# Bernard Ravina

> Bernard Ravina is a Johns Hopkins-trained neurologist who spent two decades treating people with dystonia before deciding the field needed a drug that did not yet exist. In 2025 he founded Vima Therapeutics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is its CEO, advancing VIM0423, a once-daily oral therapy aimed at the dopamine-acetylcholine imbalance behind movement disorders. The company emerged from stealth with a $60 million Series A, later extended to $100 million, and dosed its first Phase 2 dystonia patient in March 2026.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Vima Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Vima Therapeutics, Atlas Venture, Praxis Precision Medicines, Voyager Therapeutics, Biogen, University of Rochester School of Medicine, NINDS/NIH
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** M.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, M.S., Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics; neurology training, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Founded Vima Therapeutics and raised a $60M Series A, later extended to $100M, Advanced VIM0423 from Phase 1 into Phase 2 trials in dystonia and Parkinson's disease, Secured FDA Fast Track designation for isolated dystonia

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Senior positions at NINDS/NIH focused on neurogenetics
- **Academia** — Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of the Movement and Inherited Neurological Disorders Unit, University of Rochester
- **Industry** — Clinical development roles at Biogen
- **Industry** — Chief Medical Officer, Voyager Therapeutics
- **Industry** — Chief Medical Officer, Praxis Precision Medicines
- **2024-2025** — Entrepreneur in residence at Atlas Venture, incubating Vima
- **2025-05** — Founded Vima Therapeutics; launched from stealth with $60M Series A
- **2026-03** — Vima extended Series A to $100M and dosed first Phase 2 dystonia patient

## Achievements

- Founded Vima Therapeutics and raised a $60M Series A, later extended to $100M
- Advanced VIM0423 from Phase 1 into Phase 2 trials in dystonia and Parkinson's disease
- Secured FDA Fast Track designation for isolated dystonia
- Held Chief Medical Officer roles at two public biotechs, Voyager and Praxis
- Over 20 years of drug development experience across government, academia, and industry

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Vima dosed the first patient in its Phase 2 Stride Dystonia trial and extended its Series A to $100 million with Frazier Life Sciences joining.
- **2026** — Phase 2 Parkinson's disease trial initiation expected mid-2026, with topline data from both Phase 2 trials anticipated in the first half of 2027.

## Links

- Website: https://vimatx.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bernard-ravina-17479622

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/bernard-ravina
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-14