Meet the scientists, clinicians and operators behind AURApeutics: a team built around therapeutic ultrasound, biomaterials, translational medicine and disciplined biopharmaceutical development.
Victor Choi trained first as a pharmacist at University College London before beginning with sonodynamic therapy research at the University of Toronto. After briefly founding a biotechnology consultancy, he completed his PhD at the University of Oxford by developing the foundation of the AURA platform. Victor’s research combines formulation chemistry with acoustic engineering to make established medicines behave in entirely new ways, earning him a number of different awards, including recognition as the top postgraduate researcher globally by the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
02 / Science
Chief Scientific Officer
Prof Eleanor Stride OBE, FREng, HonFIET
Eleanor Stride was appointed Statutory Professor of Biomaterials at the University of Oxford in 2014, specializing in the fabrication of nano- and microscale devices for targeted drug delivery. She has published more than 230 papers, holds 17 patents and has received over £40 million in research funding. Her work has been recognised through nomination as one of the UK's most influential women in engineering, the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in 2020, election as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2021.
03 / Clinical
Chief Medical Officer
Prof Fadi Issa DPhil, FRCS(Plast)
Fadi Issa is a consultant plastic, reconstructive, and burns surgeon in the NHS and the Chair of Transplantation at the University of Oxford. With over 20 years of experience spanning academia and hospital, his career has focused on turning immunological insight into practical therapies. Having led multiple Phase I and II clinical trials, his work integrates mechanistic immunology, biomarker, and tissue-based human studies, with a consistent emphasis on safety, durability, and real-world implementation.
04 / Research
Scientific Lead
Dr Luca Bau PhD
Luca Bau trained first as a physicist and then a chemist before beginning a 20+ year career in the intersection of formulation science, acoustic cavitation, and controlled release. His research has spanned ultrasound-mediated drug delivery, single-injection malaria vaccine delivery, normothermic perfusion pharmacokinetics, to nanoparticle design.
05 / IncomingName to be announced
Head of Operations & Quality
Incoming appointment
The incoming Head of Operations & Quality is a PhD-trained life-sciences leader with more than 20 years of experience as Senior Director in Big Pharma and Big CDMO. His career spans regulated laboratory operations, biologics and CMC development, GMP quality systems, external manufacturing partnerships, financial management and large-scale organisational change.
01 / Founder
