James Karras

James Karras is an accomplished leader in translational sciences, currently serving as Vice President at HAYA Therapeutics since November 2023. Previously, James held the Vice President position at Blacksmith Medicines from January 2021 to November 2023, and served as Vice President of Translational Sciences at Forge Therapeutics, Inc. for a brief period in August 2020. Prior experience includes a Senior Director role at Ferring Research Institute, where James led animal model development relevant to human diseases and supported therapeutic areas including immunology, gastroenterology, and urology. James also contributed as Associate Scientific Director at Janssen R&D, founding the first Immunology Exploratory Science Lab, and held various positions in immunology at Regulus Therapeutics, Altair Therapeutics, and Isis Pharmaceuticals. James earned a PhD in Pharmacology/Toxicology from the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology from UC San Diego.