Raj Banerjee is a partner in Ropes & Gray’s venture capital and emerging companies, intellectual property transactions, and life sciences licensing groups and represents some of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies, emerging life sciences companies, and venture capital and growth equity investors in a broad range of matters, including startup formation matters, minority equity investments, strategic alliances, licenses, collaborations, and other commercial agreements.

Clients trust Raj to offer strategic advice and corporate legal counseling to management teams, boards, and investors, and to structure and lead complex deals that have enabled some of the best-known names in life sciences accelerate research, advance product development, and access new markets.

Christopher Church is Head of Technology Search and Evaluation, Strategy, and Business Development and Licensing (BD&L) at AstraZeneca, based in Cambridge, England. With nearly a decade of leadership roles at AstraZeneca, he has played a central role in shaping the company’s external innovation strategy, driving business development, and advancing partnerships across the European and global life sciences industry.

Since November 2024, Christopher has led AstraZeneca’s Technology Search and Evaluation, Strategy, and BD&L function, overseeing the identification and assessment of novel technologies and external opportunities to strengthen AstraZeneca’s pipeline. Prior to this, Christopher served as Head of Technology Search and Evaluation and Transactions, BD&L, and as Senior Director, Search & Evaluation, Business Development, Licensing & Strategy. In these roles, he was responsible for sourcing and evaluating in-licensing opportunities from academia, biotech, and peer-pharma, particularly in Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolism (CVRM). His remit has spanned all drug modalities, from early discovery through late-stage clinical development. He has focused on building strategic alliances and fostering innovation within the UK and continental Europe.

Earlier roles at AstraZeneca included Director and Associate Director of CVRM Search & Evaluation, where Christopher coordinated business development activities for biologics and digital health technologies, supporting both local and international academic and biopharmaceutical collaborations. His work has been instrumental in coordinating in- and out-licensing opportunities for MedImmune/AstraZeneca CVRM and Biosuperiors, and in supporting the broader academic and biopharma ecosystem in Cambridge and beyond.v

Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Christopher held several positions at MedImmune, including Manager, Partnering and Strategy, and Scientist roles, contributing to research in adipose tissue biology and metabolic disease. His scientific career began with a research appointment at Yale School of Medicine, where he served as a Visiting Research Scientist and Postdoctoral Associate in Comparative Medicine, focusing on the molecular and cellular regulation of adipocyte precursors in obesity. As an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University, Christopher advanced research in metabolic disease, supported by the European Molecular Biology Organization.

Throughout his career, Christopher has demonstrated a commitment to advancing scientific discovery and business development in the UK and European life sciences sectors, leveraging deep expertise in research, strategy, and partnership building to drive innovation and deliver impact across the industry.

Marianne De Backer is Chief Executive Officer and Director of Vir Biotechnology. Since joining Vir Biotechnology in April 2023, Dr. De Backer has led the company through a pivotal strategic evolution, sharpening its focus on infectious disease and leveraging its scientific expertise to address critical unmet needs in oncology. Under her leadership, Vir Biotechnology has established a robust clinical pipeline, including a late-stage registrational program in hepatitis delta and three Phase 1 masked T-cell engagers targeting a range of solid tumors. The company’s world-class immunology expertise and advanced data science capabilities have enabled rapid progress in its research pipeline, all in service of its mission to harness the immune system to transform lives.

Dr. De Backer’s career is distinguished by extensive leadership experience across major European pharmaceutical companies and institutions, and her contributions to the biopharma sector have been widely recognized. She previously served as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Strategy, Business Development & Licensing for the Pharmaceuticals division of Bayer. As a member of Bayer’s Executive Committee, she spearheaded external innovation, forging over 50 new alliances and company acquisitions that strengthened Bayer’s global portfolio. She also served on the Board of Directors of Bluerock Therapeutics, Asklepios Biopharmaceutical, Vividion Therapeutics, Kronos Bio, and Arrowhead Therapeutics.

Her foundational scientific and business education was completed at top European universities, including an MBA from Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Netherlands, an M.Sc. in Molecular Biology from Vrije Universiteit Brussels, and both an M.Sc. in Engineering Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Ghent University in Belgium. Earlier in her career, Dr. De Backer held global business and corporate development roles at Johnson & Johnson, including Head and Vice President of M&A Operations and Divestitures for the Pharmaceuticals Group, where she led the launch of two medicines in neuroscience and immunology. She began her career in drug discovery research and is an inventor on seven patents. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and as a non-executive director on the board of the Gladstone Foundation. Dr. De Backer’s commitment to bringing important new therapeutics to patients in need around the world has been the cornerstone of her career.

Jeffrey Low is a Partner at Averin in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he invests at the intersection of life sciences, healthcare, and technology—partnering with teams advancing therapeutics, care delivery, and software infrastructure for healthcare and life sciences. He is motivated by the belief that transformative technologies, when paired with exceptional teams, can meaningfully improve human health at scale.

Jeffrey brings significant experience working with leading European and UK-based life sciences companies and investors. Prior to joining Averin, he led the life sciences and healthcare technology strategy at Novo Holdings, a global investment firm headquartered in Denmark with deep roots in the European healthcare sector. During his tenure at Novo Holdings, Jeffrey worked closely with Exscientia, a UK-based pioneer in AI-driven drug discovery. As part of Exscientia’s first institutional financing, Jeffrey collaborated with the founder to reimagine the company’s strategy and executive team. He subsequently guided Exscientia through a $225 million crossover round and a $510 million U.S. Nasdaq IPO—one of the largest public listings ever achieved by a European biotech company. His work with Exscientia exemplifies his engagement with the European innovation ecosystem and his ability to support companies in scaling their impact globally.

In addition to Exscientia, Jeffrey’s portfolio at Novo Holdings included work with Tempus (TEM) and Verana Health, further bolstering his experience supporting international healthcare technology and life sciences ventures. Prior to Novo Holdings, Jeffrey was a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), which he joined during the formation of their inaugural Bio Fund. At a16z, Jeffrey invested in and supported a broad portfolio across therapeutics, AI drug discovery, life sciences technology, digital health, and deep tech—including companies such as Devoted Health, Erasca (ERAS), Freenome, Insitro, and Omada Health. His work at a16z included collaborations and investments with global reach, often intersecting with European innovation and talent. Jeffrey earned an MD from Yale School of Medicine, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and an AB in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Harvard.

Akira Matsuno is President, Co-Founder, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer at Tune Therapeutics. An accomplished biopharma executive with deep expertise in cell and gene therapies, Akira has played a pivotal role in advancing innovative therapeutic platforms and forging strategic partnerships across global markets, including Europe and the UK.

Prior to his current role, Akira served as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Corporate Development at Lyell Immunopharma, where he led multiple private fundraising rounds, strategic alliances, and a global R&D collaboration. His work at Lyell included negotiating and structuring partnerships with leading academic and industry organizations—many of which extended into the European life sciences ecosystem—further strengthening transatlantic innovation and investment, and leading the strategic collaboration and investment by GSK into Lyell. Earlier, as global NEX-T Platform Program Lead at Juno Therapeutics, Akira focused on the development of next-generation cell therapy manufacturing processes and multiple drug candidates. In his capacity as Vice President of Finance, he oversaw strategic planning, FP&A, and treasury functions, and led negotiations on numerous executed transactions—including academic partnerships, industry collaborations, and acquisitions. Akira also led M&A efforts, which included the acquisition of Stage Cell Technologies in Germany.

Akira is also Co-Founder of JW Therapeutics, a cell therapy company based in China, which has engaged in international collaborations to advance cell therapy development and commercialization. Across his career, Akira has executed over $50 billion in financing and strategic transactions, including more than $2 billion in equity-related transactions. Some of these have involved European investors, multinational pharmaceutical companies, and cross-border alliances. Prior to his leadership roles in biotechnology, Akira was a late-stage private equity investment professional at Vulcan Capital, where he participated in investments with global reach. He began his career at Lehman Brothers in its investment banking division, where he gained experience in international capital markets. Akira received his B.S. in Finance and Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.