon (acquired by J&J), PharmaStem (formerly Biocyte), Praelux (acquired by Amersham/GE) and Targent (acquired by Spectrum). Mr. Johnston served as CEO of Cytogen and Praelux (formerly SEQ).
    • Additionally, he was a member of the Advisory Council of the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University for 20 years.
    • Johnston received his B.A. from Princeton University and his M.B.A. from New York University.
  • Stephen Anderson, Ph.D., Biological Consultant
    • Anderson is Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
    • He is focused on the study of protein folding and proteostasis with particular attention to the role these processes play in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
    • He received his A.B. and Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from Harvard University and did postdoctoral studies at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK. Prior to joining the Rutgers faculty, Anderson was a Senior Scientist and manager at Genentech, Inc.
  • Joey Broussard, Executive Vice President, Zywie Bio, 2020 – Present

    An accomplished executive with extensive experience in neuroscience research, innovation in neurotechnologies, and leadership in scientific advisory capacities. Proven track record in cutting-edge methods for tracking brain activity, managing interdisciplinary teams, and acquiring extramural funding.

    Postdoctoral Fellow
    Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
    2018 – Present
    • Designed numerous enabling technologies for monitoring brain activity in living animals.
    • Acquired over $500,000 in funding to pursue the development of next-generation therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders.
    • Published numerous high-impact papers in prestigious scientific journals.

    Ph.D. in Neuroscience
    University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
    2012 – 2018

    Key Achievements:
    • Developed innovative tools for brain research, including high-resolution genetically encoded sensors.
    • Published 15+ research papers in top-tier journals like Nature and Journal of Neuroscience Methods.
    • Awarded the Warren Alpert Distinguished Scholar Award (2024-2026) and the NARSAD Young Investigator Award (2023-2025).
  • Steve Pasternak
    • Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, The Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University (The University of Western Ontario). London Ontario, Canada.
    • Scientist, Robarts Research Institute, Western University (The University of Western Ontario), London, Ontario, Canada.
    • Director, Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centre, Parkwood Institute/St Joseph’s Health Research Centre, London Ontario, Canada.

    • His clinic at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centre at Parkwood Institute specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body Disease, Parkinson’s Disease Dementia.

    • At his laboratory at the Robarts Research Institute at Western University, he studies the basic cell biology of Neurodegenerative disease, using live cell imaging to study lysosomal trafficking in the generation and clearance of pathological proteins. He also studies extracellular vesicles as diagnostic biomarkers, and techniques to treat neurodegenerative disease based on increasing a cells ability to break down pathological proteins by increasing lysosomal function.
    • Launched a Phase 2 Clinical Trial of Ambroxol in Parkinson’s Disease Dementia. Participates in numerous academic and industry-sponsored clinical trials.
    •  SB Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
    • SB Life Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
    • MD CM McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
    • PhD McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
    • Neurology Residency, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
    • Fellowship/ Post-Doctoral Fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children/ Clinician Investigator Training Program, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada