





Dr. Kristeen A. Pareja-Navarro, co-founder and CEO of EngramBio, leads the development of first-in-class therapeutics to repair neural connections in Alzheimer’s and related dementias. A former Research Scientist at the Buck Institute, she co-discovered the KIBRA domain’s ability to reverse memory loss in a tauopathy model. With 16+ years of neuroscience and biotech experience, an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship at Cornell, and training from MIT Sloan in AI for drug discovery, she bridges cutting-edge science with strategic leadership.


Dr. Tara E. Tracy, co-founder of EngramBio and Associate Professor at the Buck Institute, is the inventor of the patented CT-KIBRA peptide, which forms the foundation of EngramBio’s lead program. Her discoveries have revealed how toxic mechanisms drive synapse dysfunction and memory loss in Alzheimer’s and related dementias, shaping new therapeutic strategies. A recipient of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation Innovator Award (2022) and Next Generation Bay Area Biotech Superstar (2024), she brings expertise in molecular neuroscience and translational research from UC Berkeley, and the Gladstone Institutes.