BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCRX), a Research Triangle Park, North Carolina-based global biotechnology company focused on hereditary angioedema (HAE) and other rare diseases, announced on October 5, 2026 the formation of its new Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Founded in 1986, BioCryst is one of the longest-running independent biotechnology companies in operation. The seven-member board brings together scientists, physicians and executives with deep experience in rare disease drug discovery, translational science and clinical development, and its formation supports BioCryst’s shift toward a more disciplined R&D model centered on external innovation.
The SAB will provide independent scientific and strategic guidance across BioCryst’s research and development activities, including pipeline expansion, evaluation of external innovation opportunities, translational science and clinical development. Members will also advise on regulatory strategy and help strengthen BioCryst’s ties to scientific, medical and patient communities around the world.
Anthony (Tony) Manning, Ph.D., Chair
Anthony Manning is Principal at Manning Bio Worldwide, LLC, where he advises biotechnology companies and academic institutions following a 30-year career in pharmaceutical drug discovery and development. As Chief Scientific Officer at Momenta Pharmaceuticals, now part of Johnson & Johnson, he built a pipeline of first-in-class therapies for rare autoantibody-driven diseases, including nipocalimab (IMAAVY), which is now FDA-approved for generalized myasthenia gravis and warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Earlier in his career, he led drug discovery work at Rocheand Biogen Idec, contributing to the approvals of Actemra and Rituxan and to the development of litifilimab, now in Phase 3 for lupus.
Christine Bulawa, Ph.D.
Bulawa has spent more than 20 years in rare disease drug discovery. She was the first employee of FoldRx Pharmaceuticals and played a key role in the preclinical development of tafamidis, the first drug treatment for transthyretin amyloidosis. As a senior leader in Pfizer’s Rare Disease Research Unit, she built a pipeline of programs spanning small molecule and genetic therapies for degenerative neurological, neuromuscular and protein aggregation diseases. Bulawa earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed her postdoctoral studies at MIT.
Eric A. Hughes, M.D., Ph.D.
Hughes is Executive Vice President, Global Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer at Teva Pharmaceuticals, where he is helping lead the company’s transformation into an innovative biopharmaceutical company. A physician-scientist with nearly 20 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience, he previously held leadership roles at Vertex, Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb. Hughes earned both his M.D. and Ph.D. from Yale University.
Stephanie Noviello, M.D., M.P.H.
Noviello is Chief Medical Officer at ILiAD Biotechnologies. A clinical development leader, she has extensive experience across infectious diseases, virology, immunology, rare diseases and skeletal diseases, gained through roles at Novartis, Motif BioSciences, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Schering-Plough Research Institute.
Shashi Ramaiah, D.V.M., Ph.D., DACVP, DABT
Ramaiah is a board-certified veterinary pathologist and toxicologist who spent 18 years at Pfizer, most recently as Vice President and Global Head of Discovery, Investigative and Translational Sciences. He is the Founder and CEO of SPECCRO, a drug development advisory firm that helps biotechnology companies and investors de-risk their programs and portfolios. SPECCRO draws on a network of more than 40 senior industry experts and works extensively with national and international scientific consortia.
Art Taveras, Ph.D.
Taveras is a biopharmaceutical executive with more than 35 years of industry experience leading R&D organizations at companies including Biogen Idec, Transform Therapeutics, X4 Pharmaceuticals, CoMET Therapeutics, ShangPharma ChemPartner, Alantos Pharmaceuticals and Schering-Plough. Serving in roles ranging from President and CEO to Chief Scientific Officer, he has helped build pipelines and global R&D partnerships across neurology, oncology, immunology, metabolism and rare disease. His work has contributed to more than 175 patent applications, 150 publications, 60 clinical trials and six regulatory approvals.
Ajay Yekkirala, Ph.D.
Yekkirala is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded Superluminal Medicines at RA Capital, building an investor syndicate that includes NVIDIA and Eli Lilly. As the company’s Chief Scientific Officer, he leads its AI/ML platform development and all pipeline R&D. He previously founded Blue Therapeutics to develop non-addictive pain medicines and has advised NIH committees, including NINDS’s EPPIC-NET and NIDA’s Medication Development Research Committee. Yekkirala earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School.
About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, dedicated to developing and commercializing medicines for hereditary angioedema (HAE) and other rare diseases. Founded in 1986, the company brings more than three decades of experience in drug discovery, development and commercialization. BioCryst developed ORLADEYO (berotralstat), the first oral, once-daily plasma kallikrein inhibitor for HAE, and is advancing a pipeline of potential first-in-class or best-in-class oral small-molecule and injectable protein therapeutics for rare diseases. Learn more at www.biocryst.com.
