Who We Are: The Genetic Resilience Company
Halia Therapeutics, headquartered in Lehi, Utah, is dedicated to advancing therapies that meaningfully improve lives through science rooted in human biology.
The company was founded in 2017 after Dr. John “Keoni” Kauwe identified a family with the high-risk APOE4 gene variant linked to Alzheimer’s, but none of them developed the disease. His research uncovered a protective mutation in the RAB10 gene, which appeared to guard against the harmful effects of APOE4. Initially, the focus was on transforming the protective gene mutation into a novel treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. This discovery sparked Halia’s founding mission: to decode genetic resilience and transform it into treatments. What began as an effort to develop an Alzheimer’s therapy quickly expanded when the same mutation showed protection against inflammation, one of the root causes of neurodegeneration. This became the foundation of Halia’s scientific platform.3,4
As research evolved, so did Halia’s vision. Recognizing that inflammation underpins a wide range of chronic illnesses—including Alzheimer’s, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and inflammatory disorders of the skin, liver, and gut—Halia began developing a pipeline of therapies targeting the RAB10 pathway. Their approach targets LRRK2 (upstream) and NEK7 (downstream) to regulate NLRP3 inflammasome activation, a key driver of systemic inflammation.29,30
Today, Halia is advancing multiple programs into clinical trials, testing the safety and effectiveness of this strategy across several disease areas. Early data from preclinical studies suggest the potential to reset the body’s inflammatory balance and provide lasting protection from the brain to the skin.
Our team
Dr. David J. Bearss, a serial entrepreneur and pharmaceutical innovator, has over two decades of experience spanning academic and industrial roles. His expertise lies at the intersection of structure-based small-molecule drug discovery and the utilization of genetic model systems for drug discovery. Dr. Bearss’s career is marked by significant achievements, with a strong foundation in translational research focused on drug advancement to the clinic and using genetic markers for predictive drug sensitivity.
Notably, Dr. Bearss has discovered 16 compounds that have successfully navigated from discovery in the lab to IND into clinical development. His entrepreneurial experience is evident through his roles as the co-founder of eight biotechnology companies. More importantly, his unwavering commitment to advancing novel drug development truly sets him apart.
Before taking on his role as chief scientific officer at Halia in January 2021 and assuming the CEO position in March 2022, Dr. Bearss served as the CEO of Tolero Pharmaceuticals, an organization later acquired by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma in 2017. His tenure as chief scientific officer at Montigen Pharmaceuticals, followed by its acquisition by SuperGen Inc., demonstrates his dedication to driving early-stage drug discovery and development. At SuperGen, he continued to develop his expertise in these critical areas.
Dr. Bearss’s academic career is equally impressive. It led to his founding role as the Center for Investigational Therapeutics Co-Director at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. He also held academic positions as an Associate Professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah and as an Associate Professor of Physiology and Developmental Biology at Brigham Young University, demonstrating his deep knowledge and expertise in these fields.
Dr. Bearss’s academic career began with a Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas, and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Drug Development at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center also in Texas. He has won several awards for his entrepreneurial and scientific achievements, including the Utah Governor’s Medal of Science and BIO Utah Entrepreneur of the Year.
David J. Bearss, Ph.D.
VP, Drug Discovery
Dr. David J. Bearss, a serial entrepreneur and pharmaceutical innovator, has over two decades of experience spanning academic and industrial roles. His expertise lies at the intersection of structure-based small-molecule drug discovery and the utilization of genetic model systems for drug discovery. Dr. Bearss’s career is marked by significant achievements, with a strong foundation in translational research focused on drug advancement to the clinic and using genetic markers for predictive drug sensitivity.
Notably, Dr. Bearss has discovered 16 compounds that have successfully navigated from discovery in the lab to IND into clinical development. His entrepreneurial experience is evident through his roles as the co-founder of eight biotechnology companies. More importantly, his unwavering commitment to advancing novel drug development truly sets him apart.
Before taking on his role as chief scientific officer at Halia in January 2021 and assuming the CEO position in March 2022, Dr. Bearss served as the CEO of Tolero Pharmaceuticals, an organization later acquired by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma in 2017. His tenure as chief scientific officer at Montigen Pharmaceuticals, followed by its acquisition by SuperGen Inc., demonstrates his dedication to driving early-stage drug discovery and development. At SuperGen, he continued to develop his expertise in these critical areas.
Dr. Bearss’s academic career is equally impressive. It led to his founding role as the Center for Investigational Therapeutics Co-Director at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. He also held academic positions as an Associate Professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah and as an Associate Professor of Physiology and Developmental Biology at Brigham Young University, demonstrating his deep knowledge and expertise in these fields.
Dr. Bearss’s academic career began with a Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas, and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Drug Development at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center also in Texas. He has won several awards for his entrepreneurial and scientific achievements, including the Utah Governor’s Medal of Science and BIO Utah Entrepreneur of the Year.
Jared Bearss co-founded Halia Therapeutics in 2017. His prior industry experience includes co-founding Wasatch Scientific and managing the genomic biology department and projects for Code Nutrition.
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Jared Bearss, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Jared Bearss co-founded Halia Therapeutics in 2017. His prior industry experience includes co-founding Wasatch Scientific and managing the genomic biology department and projects for Code Nutrition. Jared also has experience working in the academic field of life sciences and was Sr. Research Analyst, Lab Manager at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
Jared’s experience in both industry and academic sectors of the life sciences field provided him with many areas of expertise including genomics, cell biology, cell culture, western blotting, and molecular biology. His science background and entrepreneurial spirit got him interested in scaling pharmaceutical startups and managing technical and organizational aspects of company development.
Jared has Bachelor of Science in neuropsychology/neurophysiology from Utah Valley University and is an MBA Business Executive from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.
Dr. Janát-Amsbury is an experienced leader of cross-functional early development teams in oncology. With 20+ years of experience in academic and industry settings, she has guided numerous oncology assets through Phase 1/2 development and has extensive experience in translational research focused on drug delivery and disease modeling.
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Margit Janat-Amsbury, MD, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Janát-Amsbury is an experienced leader of cross-functional early development teams in oncology. With 20+ years of experience in academic and industry settings, she has guided numerous oncology assets through Phase 1/2 development and has extensive experience in translational research focused on drug delivery and disease modeling.
Prior to joining Halia Therapeutics as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Janát-Amsbury served as an Executive Medical Director in Early Oncology Development at Amgen and was also the Product Team Lead for Amgen’s prostate portfolio. Before joining Amgen, she oversaw the development of multiple small molecules at Tolero Pharmaceuticals, which Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma acquired in 2017. Dr. Janát-Amsbury has held faculty appointments with the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, as well as the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Utah, where she also served as Co-Director of the Center for Nanomedicine. Dr. Janát-Amsbury received her MD and Ph.D. from the Albertus Magnus University in Cologne, Germany.
Jeff Burton joined Halia Therapeutics as the Chief Financial Officer in December 2020.
Prior to coming to Halia, Jeff was with Tolero Pharmaceuticals where he helped guide the company through several rounds of funding, the acquisition of Tolero by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma for $200 million upfront and $500 million in milestones, and provided support for the successful filing of five INDs and completion of nine clinical trials.
Jeff Burton, CPA/MAcc
Chief Financial Officer
Jeff Burton joined Halia Therapeutics as the Chief Financial Officer in December 2020.
Prior to coming to Halia, Jeff was with Tolero Pharmaceuticals where he helped guide the company through several rounds of funding, the acquisition of Tolero by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma for $200 million upfront and $500 million in milestones, and provided support for the successful filing of five INDs and completion of nine clinical trials.
Prior to Tolero, Jeff was at Fusion-io, where he helped the company successfully complete its IPO, secondary offering, several acquisitions, key system implementations, and the eventual acquisition of Fusion-io by SanDisk for more than $1.1 billion.
Jeff holds Bachelor and Master of Accounting degrees from the University of Utah.
Bringing over 30 years experience in clinical research and drug development, Tracey Clayton joined Halia in 2024.
Tracey Clayton, MBA
VP Clinical Operations & Program Management
Bringing over 30 years experience in clinical research and drug development, Tracey Clayton joined Halia in 2024. Tracey started her career in 1990 as a student at the University of British Columbia, working at the Clinical for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders, UBC Hospital, where she stayed for 9 years working on various clinical trials, including those of donepezil, galantamine and memantine. She then moved into industry, joining Angiotech Pharmaceuticals in 1999. Throughout her career she has gained experience across many different therapeutic areas and indications while working at small to mid-sized companies including Hemosol, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Lipocine, Recursion, Tolero, and most recently as Executive Director, Program Management at Sumitomo Pharma Americas. She also has a wealth of knowledge and experience of the CRO world, having spent a third of her career at ICON, IQVIA, and Covance, primarily focused in the area of oncology. Her experience spans all trial phases, including both IND and NDA submissions, as well as executing trials in all global regions.
Dr. Alexis Mollard joined Halia Therapeutics in 2018 to lead the drug discovery efforts. Initially focused on medicinal chemistry, his responsibilities now encompass many aspects of preclinical work, including computational chemistry, discovery biology, DMPK, formulation, toxicology, intellectual property, and more.
Alexis Mollard, Ph.D.
VP, Drug Discovery
Dr. Alexis Mollard joined Halia Therapeutics in 2018 to lead the drug discovery efforts. Initially focused on medicinal chemistry, his responsibilities now encompass many aspects of preclinical work, including computational chemistry, discovery biology, DMPK, formulation, toxicology, intellectual property, and more. He is an experienced small-molecule drug discovery researcher with close to 15 years of translational research experience in the fields on oncology, immunology, and metabolic disorders.
Alexis met Dr. Bearss in 2009 while working as a postdoctoral fellow in his lab at the Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Center for Investigational Therapeutics. He then joined Tolero Pharmaceuticals to direct the early drug discovery efforts of the company, working on several programs which yielded clinical assets. Alexis then returned to the Huntsman Cancer Institute to strengthen his understanding of early-stage clinical research, holding positions within the Clinical Trials Office as data manager, clinical research coordinator, research compliance officer, and eventually working on clinical protocol development. He then moved back to preclinical research with Halia Therapeutics.
Alexis holds a dual Masters in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from CPE Lyon, France, and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Utah.
Bringing over 15 years of experience in human resources leadership, Kayti Patterson joined Halia Therapeutics in 2025. Throughout her career, she has specialized in organization development, employee benefits, performance management, and global HR across diverse industries and company sizes.
Kayti Patterson GPHR, PHR
VP and Global Head of HR
Bringing over 15 years of experience in human resources leadership, Kayti Patterson joined Halia Therapeutics in 2025. Throughout her career, she has specialized in organization development, employee benefits, performance management, and global HR across diverse industries and company sizes. She holds both Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) and Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certifications, demonstrating her commitment and expertise in the field.
Kayti’s career progression demonstrates her expertise across diverse industries and organizational sizes. She has held senior leadership positions including Corporate VP of Organization Development at Xenter, Inc., Head of Human Resources at NeuroStar Investment Funds, and VP of Human Resources at Dentive. Her pharmaceutical industry experience includes roles as Associate Director of Human Resources Business Partner at Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology and Senior Human Resources Manager at Tolero Pharmaceuticals. She has also served as Director of Human Resources at ARIIX, HR Business Partner at Sun Products Corporation, and spent nearly five years in benefits administration and HR generalist roles at MonaVie, where she managed comprehensive benefits programs, compliance, and HRIS implementation.
She is passionate about building company cultures that enhance the employee experience while aligning with business goals. Kayti enjoys thinking outside the box to solve HR challenges and foster communication and collaboration among teams, employees, and managers. She leverages her global HR knowledge and network to support international expansion and adapts to different cultural contexts and practices.
Kayti earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Brigham Young University and is an active member of the Forbes Human Resources Council since 2019. Her mission is to empower and enable people to achieve their full potential and contribute to company success through innovative HR strategies and strong organizational development.
Taylor Avei has been a driving force at Halia Therapeutics since 2019, advancing from Laboratory Technician to Director of Business Development through his exceptional ability to bridge complex scientific concepts with actionable business strategies.
Taylor Avei, MBA
Director of Business Development
Taylor Avei has been a driving force at Halia Therapeutics since 2019, advancing from Laboratory Technician to Director of Business Development through his exceptional ability to bridge complex scientific concepts with actionable business strategies. His unique combination of scientific expertise and business acumen has enabled him to drive successful outcomes across multiple therapeutic areas, making him instrumental in the company’s growth and strategic positioning in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Taylor’s career progression at Halia demonstrates his versatility and dedication to the company’s growth. He began as a Laboratory Technician in 2019, conducting in vivo and in vitro research related to inflammation and NLRP3 inflammasome targets while supporting scientific validation of HT-6184 and preclinical candidates. He advanced to Business Development Representative in 2021, then Finance and Business Development Analyst in 2023, before assuming his current leadership role in 2025. During his tenure in finance and business development, he developed financial models, conducted due diligence on potential partners, and supported fundraising efforts while presenting to senior leadership and the board of directors.
In his current position, Taylor leads investor relations and external communications strategy, manages corporate branding and visibility at key conferences including JPM Healthcare Conference & BIO International, and drives strategic partnerships and licensing deals. He oversees award submissions for prestigious recognitions such as Golden Ticket Award and Pharmavoice 100, directs social media engagement efforts, and negotiates confidentiality agreements, licensing terms, and vendor contracts aligned with corporate growth objectives.
Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Brigham Young University and an MBA emphasis in Technology Commercialization from Westminster University. His journey with Halia began during his time as a Research Assistant in Dr. Kauwe’s lab at BYU, which studies population genetics, focusing specifically on the genetics of human disease, such as Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr. Kauwe’s discovery of Rab10 occurred while Taylor was working in the lab, and Taylor contributed to the initial research that would later lead to his joining Halia Therapeutics. His ability to translate complex scientific concepts into strategic business opportunities has been instrumental in Halia’s corporate development and external positioning efforts.
Careers
We appreciate your inquiry into careers at Halia Therapeutics. If you desire to contribute your unique expertise, talent, and abilities to our team and help change the world of drug discovery, we encourage you to contact us for information about career opportunities and job openings. Correspondence pertaining to job inquiries, opportunities, and offers will only be sent to candidates and applicants through a bonafide company email address that contains an “@haliatx.com” email extension.
