Montara Therapeutics Strengthens Leadership with Karuna Founder Andrew Miller, New CMO, and CTO Promotion to Advance Brain-Selective CNS Platform
Key Insights
Montara Therapeutics (search) appoints Andrew Miller, Ph.D., founder of Karuna Therapeutics (search) and lead inventor of KarXT (COBENFY), to its Board of Directors, bringing expertise in two-drug CNS strategies.
David Michelson, M.D., joins as Chief Medical Officer with over two decades of CNS clinical development experience and four New Drug Approvals across his career.
Zachary Hill, Ph.D., is promoted to Chief Technology Officer, recognized for advancing the BrainOnly platform through heterobifunctional molecule and molecular glue expertise.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 09, 2026 — Montara Therapeutics (search), a preclinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering brain-selective therapies for central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announced a trio of strategic leadership moves: the appointment of Andrew Miller, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors; the hiring of David Michelson, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer; and the promotion of Zachary Hill, Ph.D., to Chief Technology Officer.
The announcements signal Montara's intent to accelerate its proprietary BrainOnly™ platform toward the clinic, backed by leaders with proven track records in neuroscience drug development, regulatory approvals, and emerging therapeutic modalities.
"We are building a team with the experience and ambition to realize our vision," said Nicholas T. Hertz, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Montara Therapeutics (search). "Andrew created and built an innovative neuroscience company by demonstrating that a two-drug combination strategy could mitigate peripheral side effects and unlock clinical value, a thesis that underpins our BrainOnly™ platform. David brings the regulatory and clinical rigor to advance our programs into the clinic, and Zach has been instrumental in further developing our platform and technology."
Andrew Miller Brings KarXT Success Story to the Board
Andrew Miller, Ph.D., joins Montara's board following his landmark success at Karuna Therapeutics (search), where he was the lead inventor of KarXT — approved by the FDA in 2024 as COBENFY™, the first new class of treatment for schizophrenia (search) in 35 years. As Founder and President of R&D, and later COO, CEO, and board member, Miller scaled Karuna from a single employee to over 350, raising approximately $2 billion ahead of the company's $14 billion acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb (search) in 2024.
COBENFY was developed using a pioneering two-drug strategy that paired a CNS-active muscarinic agonist with a peripherally restricted muscarinic antagonist, enabling clinically meaningful central efficacy with improved peripheral tolerability. This approach closely parallels Montara's BrainOnly platform.
"Montara is pursuing a novel and distinct two-drug strategy aimed at achieving brain-only pharmacology using a peripheral blocker," said Miller. "Supported by strong preclinical in vivo data, its lead program has the potential to be the first therapy to selectively inhibit mTOR (search) signaling in the brain, opening new possibilities for treating TSC seizures (search) and a broad range of other neurodegenerative diseases (search)."
Miller has been recognized among Time Magazine's 100 Next Generation Leaders, 100 Most Influential People in Health, and the Fierce 50 in 2025. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board at Progentos Therapeutics, a Board Member at Kyverna Therapeutics, and as an advisor to Google Ventures, General Atlantic, Vida Ventures, Longwood Fund, and the One Mind Foundation.
David Michelson Appointed Chief Medical Officer
David Michelson, M.D., brings more than two decades of CNS clinical development leadership to Montara. At Eli Lilly, he rose to Executive Medical Director, leading atomoxetine through approval as Strattera. He subsequently spent over a decade at Merck (search) as Vice President of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology Clinical Research, where he oversaw the portfolio from Phase 2 through approval, including Belsomra, the first orexin receptor (search) antagonist for insomnia (search).
Across his career, Michelson has led four programs through New Drug Approval and served as DSMB chair for the NIMH medications development program. He most recently served as CMO at Regenacy Pharmaceuticals and Proclara Biosciences, advancing novel mechanisms in peripheral neuropathy (search) and neurodegeneration, respectively.
"The BrainOnly platform addresses a fundamental bottleneck in CNS drug development, enabling engagement of important targets in the brain without the systemic side effects and toxicities that limit dose and durability," said Michelson. "I'm joining Montara because I believe this platform can deliver medicines to patients who currently have no good options."
Zachary Hill Promoted to Chief Technology Officer
Zachary Hill, Ph.D., has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer, reflecting his instrumental role in advancing the BrainOnly platform. Hill brings deep expertise in bivalent inhibitors, heterobifunctional molecules, and synthetic molecular glues. He trained as a synthetic chemist and chemical biologist under Dustin Maly at the University of Washington, followed by postdoctoral research with Jim Wells at UCSF, where he co-invented the chemically induced dimerization technology, AbCIDs.
Prior to Montara, Hill co-founded Soteria Biotherapeutics, where he served as CSO and board director, developing novel therapeutics based on the AbCID technology. As CTO, he will lead platform innovation, discovery, and oversee the translation of Montara's science into clinical-stage programs.
"BrainOnly is based on elegant chemistry to create pharmacology that is genuinely selective for the brain, which is something the CNS field has needed for a long time," said Hill. "We have the scientific foundation, technological innovation, clinical leadership, and board experience to take this platform to its full potential."
The BrainOnly™ Platform
Montara's BrainOnly platform enables brain-selective pharmacology by pairing brain-penetrant therapeutics with a proprietary peripheral blocker that restricts drug activity outside the CNS. This approach is designed to improve safety and tolerability while preserving full efficacy at the target. The platform leverages Brain-Targeting Chimeras (BrainTAC™) and has the potential to unlock CNS targets previously limited by systemic toxicity.
The company's lead program aims to selectively inhibit mTOR (search) signaling in the brain, with potential applications in TSC seizures (search) and a range of neurodegenerative diseases (search). Montara is supported by investors including founding investor SV Health Investors' Dementia Discovery Fund, Two Bear Capital, KdT Ventures, Dolby Family Ventures, and BEVC.
The board now includes Troy Willson, Ph.D., Board Chair and CEO of Kura Oncology; Dr. Nicholas Hertz; Dirk Landgraf, Ph.D., Principal at SV Health Investors' Dementia Discovery Fund; and J. Seth Strattan, Ph.D., General Partner at Two Bear Capital, alongside newly appointed Andrew Miller.