Relentless Pursuit to Cure
About Ibex Biosciences
Our Mission & Vision
Ibex Biosciences is fervently dedicated to progressing the development of groundbreaking therapies and diagnostics to combat a wide array of medical conditions affecting humanity. Our primary mission is to relentlessly pursue efficient treatments for the numerous health issues currently afflicting mankind.
Our overarching vision involves making strategic investments into groundbreaking technologies, talented scientists, and unexplored research targets.
Our Objectives
To proactively identify and assess novel molecules and innovative methods with the goal of developing more potent therapeutics.
To actively seek and evaluate pioneering scientists and their early-stage discoveries, providing them with opportunities that can further their product development objectives.
To assess our non-therapeutic discoveries for their potential in the commercial diagnostic and disease monitoring sectors, thereby expanding our impact beyond treatment alone.
Our Management
Vidal F. de la Cruz, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer
Vidal de la Cruz, Ph.D. joined Ibex Biosciences in 2022. For over 20 years, he has led preclinical discovery research and product development, technology and asset scouting and assessment, management, and business development and licensing operations with start-up, mid-size and large international biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Dr. de la Cruz is the inventor of Peptide Phase Display Technology, a key technology contributing to the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
​
Prior to joining Ibex, he founded Fomento Pharma, LLC, in 2012, a pharmaceutical and consulting business development practice focused on a range of research and development areas including cancer inflammation, autoimmunity, women’s health, vaccines and gene therapies.
​
Dr. de la Cruz received a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, a B.S. in Biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and completed his Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, (NAID) National Institutes of Health. He is the co-author of over four dozen scientific publications and is the inventor of nine issued patents.
Norman Z. Lai, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer
Norman Z. Lai, Ph.D. joined Ibex Biosciences in 2016. For over 20 years, Dr. Lai has held several positions in academia, science and in the biotechnology industry. His work has focused on the development of recombinant viral gene vectors and the establishment of cell-based in vitro and in vivo assays resulting in new research technologies for the treatment of neurological metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases, and early human cancer detection.
His early research includes gene therapy delivery effectiveness, in collaboration with Dr. Roscoe O. Brady, an international leader in the field of metabolic and enzyme replacement therapy at the National Institute of Nonlogical Disorders and Strokes (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and as Executive Director of Research and Development at U.S. Precision System Science Inc., where he worked on new diagnostic platforms for detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) mutations sites of genetic metabolic disorders.
​
Dr. Lai received a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Bioscience and a Master of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Uppsala Sweden. He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at Indiana University School of Medicine and an outstanding Research Fellow at Developmental and Metabolic Neurology Branch, NINDS, NIH. He also serves on the Board of Directors of US MediGene Inc, and serves as Vice Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board Rafagen Inc. He is the co-author of numerous scientific publications and is the co-inventor of many patents and patent applications.
A. Murat Croci, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder
Murat Croci, a co-founder of Ibex Biosciences established in 2015, brings with him a wealth of experience in the early-stage biotech sector, where he has held managerial roles for over a decade and a half. His ingenuity in biotech and software fields is demonstrated through his contribution as an inventor on five patents.
​
Before he embarked on the journey of establishing Ibex, Mr. Croci was deeply involved in the financial aspects of Seneca Biotech, an early-stage biotech company committed to improving cancer diagnostics, where he held a pivotal role as a financial controller.
​
Graduating from the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2000, Mr. Croci acquired his Bachelor of Science degree after a period of distinguished military service in the United States Army from 1990 to 1996. This notable experience has not only shaped his journey but also earned him recognition as a decorated veteran.
Michael J. Karlin, Chief Business Officer and Cofounder
Michael J. Karlin co-founded Ibex Biosciences in 2015. Mr. Karlin has over two decades professional experience in legal, finance, and business in the biotechnology and technology sectors. He is also a co-founder of other technology startups focused and is an inventor of several patents in biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and software.
​
Early in his career, he practiced law and tax consulting at several global New York based firms, including Andersen, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, and Morrison Cohen. Mr. Karlin received a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, an MBA in Finance and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the George Washington University School of Business.
Saule Dairabayeva, Operations Manager
Saule Dairabayeva joined Ibex Biosciences in 2018. Saule Dairabayeva is an international affairs professional with over a decade of experience working in the international community and in the private sector. Ms. Dairabayeva has worked for several U.S. and international organizations, think tanks, and universities, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, W. Wilson International Center for Scholars, U.S. Embassy Astana, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency mission, where she was responsible for executing cross-functional projects and engaging with multiple stakeholders including foreign governments, media, and businesses.
Saule is a recipient of multiple awards and fellowships, including recognition for an outstanding Support to the Nuclear, Chemical, Biological team, and the Cooperative Threat Reduction mission of the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
Ms. Dairabayeva received a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University.