Our Approach

Zula Therapeutics was established with a singular focus: to transform the treatment landscape for anorexia nervosa, bringing the first effective medication to patients and families who have long waited for better options.

Born from groundbreaking research on leptin's role in eating disorders, our company was founded to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and patient care. We recognized the powerful potential of metreleptin to address the underlying metabolic and psychiatric aspects of anorexia nervosa, and we've dedicated ourselves to making this treatment accessible.

As a public benefit corporation, we're committed to both scientific excellence and social impact, ensuring that our therapies reach those who need them most.

Repurposing for Impact

Metreleptin is currently approved as Myalept® for treating lipodystrophy, an ultra-rare metabolic condition. Despite metreleptin's proven safety profile, its high cost (approximately $1.2M/year) has made it inaccessible for anorexia nervosa patients who could benefit.

Zula Therapeutics is taking a different approach:

We're developing a more affordable version of metreleptin specifically for anorexia nervosa
We're pursuing regulatory approval through efficient pathways designed to spur innovation
We're partnering with leading clinical experts to advance research and patient care

University Research Collaborations

Our work builds on groundbreaking research from University of Duisburg-Essen and University of Zurich, where early studies of metreleptin in anorexia nervosa patients have shown promising results. We license the patents for this use andcontinue to maintain strong relationships with these academic pioneers as we advance our clinical program.

Mount Sinai Collaboration

Mount Sinai's Center, under the direction of Dr. Tom Hildebrandt, PsyD, FAED, brings world-class expertise in eating disorder treatment and clinical trials. Through this collaboration, we will:

Conduct rigorous clinical trials of metreleptin for anorexia nervosa
Leverage Mount Sinai's comprehensive approach to patient care
Accelerate the development timeline through combined expertise and resources
Ensure that clinical protocols reflect real-world patient needs

The Mount Sinai Center provides comprehensive care for conditions including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Their outpatient-care model offers a family-centric approach that has shown a 70-80% success rate at halting the revolving door of recidivism.

Leadership Team

Dan Housman - Management Team & Board Member, Zula Therapeutics
Serial entrepreneur with deep expertise in healthcare analytics and drug development. Founded and led Recombinant Data Corp. (acquired by Deloitte) and served as Managing Director in Deloitte's Healthcare and Life Sciences practice. BS in Chemistry and Biology from MIT. Dan also serves on the Board of Directors at Courage Therapeutics. His personal connection to eating disorders as a parent of children with AN and ARFID drives his commitment to advancing new treatments

Dawn Bardot, PhD - Management Team, Zula Therapeutics
Medical product executive with extensive experience driving AI-enabled medical products from concept through global commercialization. Most recently served as General Manager at Abiomed (Johnson & Johnson), leading a $60M global organization. Previously held leadership roles at Medtronic and the Medical Device Innovation Consortium, where she established key FDA partnerships and frameworks for digital evidence. PhD in Mechanical Engineering from University of Washington.

Fred Mermelstein, PhD - Board Member, Zula Therapeutics
Accomplished biotech entrepreneur with extensive experience shepherding multiple products from development through FDA approval. Co-founder and chairman of SanaRx Biotherapeutics, former founder of several successful biotech companies including Javelin Pharmaceuticals (merged with Pfizer) and PolaRx Biopharmaceuticals (merged with Teva). Fred also serves on the Board of Directors at Courage Therapeutics and brings valuable venture capital experience from his directorship at Paramount Biocapital.

Roger Cone, PhD - Board Member, Zula Therapeutics
Director of the Life Sciences Institute at the University of Michigan and member of the National Academy of Sciences. World-renowned expert in melanocortin biology and feeding behaviors. Strong track record of successful biotech commercialization, including Northwest Neurologic (acquired by Neurocrine Biosciences). His pioneering research established key intellectual property in the field. Roger also serves on the Board of Directors at Courage Therapeutics and represents Courage on the Zula board.

Johannes Hebebrand, MD - Scientific Advisor, Zula Therapeutics
Pioneer in the development of metreleptin for anorexia nervosa treatment and inventor of the leptin therapeutic approach. Recently retired from his position at the University of Duisburg-Essen, where he conducted groundbreaking research on leptin's role in eating disorders. Brings invaluable clinical expertise and plays a key leadership role in advancing the therapeutic program.

Tom Hildebrandt, PsyD - Director, Mount Sinai's Center of Excellence in Eating and Weight Disorders
Extensive clinical expertise in eating disorder treatment and research. Dr. Hildebrandt leads the pivotal clinical trial at Mount Sinai, bringing decades of experience in treating anorexia nervosa and related disorders.

About Zula Therapeutics

Established in 2024, Zula Therapeutics represents an innovative approach to solving one of medicine's most challenging problems: developing affordable treatments for serious conditions like anorexia nervosa that have been overlooked by traditional pharmaceutical development.

By creating Zula as a Public Benefit Corporation spun out from Courage Therapeutics, we've designed an organization optimally structured to deliver on our mission. This strategic decision enables us to attract impact investors and philanthropic partners deeply committed to transforming anorexia nervosa care, while allowing our parent company Courage to advance its promising melanocortin peptide programs through conventional venture funding.

This specialized focus has already yielded results—Zula has secured valuable intellectual property from the University of Duisburg-Essen for metreleptin in anorexia nervosa and built a groundbreaking partnership with Mount Sinai's Center of Excellence in Eating and Weight Disorders. As Mount Sinai leads the clinical research through philanthropic channels, Zula can concentrate on manufacturing optimization and regulatory preparations.

Our unique structure as a Public Benefit Corporation ensures we never lose sight of our core purpose: "To expedite access to affordable medical products in order to serve patients with unmet needs." For the millions suffering from anorexia nervosa and their families, this mission-driven approach offers the best path to developing the first FDA-approved medication for this life-threatening condition.

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