Health Transformer Spotlight: Meet the Duo Developing Neuro-Immunotherapies at TheraVac Biologics
Get to know the team behind TheraVac Biologics, a StartUp Health community member developing cutting-edge therapeutic vaccines and antibodies for neurodegenerative diseases. Their immunotherapies target neuroinflammation and pathological Tau to slow or prevent neurodegeneration. In our spotlight interview, Ali Riazi, PhD, and Laurent Balenci, PhD, share a bit about how they met and how they combined their expertise in neurology and immunology to create TheraVac Biologics.
TheraVac Biologics Is Pioneering Active Immunotherapies for Chronic and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Ali Riazi, PhD, and Laurent Balenci, PhD, are serial healthcare entrepreneurs and co-founders of TheraVac Biologics, which focuses on developing active immunotherapies for chronic and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's. Founded in 2024, TheraVac Biologics employs platform technology that utilizes virus-like particles (VLPs) to present immunogenic peptides, eliciting robust immune responses. Under their leadership, TheraVac Biologics aims to transform the landscape of immunotherapy, offering safe and cost-effective solutions for patients suffering from chronic diseases associated with protein misfolding and inflammation.
How did the two of you meet?
Ali Riazi, PhD: I've known Laurent since 2017. We were part of two different companies accepted into JLabs Toronto. I was with a company working on the microbiome and Laurent was with a company working on epilepsy. We became friends through JLabs.
Laurent Balenci, PhD: We were working in different areas, but connecting over neuroscience, which is where I’ve spent more than two decades. Long story short, we’ve worked on several things together over the last four years.
Dr. Riazi: It’s a good partnership because Laurent comes from the neuroscience side and I come from the immunology antibody side. TheraVac is a neuro-immunology focused company. So it's a marriage of these two disciplines.
Ali, what's one of Laurent’s super powers?
Dr. Riazi: Laurent's diligence always impresses me. His attention to details. He always reviews documents closely and finds things that benefit the company. I’m more of a big vision guy. I try to sometimes handle too many things at the same time, but Lauren is very laser focused. He always makes sure our final edits are perfect.
Ali, what's something about Laurent that might surprise us?
Dr. Riazi: He almost played football (soccer) at the professional level on the same team as Zinedine Zidane.
Dr. Balenci: Yes and no. I was scouted by the same professional club that Zidane started with. I was part of the final phases of the national soccer team in France, and then I played semi-professional level for almost a decade.
Laurent, what are Ali’s super powers?
Dr. Balenci: I would say patience and his ability to stay composed. I'm not sure how he does that, but no matter how frustrating a situation is, he’s always so calm. I tend to be more on edge and impatient. He’s never stressed.
Ali, what’s something unusual about you that most people might not know?
Dr. Riazi: I grew up in the middle of war in Iran. It was a very harsh, stressful time. Maybe that's where my patience comes from. Because I've seen the worst things in life, honestly. Not getting a grant or funding is not the end of the world. I was 22 and I moved to Canada to start graduate school at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. I arrived in Alberta in the middle of winter. It was so, so cold. I’ve had to start from zero many times in my life, which has helped me as a founder.
What could you each teach a masterclass in?
Dr. Balenci: Improvisation. I used to do improv comedy. It’s just like a mindset. If somebody tells you or asks you for anything, you never say ‘no,’ you just say ‘yes.’ And you're trying to build off of what's in front of you. Improvisation helps a lot about being aware, listening, and also answering in a meaningful way that will kind of engage or push a little forward the conversation.
Dr. Riazi: I've restructured and built a few companies, mostly early stage. I could teach lessons on structuring a pitch and approaching investors. Having done it a few times I now know what the investors need to see and what are the essentials.
What do you do to recharge?
Dr. Riazi: I always go back to reading. I love non-fiction, like the book ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari.
Dr. Balenci: I play soccer. I never gave it up. When I met my wife, I said, you know, I don't care how much you love me or how much I love you. I just need to know I have at least one and a half hours per week where I can actually kick the ball.
Connect with TheraVac via email
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Published: May 28, 2025
