AION Labs, the venture studio founded by global pharmaceutical, technology, and investment leaders to create and scale companies transforming pharmaceutical R&D, announced the appointment of Dr. Ilana Mandel as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Dr. Shira Warszawski as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The new appointments will support the company in expanding its model to identify, build, and accelerate a broader range of breakthrough technologies addressing critical challenges across pharmaceutical R&D.
AION Labs brings together global pharma, technology, scientific talent, and venture capital to translate emerging technologies into companies and products. Founded by AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer, and Teva, along with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amiti Ventures, and the Israel Biotech Fund, with the support of the Israel Innovation Authority, AION builds new AI technologies and companies around real drug discovery R&D challenges. The biotech venture studio has built 12 startups, completed more than 22 Proof of Concept projects, and achieved its first exit earlier this year when CombinAble.AI was acquired by Silicon Valley-based insitro.
The leadership transition also marks a new chapter for Dr. Yair Benita, Co-Founder and CTO of AION Labs, who has played a foundational role in building AION Labs since its inception.
Benita helped establish AION Labs' technological foundations and its ecosystem connecting Israel's scientific and technology talent with leading global pharmaceutical companies. He will now step out of his role at AION Labs to lead Phindex, a company conceived and developed within AION Labs. Phindex is building an AI-powered platform to help biotech companies navigate drug development from an initial molecule toward IND submission.