Frazier Life Sciences

Chairman of the Board since 2021 and a director since 2014. A Managing Partner on Frazier's Life Sciences team with over 20 years of biopharmaceutical and medical device investing experience; previously a Managing Partner at Vivo Capital.

Dan Estes is a General Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, which he joined in 2011, where he invests in development-stage and commercial-stage pharmaceutical companies. He has co-founded and helped launch several portfolio companies and previously worked as a management consultant in McKinsey & Company's healthcare practice, advising pharmaceutical and biotech firms on R&D and business development strategy. He holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.

James (Jamie) Topper co-leads Frazier's Life Sciences team as a Managing Partner, having joined the firm in 2003 and opened its first California office. Over more than two decades there, he has led or co-led investments in over 60 therapeutics-focused companies. Before joining Frazier, he headed cardiovascular R&D at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and served as VP of Biology at COR Therapeutics, and previously held faculty positions at Stanford and Harvard Medical School. He earned an M.D. and Ph.D. in Biophysics from Stanford and a B.S. from the University of Michigan.

Jamie is a General Partner and Portfolio Manager at Frazier Life Sciences, which he joined in 2016, investing in private and public biotechnology companies. He co-leads Frazier's public equity investment strategy and serves as co-Portfolio Manager of the Frazier Life Sciences Public Fund alongside Albert Cha. Before Frazier, he was a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group within its Healthcare Practice, and he holds an M.D. from the University of Southern California and a B.A. from Middlebury College.

Patrick Heron co-leads Frazier's Life Sciences team and is a Managing Partner and co-founder of that team, having joined the firm in 1999 and opened its Palo Alto office in 2003. He invests across therapeutics, from early-stage drug development to commercial-stage pharmaceutical companies. Before Frazier, he helped build McKinsey & Company's West Coast biotechnology consulting practice, and he holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Aditya Kohli is a Partner at Frazier Life Sciences focused on company creation, and has co-founded six companies since joining the firm in 2016, including HilleVax, Phathom Pharmaceuticals, and Scout Bio. He was Chief Business Officer of Phathom Pharmaceuticals (2019-2021) and Chief Operating Officer of HilleVax (2020-2024). Earlier he was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company serving biopharmaceutical clients, and he holds a Ph.D. from the UC Berkeley-UCSF joint bioengineering program along with B.S. and M.Eng. degrees in biological engineering from MIT.

Anna H. Chen is a Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, which she joined in 2018, working on private investments and company creation. Before Frazier, she was a management consultant in L.E.K. Consulting's life sciences practice, an entrepreneurial fellow at Flagship Pioneering, and a business mentor for the NSF Innovation Corps program. She holds a Ph.D. in Systems Biology and an A.B. in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University.

Joe Cabral is a Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, which he joined in 2021, working on the firm's private investment and company creation strategies. Before that, he worked in venture creation at Flagship Pioneering and was a founding team member at Generate:Biomedicines in protein engineering and strategy roles, and earlier was an early employee at Moderna focused on molecular biology and informatics. He holds an MBA from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, and an M.S. in Genomics and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Connecticut.

Kevin Li is a Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, which he joined in 2021, investing in public and late-stage private companies through the Frazier Life Sciences Public Fund. He previously worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company on corporate strategy, growth, and M&A in hospital services and pharmaceuticals, and was a resident physician in Internal Medicine at Stanford. He holds an M.D. from Stanford University and a B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University.

Chris Aakre joined Frazier Life Sciences in 2025 with a focus on company creation. He previously served as a Vice President at Frazier portfolio company HilleVax, which he joined as one of its early employees in 2021, and before that was a Principal at Boston Consulting Group leading health care engagements across R&D, business development, and commercial functions in areas including oncology, vaccines, and cell and gene therapy. He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from MIT and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University.

Lauren Mifflin joined Frazier Life Sciences in 2023 as a Principal of Company Creation and is CEO/Co-Founder of Counterakt Therapeutics. She previously served as COO of Hillstar Bio, was a venture partner at 82VS (the venture studio of Alloy Therapeutics), and held fellow and operating associate roles at 5AM Ventures, where she worked with the founding teams of Entrada Therapeutics and Nido Biosciences. Earlier she was a health tech investor at Jump Capital and a consultant at Monitor Group/Monitor Deloitte, and she holds a Ph.D. and M.M.Sc. from Harvard, an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and undergraduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania/Wharton.

Adam Simpson joined Frazier Life Sciences as a Venture Partner in 2024, focusing on company creation. He co-founded and served as CEO of Icosavax (Nasdaq: ICVX), leading it through IPO and acquisition by AstraZeneca, and previously was CEO of PvP Biologics (acquired by Takeda) and co-founder/Chief Business Officer of Meritage Pharma (sold to Shire). He began his career as a life sciences transactions attorney at Latham & Watkins and holds a B.S. in biochemistry from UC San Diego and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

James Li joined Frazier Life Sciences as a Venture Partner in 2024, with more than 30 years in biotech investing, company building, and management, and a focus on cross-border opportunities. He co-founded and served as CEO of JW Therapeutics (2016–2024), a cell therapy company behind China's first domestically developed CAR-T therapy, and previously held the founding General Manager role for Greater China at Amgen. Earlier, he was a Partner in the life sciences practice at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and spent over 15 years at Merck & Co. in clinical research, regulatory affairs, and product development roles. He holds an M.D. from Shanghai Medical University and an M.S. in Microbiology from the University of Montana.

Maria Fardis joined Frazier Life Sciences as a Venture Partner in 2021 and has more than 20 years of scientific and management experience across public and private companies. She currently serves as CEO of Lassen Therapeutics and previously held leadership roles including President and CEO of Iovance Biotherapeutics, COO of Acerta Pharma, and senior positions at Pharmacyclics and Gilead Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from UC Berkeley, a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University.

Stanford Peng is a Venture Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, where he works on company creation, joining the firm in 2025. A physician-scientist and R&D executive with over 25 years of drug development and biomedical research experience, he most recently served as President and Head of R&D at Alpine Immune Sciences, which was acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He has previously held roles at Stemcentrx, Seagen, Roche, Benaroya Research Institute, and Washington University in St. Louis, and continues to practice as a rheumatologist.

Tao Fu joined Frazier Life Sciences as a Venture Partner in 2022 and serves as President and CEO of Attovia Therapeutics, a Frazier Life Sciences portfolio company. He has more than 25 years of experience in pharmaceuticals and biotech, having previously held senior roles including President & COO and Chief Strategy Officer at Zai Lab, Chief Commercial and Business Officer at Portola Pharmaceuticals, and head of M&A roles at Bristol Myers-Squibb and Johnson & Johnson. He holds an MS in biology from the University of Rochester, an MBA from Vanderbilt University, and undergraduate studies in biology at Tsinghua University, and is a CFA.

Angie You is co-founder and CEO of Architect Therapeutics. She also serves as co-founder and board member of non-profit organization ElevAAte Biotech, bringing expertise in company building, business development, licensing, M&A, corporate strategy, and commercial marketing.

Brian Farmer is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Frazier Life Sciences, which he joined in January 2016, and advises biopharmaceutical companies. He is co-founder and CEO of Inipharm and has held Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer roles at Cirius Therapeutics and Mavupharma, the latter acquired by AbbVie in 2019. Earlier, he worked in corporate development at Sequel Pharmaceuticals and NovaCardia, and in marketing at Eli Lilly, and holds an M.B.A. from the University of Texas and a B.S. from Trinity University.

Bruce Roth is Principal of Roth Pharma Consulting LLC, which he founded in 2018. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Small Molecule Drug Discovery and co-leader of Research at Genentech, and as Vice President of Chemistry at Pfizer, following early career roles at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis. Roth is the inventor of Lipitor and has received the Perkin Medal, the American Chemical Society Award for Creative Invention, and the National Academy of Sciences Award for Chemistry in Service of Society, among other honors; he holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Iowa State University and has served as a senior advisor to Frazier Life Sciences and on multiple scientific advisory boards.

Bryan A. Irving is a biotech executive and independent consultant with over thirty years of experience in T cell-focused research and more than twenty-three years in industry immunology roles spanning autoimmunity and cancer immunotherapy. He holds a Ph.D. in Immunology from UCSF and a B.A. in Physiology from UC Berkeley, and has held senior research and development positions at Genentech, CytomX Therapeutics, Five Prime Therapeutics, and Amunix Pharmaceuticals, where he contributed to the development of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and other immunotherapies that advanced to clinical development. Irving currently serves as a Senior Advisor at Frazier Life Sciences and provides consulting services to biotech companies.

Chris Peetz is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Mirum Pharmaceuticals. He brings experience in finance, corporate development, marketing, and executive leadership within the biopharmaceutical industry.

Don Frail is founder and CEO of Alceptor Therapeutics and has held senior leadership positions in drug discovery and clinical development across multiple therapeutic areas. He has built and managed R&D organizations ranging from 25 to 200 employees, with experience advancing more than 25 compounds into clinical development across modalities including small molecules, monoclonal antibodies, gene therapy, and CRISPR. Since 2015, Frail has participated in more than 25 business development transactions, including acquisitions, licensing agreements, and partnership structures.

Gordon McMurray joined Frazier Life Sciences as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence in March 2020 and has over 18 years of experience in drug discovery and development. He previously co-founded and served as Chief Scientific Officer at Outpost Medicine, and earlier held senior R&D roles at Pfizer across neuroscience, pain, sensory disorders, and urology, as well as a lectureship and lab head position in pharmacology at Oxford University. He earned a B.Sc. and Ph.D. from Queen's University Belfast.

Helen Kang is a Senior Manager at Frazier Life Sciences with nearly two decades of experience in global equities trading and hedge fund operations, having managed trading workflows within $3B–$7B AUM platforms. Her background encompasses execution across equities, derivatives, FX, and index products at TPG, with expertise in transaction cost analysis, prime brokerage relations, trade settlement, and compliance protocols in dual private/public equity environments. She has managed the full trade life cycle including algorithmic trading, dark pool execution, portfolio rebalancing, and regulatory oversight across developed and emerging markets.

Ian W. Mills is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Frazier Life Sciences, having joined in March 2020, with a background as a pharmaceutical development executive. He previously served as Chief Medical Officer at Outpost Medicine and Head of Clinical Development at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Europe, and spent over 15 years at Pfizer in clinical and development leadership roles. He holds an MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and a medical degree and medical doctorate from Oxford University.

James Bristol is a pharmaceutical research consultant with more than 30 years of experience in drug discovery and pre-clinical development at major pharmaceutical companies. He advises on long-range pharmaceutical R&D and portfolio strategy, conducts due diligence on pharmaceutical investments, and serves as an expert witness in pharmaceutical litigation. Bristol also holds board positions and provides strategic and technical advisory services to biopharmaceutical companies.

Jennifer Martin is Chief Financial Officer and Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, where she oversees financial strategy supporting the firm's venture capital and hedge fund investment operations. She brings 23 years of experience in alternative investments, with expertise in fund and adviser operations, treasury, accounting, financial reporting, valuation, compliance, and tax matters. Previously, she was an audit manager at a Big 4 firm, where she led audits of venture capital, private equity, and hedge fund clients across multiple offices.

Jim Williams is founder and CEO of MustHaveMenus, which provides digital signage and printed menu management solutions for multi-location restaurants. He previously co-founded Sharefaith, an engagement platform, and Elli, a wedding invitation service, and founded Letters & Arts startup incubator and MarketHome, an early SaaS and CRM platform. His work focuses on marketing automation and operational infrastructure for the hospitality industry.

Jin Ming Yu is a Corporate Accountant at Frazier Life Sciences holding both CPA and CMA credentials. Yu graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in Accounting and has completed all levels of the CFA. Core competencies include financial statement audit, financial data analytics, and Microsoft Office proficiency.

John W. Smither is an independent director and compensation committee chair at Genelux Corporation with a background in public accounting at Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young) and subsequent experience as Chief Financial Officer at several early-stage and biotech companies. Throughout his operating career, he oversaw capital formation, finance strategy, and FDA product launches while leading private and public financings exceeding $1.2 billion. He currently advises entrepreneurs and serves on multiple biotech company boards.

Kei Nakazono is Director of IT at Frazier Life Sciences, where he manages IT operations and develops security strategies. He brings over 25 years of IT consulting experience supporting networks and systems for clients in the venture capital industry. His technical expertise spans Microsoft 365, virtualization platforms, backup and disaster recovery solutions, and enterprise networking and security infrastructure.

Lin Mu is a Vice President at Frazier Life Sciences, which he joined in 2024, working on evaluating investment opportunities and building new ventures in life sciences. He previously worked as a management consultant in Boston Consulting Group's health care practice, advising biopharmaceutical clients on development and commercialization strategies, and earlier was a clinical researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He holds an M.D. from Yale University, an MBA from the University of Cambridge, and B.S. and B.A. degrees from Denison University.

Maggie Cheng is an Executive Assistant at Frazier Life Sciences with over ten years of experience supporting senior executives and directors in the financial and banking sectors. She serves as a primary point of contact and liaison among management, sales teams, personnel, high net-worth clients, and vendors. Her background includes managing special projects under tight deadlines.

Mansi Shinde joined Frazier Life Sciences in 2026, where she works on company creation. She previously served as Head of Corporate Development at nChroma Bio and was an early employee at Nvelop Therapeutics, which she helped build and launch and guided through its merger with Chroma Medicine. Earlier, she was an Operating Associate at 5AM Ventures, where she contributed to building Diagon Therapeutics, and began her career at Health Advances. She holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Biology and Business from New York University.

Nirav Shah is a Senior Associate at Frazier Life Sciences, which he joined in 2026, working on the firm's private investment and company creation strategies. He was previously an attending physician and Assistant Professor of Medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital, a fellow at Vida Ventures, and an early investor at Emerson Collective Health (now Yosemite), where he worked on an oncology-focused venture strategy. Earlier he was a management consultant at Bain & Company; he holds an M.D. from Columbia University and a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Rob Hershberg is Co-Founder, President, CEO and board chairman of HilleVax, and a Venture Partner with Frazier Healthcare Partners, where he has worked with the firm and its portfolio companies for 14 years. He previously co-founded and led VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, and held senior roles at Celgene (including Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Business Development & Global Alliances), Dendreon, and Corixa. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at UCLA and a Ph.D. from the Salk Institute, and previously served as an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

Roger Ulrich is a biotech executive and entrepreneur with experience in drug discovery and development, regulatory affairs, company formation, and financing. He serves as a board member at Telios Pharma, Inc.

Ryan Peer is an Associate at Frazier Life Sciences, which she joined in 2026, where she works on identifying and evaluating new public investment opportunities. She previously worked in corporate and business development at Fulcrum Therapeutics, corporate strategy at Satellite Biosciences, and life sciences strategy consulting at ClearView Healthcare Partners. She holds an M.S./MBA in Biotechnology from Harvard Business School and Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and a B.A. in Neuroscience from Middlebury College.

Samantha Berrick is an Office Manager and Executive Assistant at Frazier Life Sciences with experience in business and people operations. Her background includes work in business process optimization, organizational planning, and communications.

Scott Byrd is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Frazier Life Sciences, which he joined in May 2020, and has more than 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience. He was previously CEO of Outpost Medicine and President and COO of Acacia Pharma, Inc., and earlier served as SVP and Chief Commercial Officer of Cadence Pharmaceuticals, where he led the launch of OFIRMEV. He began his career in a range of roles at Eli Lilly and holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Bradley University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Shu Yeung is Vice President of Human Resources at Frazier Life Sciences. With experience across small, mid-sized, and large organizations in life sciences, technology, and the non-profit sector, Yeung has developed expertise in global HR leadership, organizational design, succession planning, and management development. Yeung has supported C-suite executives and worked across organizational levels on headcount planning, employee relations, and organizational effectiveness initiatives.

Xinghuo Li is a Senior Associate at Frazier Life Sciences, which she joined in 2024 to identify and evaluate new investment opportunities. She previously worked as a management consultant in McKinsey's Life Sciences practice, advising pharmaceutical clients on R&D innovation, commercialization, and business development. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, where her research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center focused on CAR-T cell therapy, and a B.S. in Pharmaceuticals from Peking University.

Zaneta Odrowaz joined Frazier Life Sciences in 2022 as a Vice President focused on company creation, and co-founded Attovia Therapeutics, where she serves as Chief Business Officer. She previously was Senior Director of Corporate Development at Amunix Pharmaceuticals, contributing to its acquisition by Sanofi, and earlier held roles as Chief of Staff at Philips Neuro and Engagement Manager at McKinsey. She holds a Ph.D. in Gene Expression from The University of Manchester and a Master's in Biotechnology from Jagiellonian University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University.

Joined Frazier in 1991 and has served on the firm's Management and Investment Committees, leading the Buyout team since 1995. He has served on boards of numerous portfolio companies including CHG Healthcare and Solis Mammography. Holds an MBA from NYU Stern and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Angel Martin is a Vice President at Frazier Life Sciences, which she joined in 2021 to evaluate investment opportunities in the life sciences sector. She previously worked as an Investment Fellow with Vertex Ventures Healthcare and held roles as Director of Research and Venture Grants at Emerson Collective, Health and Research Director of the Friedreich Ataxia Research Alliance. She holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Cancer Biology from Duke University and a B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Gordon Empey is Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel, and a Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, which he joined in 2017, overseeing the firm's legal, operations, investor relations, compliance, HR, IT, and administrative functions. He has more than 25 years of experience advising venture capital investors and life sciences companies, previously serving as a partner at Cooley LLP and as EVP and General Counsel at Radiant Research, and earlier as General Counsel of the Frazier-sponsored SPAC that merged to form NewAmsterdam Pharma. He holds a J.D. from UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall) and a B.A. in History from Colgate University, and earlier served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General Corps.

Kiah Williams is a Vice President at Frazier Life Sciences, which she joined in 2023, working on identifying and evaluating new public investment opportunities. She previously trained as a Cardiothoracic Surgery resident at Stanford and published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles on cardiac surgery and heart failure therapeutics, and earlier worked as a healthcare consultant at ClearView Healthcare Partners in Boston. She holds an M.D. from Stanford University and a B.A. in Biomedical Engineering from Dartmouth College.