Dr. Sherif Gabriel joined AskBio in 2021, bringing in-depth experience from academia and a track record of pioneering commercial Research and Development (R&D) leadership. As Head of R&D, his strategic insights and operational expertise are instrumental in driving our research and discovery initiatives.

Dr. Gabriel spent almost 22 years as a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), primarily focusing on molecular regulation of ion and fluid balance in the human lung and gastrointestinal tract. One of his key focus areas has been characterizing the mechanisms that mediate effective ion channel activity across epithelial tissues, particularly as these are affected in airway diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF). Dr. Gabriel spent a significant portion of his time at UNC studying the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. Dr. Gabriel’s work, along with others in the field, led to the development of several molecular therapies for CF.

After his tenure at UNC, and over the past 10 years, Dr. Gabriel moved to the forefront of development and clinical research, holding various executive leadership roles at Nivalis Therapeutics (previously N30 Pharmaceuticals), BioMedInnovations, LLC (BMI) and H.C. Wainwright & Co. At Nivalis, Dr. Gabriel helped orchestrate its IPO, raising over $88 million and additional funding of over $30 million. Dr. Gabriel also served as Chief Executive Officer at BMI, where his leadership resulted in the company receiving FDA Emergency Use Authorization for a mobile ventilator at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also served as Vice President of Equity Research at H.C. Wainwright & Co. Dr. Gabriel earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Saskatchewan.