Meet the Team Behind QABY Biotech
Bringing together decades of expertise in drug discovery, biomarkers, translational neuroscience, biotech operations, and strategic leadership.
Dr. Omar El-Agnaf
Founder & Chief Scientific Advisor
Global leader in Parkinson’s disease and synucleinopathies with 20+ years of pioneering work in α-synuclein biomarker discovery and translation.
Dr. Omar El-Agnaf is a global leader in neurodegenerative disease research, renowned for his pioneering work on α-synuclein biomarkers and their translation into diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
A Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University and former Executive Director of the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, he has built internationally recognized programs advancing Parkinson’s disease research and biomarker discovery.
With over two decades of scientific leadership, Dr. El-Agnaf has authored numerous high-impact publications and serves on editorial boards of leading neuroscience journals.
His groundbreaking contributions continue to shape the field of synucleinopathies and guide QABY’s vision to bring next-generation diagnostics and therapeutics to patients worldwide.
Dr. Juan Perez-Villar
Chief Executive Officer
Biotech leader with experience in diagnostics, therapeutics, and early-stage company development, overseeing strategy, partnerships, and execution.
Dr. Juan Pérez Villar leads QABY Biotech’s mission to transform the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases through first-in-class α-synuclein diagnostics and antibody therapeutics.
With more than two decades of experience spanning biotech R&D, company building, and strategic partnerships, he has successfully guided multiple programs from discovery to the clinic.
Before joining QABY, Dr. Pérez Villar served as CEO of Leadartis, advancing an immuno-oncology pipeline into Phase I trials, and founded Bionexum, advising biopharma companies on licensing and investor strategies.
Earlier in his career, he held R&D roles at Agensys/Astellas and Bristol Myers Squibb, contributing to clinically validated antibody and kinase inhibitor programs.
He holds a PhD in Immunology (summa cum laude) from the Autonomous University of Madrid and completed postdoctoral training at Bristol Myers Squibb.
Dr. Nour Majbour
Co-founder & R&D Director
Translational neuroscientist with extensive expertise in α-synuclein biomarkers, assay development, and precision-medicine R&D.
Dr. Nour Majbour is a translational neuroscientist with experience across academia, biotech, and pharma, focusing on neurodegeneration, biomarkers, and precision medicine.
She completed her PhD at VU University Amsterdam on α-synuclein as a diagnostic and therapeutic target in Parkinson’s disease, generating monoclonal antibodies that resulted in multiple patents and publications.
Her roles at AstraZeneca, the MRC Prion Unit (UCL), and the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute highlight her ability to advance scientific discoveries in diverse settings.
Over the past decade, she has produced 30+ publications (h-index 28), several patents, and secured more than $600,000 in research funding from agencies including Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation.
As Co-Founder of QABY Biotech, she leads R&D on biomarker-driven diagnostics and therapeutics for synucleinopathies and remains committed to science communication and patient-centered research.