What if the key to reversing ALS isn't replacing dead neurons, but reawakening the
connections between the ones that are still alive?
In this groundbreaking episode, host Aaron Lazar sits down with Dr. Stella Sarraf,
serial biotech entrepreneur, Forbes 50 Over 50 honoree for Innovation, and founder and
CEO of both Spinogenix and Amydis. A PhD chemist turned drug developer, Dr. Sarraf
is pioneering first-in-class neuroregenerative therapeutics that work at the synaptic level
to restore brain function in ALS, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, and Fragile X syndrome.
Her investigational drug SPG302 has received FDA expanded access authorization to
treat 200 ALS patients, and Orphan Drug Designation from the European Medicines
Agency.
This conversation is both a masterclass in drug development and a deeply personal
story of loss and purpose. Dr. Sarraf opens up about losing her father to Parkinson's
and her mother to breast cancer, and how those experiences ignited her mission to
transform neurology from a field of late diagnosis and limited options into one of early
detection and real treatment. She describes the decade-long marathon from lab bench
to clinical trial, the mouse that started running circles after treatment, and the impossible
dream of turning ALS from a death sentence into a chronic, manageable disease.
The impossible dream shines brightest in Dr. Sarraf's patient-first approach to expanded
access. Rather than wait years for traditional clinical trial pathways, she fought for FDA
authorization to offer SPG302 to ALS patients who wouldn't otherwise qualify, passing
costs to patients rather than profits to shareholders. It's the same spirit that drove her to
found Amydis: using the eye as a window to the brain to detect neurodegenerative
disease proteins like TDP-43 before symptoms appear, potentially catching ALS at the
earliest possible stage.
Guest Bio:
Dr. Stella Sarraf is a visionary biotech entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of
Spinogenix and Amydis. Named to Forbes 50 Over 50: Innovation (2025), she holds a
PhD in organic chemistry from Columbia University and a BA in biochemistry and
molecular biology from UC Berkeley. Dr. Sarraf began her career as a senior research
chemist at Merck Research Laboratories, where she developed novel drug synthesis
processes for clinical trials. She then spent over a decade in healthcare venture capital
at Foresite Capital Management and Prospect Venture Partners, leading diligence on
400+ investment opportunities in therapeutics and diagnostics. In 2013, she founded
Amydis to develop ocular tracers for early detection of neurodegenerative disease
biomarkers including TDP-43 (present in 97% of ALS patients) and amyloid beta. In
2016, she founded Spinogenix to develop synaptic regenerative therapies. The
company's lead drug SPG302 is in clinical trials for ALS, Alzheimer's, and
schizophrenia, with FDA expanded access authorization to treat 200 ALS patients. Hall
of Fame quarterback Steve Young serves on the Spinogenix board. Dr. Sarraf was born
in Iran and is driven by her personal experience losing both parents to
neurodegenerative disease.
Learn more about Dr. Stella Sarraf:
Spinogenix
Amydis
LinkedIn
Forbes 50 Over 50: Innovation (2025)
Xtalks Life Science Podcast Interview
LIVE YOUR IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS
✨ Subscribe, listen, and believe.
Presented by the ALS Network - https://WsBQMs.short.gy/nLpfro
Produced by EVRYBDY Studios - https://WsBQMs.short.gy/oBFSUT
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Episode Navigation:
1. 00:00 - How a PhD in organic chemistry is basically cooking with chemicals
2. 05:04 - Living the impossible dream: FDA expanded access for 200 ALS patients
3. 08:13 - The marathon of drug development: From cell to animal to human
4. 10:21 - The mouse that ran circles: When the drug worked in an ALS animal model
5. 22:28 - Combination therapy: Why ALS won't be solved by a single silver bullet
6. 27:20 - Amydis and the eye: Detecting TDP-43 and diagnosing ALS early
7. 39:47 - AI meets ophthalmology: Analyzing retinal images to track disease
8. 44:06 - Steve Young, Dwight Clark, and the power of education and advocacy
9. 48:55 - Fighting the system: Why expanded access programs face hospital
bottlenecks
10. 53:38 - Flora and Whooshing: Fighting for her parents and all of us
