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CEO, Sernova Biotherapeutics

At 18, Jonathan was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) after surviving a lifechanging episode of diabetic ketoacidosis. He used his frustration with the diagnosis as motivation to compete in triathlons and Ironman races to raise money for the T1D community – against his doctor’s orders! – all while navigating a career as a biotech industry executive. He has founded, taken public, and sold four companies and has made meaningful contributions to the commercialization of five new treatments. In August 2024, Jonathan was appointed CEO at Sernova, where he now leads the advancement of a bio-hybrid organ, the insulin-producing Cell Pouch.

His career journey spans several years at Aradigm Corporation where he worked on inhaled insulin, and Xeris Pharmaceuticals as a board member, where FDA approval for Gvoke, the liquid stable glucagon, was achieved. Jonathan also serves on the board of IM Therapeutics, a company developing a product for slowing the onset of T1D.

“Although it is likely many years away, I predict that there is a future in which cell and gene therapy technologies offer a functional cure for T1D. With the promising technology at Sernova, as well as innovations at other companies such as Vertex and Sana, I am encouraged that people living with T1D will one day be able to move on from the burdensome realities of the disease.”