Natacha Gaillard and Ashwani Sharma are co-founders and co-CEOs of ASTRA Therapeutics. Both previously held scientist positions at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, where they worked on the biology of the microtubule cytoskeleton and its role in cell division. Ashwani Sharma, a structural biologist trained in malaria research and has extensive experience in structure-based drug discovery at the interface of parasitology and cancer biology. Natacha Gaillard, a molecular biologist with more than 15 years of experience, has led major research and technology initiatives, including the establishment of a high-throughput protein production platform. Together, they pioneered the idea of applying concepts from cancer therapeutics—particularly targeting cell division—to the treatment of parasitic diseases, an approach that forms the scientific foundation of ASTRA Therapeutics.