Lupus Ventures Appoints Investment Committee, Scientific Advisory Network, and Unique Patient Council to Inform Fund Strategy

The Fund recruited an array of perspectives to ensure long-term impact and value alignment

NEW YORK, June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Lupus Ventures, the philanthropic venture investment fund of the Lupus Research Alliance and the world's only investment fund dedicated exclusively to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its manifestations, today announced the appointment of leading researchers, experts, and people living with lupus to three foundational committees.

The newly appointed Investment Committee, Scientific Advisory Network, and Voice of the Patient Council will provide strategic, scientific, and patient-centered guidance for Lupus Ventures to bring new treatments and diagnostics from bench to bedside.

"I am grateful to have the support of these committees in our Fund. It is a testament to the strength of our network and our mission that we were able to attract such an extraordinary breadth of talent," Nishant Rastogi, Managing Director of Lupus Ventures, said. "We are creating a unique, disease-specific investment model, and intentionally assembled an expansive and complementary pool of expertise – ensuring that scientific insight, development experience, patient relevance, and disciplined capital allocation all work together to advance high-potential treatment and diagnostic options for lupus. Collectively, these individuals strengthen our ability to be a value-add investor for all companies operating in this space."

Together, the three bodies underscore Lupus Ventures' mission-driven investment model, which blends venture capital and industry rigor with philanthropic flexibility to support promising programs that are either overlooked by traditional funding or could benefit from lupus-specific expertise.

"Lupus Ventures has the potential to be a transformative force in venture capital and lupus-related product development," Ira Akselrad, President of the Johnson Company and Chair of the Lupus Ventures Investment Committee, said. "With the full leadership and advisory team now in place, the Fund is well-positioned to translate that potential into reality through targeted investments."

Investment Committee
The Investment Committee is comprised of senior leaders in basic science, clinical research, medicine, biotech, pharma, women's health, and finance. The Committee will oversee portfolio strategy and investment decisions. Members include:

• Chair: Ira Akselrad, President, The Johnson Company
• Andrew C. Chan, MD, PhD, Venture Partner, The Column Group
• E. William St. Clair, MD, Co-Director, Immune Tolerance Network
• Ajay Nirula, MD, PhD, President & Head of R&D, Recludix Pharma
• Krishna Polu, MD, President & CEO, R1 Therapeutics
• Tracy Warren, Senior Managing Director, American Heart Association Ventures, Go Red for Women Venture Fund
• Nishant Rastogi, Managing Director, Lupus Ventures
• Albert T. Roy, President & CEO, Lupus Research Alliance

Scientific Advisory Network
The Scientific Advisory Network brings together internationally recognized experts in lupus biology, translational science, clinical research, drug development, and biotech. Members will help evaluate scientific merit, development feasibility, and clinical relevance across prospective investments. Members include:

• Marcus Clark, MD, University of Chicago
• Joseph E. Craft, MD, Yale School of Medicine  
• Anne Davidson, MBBS, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
• Robert Huizinga, PhD, RN, former EVP Research, Aurinia Pharma
• Selwyn Ho, MBBS, CEO, Signadori Bio
• J. Michelle Kahlenberg, MD, PhD, University of Michigan
• Alfred Kim, MD, PhD, Washington University
• Maximilian F. Konig, MD, The Johns Hopkins University
• Matthew Linnik, PhD, former VP, Immunology, Eli Lilly and Company
• Ramon Mohanlal, MD, PhD, MBA, former consultant, Immunology, Eli Lilly and Company
• Timothy B. Niewold, MD, FACR, Hospital for Special Surgery
• Harsukh Parmar, MD, former SVP, Immunology, EMD Serono
• William H. Robinson, MD, PhD, Stanford University
• Peter Schafer, PhD, Chair, PROLIFIC Consortium, Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation
• Teodora Staeva, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Lupus Research Alliance

Voice of the Patient Council
To ensure the lived experience of people with lupus informs the Fund's priorities and decision-making, Lupus Ventures has established the Voice of the Patient Council. Members bring perspectives shaped by navigating diagnosis, treatment, and long-term disease management – keeping the Fund's investments centered on what matters most to the lupus community. Initial members include patient advocates:

• Anna Fisch, Secretary of the Board of Directors, Lupus Research Alliance
• Veronica Vargas Lupo, Board of Directors Member, Lupus Research Alliance
• Liuna Fekravar, Young Leaders Board Member, Lupus Research Alliance

To learn more about the Fund, its investment strategy, and the individuals appointed to its advisory committees, visit LupusVentures.org.

About Lupus Ventures
Lupus Ventures (dba "The Lupus Venture Fund") is the venture investment fund of the Lupus Research Alliance. The Fund is dedicated to advancing treatment and diagnostic options for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), its manifestations, and related autoimmune conditions. The Fund defines success as improving the standard of care and delivering meaningful value to the millions of people living with lupus worldwide.

For more information, visit LupusVentures.org and on social media at: LinkedIn.

About the Lupus Research Alliance
The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental, non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most innovative lupus research, fostering scientific talent, and driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and, ultimately, a cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research Alliance's Board of Directors funds all administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of all donations go to support lupus research programs.

For more information or to donate to lupus research, visit the LRA at LupusResearch.org and on social media at: X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance