Christopher M. Adams, MD, PhD – Founder, President & CEO
Chris Adams has served as President and CEO of Emmyon since 2012. He is lead inventor on over 40 granted patents related to ursolic acid, tomatidine, and other natural dietary compounds, all exclusively licensed to Emmyon. In addition to his role at Emmyon, he is a Clinician Investigator, Consultant, Professor of Medicine, and Research Chair for the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism and Nutrition at Mayo Clinic, where he cares for patients in the Diabetes Clinic and co-directs a basic science laboratory with Scott Ebert. His basic science research investigates molecular mechanisms that disrupt skeletal muscle metabolism and function during aging, malnutrition, muscle disuse, and chronic illness. He was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2013.
John J. Talley, PhD – Partner & Vice President-Chemistry
John Talley has led the medicinal chemistry program at Emmyon since 2012. He is one of the world’s most accomplished medicinal chemists, an inventor on more than 200 issued U.S. patents, and lead inventor of 8 FDA-approved drugs to date. At Emmyon, he has invented and patented novel small molecules for treatment of skeletal muscle atrophy, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. His other inventions include the COX-2 specific inhibitors Celebrex®, Bextra®, Dynastat®, Deramaxx® and Trocoxil® and the hydroxyethyl sulfonamide class of inhibitors for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, marketed under the brand names of Agenerase®, Telzir®, and Prezista®. He previously spent 15 years at G. D. Searle (Pharmacia/Pfizer), leading drug discovery efforts in a number of therapeutic areas, before joining Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a public drug discovery company in Cambridge, MA. At Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (2002 -2010), he served as VP of Drug Discovery, SVP of Drug Discovery, and Distinguished Scientist. He received the prestigious PhRMA Discoverers Award in 2002 for the discovery of Celebrex®. In 2015-2019 and 2021, he was named to The Medicine Maker Power List, which recognizes the world’s most influential people in drug discovery and development.
Scott M. Ebert, PhD – Vice President-Biology
Scott Ebert is a highly accomplished skeletal muscle biologist who has played a central role in development of small molecules at Emmyon since 2013. In addition to his role at Emmyon, he is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism and Nutrition at Mayo Clinic, where he co-directs a basic science laboratory with Chris Adams. His basic science research investigates molecular mechanisms that disrupt skeletal muscle metabolism and function during aging, malnutrition, muscle disuse, and chronic illness. He has served as lead principal investigator on six SBIR/STTR awards from the National Institutes of Health to Emmyon, including a current Phase II SBIR award from National Cancer Institute to develop pharmaceuticals for cancer-induced skeletal muscle atrophy.
Andrew R. Judge, PhD – Scientific Advisor
Andrew Judge is an internationally recognized leader in molecular mechanisms and treatment of skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness. His research primarily focuses on skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness in the setting of cancer cachexia. He has been a leading member of the Scientific Advisory Board at Emmyon since 2019, and currently serves as a principal investigator on Emmyon’s Phase II SBIR award from National Cancer Institute to develop pharmaceuticals for cancer-induced skeletal muscle atrophy. He is a Professor of Physical Therapy and Director of the Rehabilitation Sciences PhD program at the University of Florida (UF), and Associate Director of Education and Training at the UF Myology Institute. He has been on the Board of Directors of the Cancer Cachexia Society since its inception and is current President of the Cancer Cachexia Society (2023-2025).
Sarah M. Judge, PhD – Scientific Advisor
Sarah Judge is a highly accomplished skeletal muscle biologist who has been a scientific advisor at Emmyon since 2020. Her activities at Emmyon include serving as a principal investigator on Emmyon’s Phase II SBIR award from National Cancer Institute to develop pharmaceuticals for cancer-induced skeletal muscle atrophy. In addition to her role at Emmyon, she is an NIH-funded Research Assistant Professor at the University of Florida, where she co-directs an academic laboratory with Andrew Judge investigating molecular mechanisms of cancer-induced skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness.
Adrian Vella, MD – Scientific Advisor
Adrian Vella is an internationally recognized physician-scientist in metabolic disease who has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at Emmyon since 2021. His research focuses on patient-oriented investigations of prediabetes, diabetes and obesity, and clinical management of these conditions. He is a Clinician Investigator, Consultant, and the Earl and Annette R. McDonough Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism and Nutrition at Mayo Clinic, where he cares for patients in the Diabetes Clinic and conducts patient-oriented research. He was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2018.
Aleksey V. Matveyenko, PhD – Scientific Advisor
Aleksey Matveyenko is a leading scientist in basic mechanisms of diabetes who has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at Emmyon since 2021. He is the J. W. Kieckhefer Professor of Regenerative Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism and Nutrition and the Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering at Mayo Clinic, where he also serves as Director of the Islet Regeneration Laboratory in the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics. His research program primarily focuses on molecular regulation of insulin secretion and circadian control of metabolism.
Blake B. Rasmussen, PhD – Scientific Advisor
Blake Rasmussen is an internationally recognized scientist in skeletal muscle metabolism and nutrition who has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at Emmyon since 2019. He is a Professor & Chair of the Department of Cellular & Integrative Physiology, Director of the Center for Metabolic Health, and Director of the Skeletal Muscle Biology Lab at UT Health San Antonio. He conducts a broad range of innovative translational research projects in human subjects, including the NIH Common Fund Project “Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium” (MoTrPAC) to elucidate how exercise and nutrition regulate muscle growth and strength at the molecular level.
K. Sreekumaran (Sree) Nair, MD, PhD – Scientific Advisor
Sree Nair is an internationally recognized physician-scientist in metabolic disease who has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at Emmyon since 2024. He is a Distinguished Investigator, Consultant, Professor of Medicine, and the Dr. Richard F. Emslander Professor of Endocrinology and Nutrition Research in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism and Nutrition at Mayo Clinic, where he cares for patients in the Diabetes Clinic and conducts patient-oriented investigations of diabetes and skeletal muscle atrophy. He has received numerous awards for his research, including election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians, Distinguished Investigatorship from the Mayo Foundation, Honorary Doctorate in Medicine from the Karolinska Institutet, Honorary Fellowship for lifetime achievement from the European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, and the 2024 Dorothy Hodgkin Lecture at Diabetes UK.