Press Release
Veteran neurologist and drug developer to help shape scientific and clinical strategy across the company's neuro-oncology pipeline.
Miami, Fla. — June 15, 2026 — Lotus Neuro, a clinical-stage neuro-therapeutics company combining precision focused ultrasound (FUS) with advanced medicines to treat brain disease, today announced the appointment of Ajay Verma, MD, PhD, as Founding Scientist. Dr. Verma will help shape scientific and clinical strategy across the company's neuro-oncology pipeline, guiding the translational science that connects the company's delivery platform to measurable patient benefit.
Dr. Verma is a neurologist, neuroscientist, and veteran drug developer whose career spans biopharma, academia, and clinical medicine. He has held senior leadership roles across the industry, including Chief Medical Officer at United Neuroscience, Executive Vice President of Research and Experimental Medicine at Codiak BioSciences, and leadership positions in neurology drug development at Biogen, Novartis, and Merck, where he helped advance programs across neurodegenerative and neurological diseases.
His work focuses on translational neuroscience and precision drug development, with deep expertise in biomarkers, experimental medicine, and early clinical strategy across a wide range of therapeutic modalities. A former U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and professor of neurology, Dr. Verma received his MD and PhD from Johns Hopkins University.
"Ajay brings a rare depth of experience across the full arc of drug development — from first principles of neuroscience to late-stage clinical execution. His leadership will sharpen how we translate our platform into real, responsible evidence for patients."
— Arjun "JJ" Desai, MD · Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Lotus Neuro
"For too long, promising science has been limited not by the therapy itself, but by delivery. Lotus Neuro is building the platform to change that, and I'm honored to help shape the science that turns that potential into measurable clinical impact."
— Ajay Verma, MD, PhD · Founding Scientist, Lotus Neuro
Dr. Verma's appointment strengthens Lotus Neuro's scientific leadership as the company advances its neuro-oncology programs and builds the clinical evidence to unlock therapies limited by delivery.
Lotus Neuro is a clinical-stage neuro-therapeutics company working to bring effective medicine to the brain. The same barrier that protects the brain also blocks most therapeutics from reaching a tumor at meaningful levels. By pairing precision focused ultrasound with neuro-therapeutics, Lotus Neuro is building a programmable, non-invasive platform designed to enable measurable and controllable therapeutic effects in the brain — starting in neuro-oncology and built to scale across modalities and neurological disease over time.
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