# Ron Cohen

> Ron Cohen, M.D., is a biotech entrepreneur with a 30-year record of building companies that ship medicines for the nervous system. He founded Acorda Therapeutics in 1995 from his apartment and grew it into a public company that brought multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's therapies to market. After Acorda's sale to Merz in 2024, he evaluated roughly two dozen startups before taking the CEO seat at Oryon Cell Therapies in March 2026, a Belmont, Massachusetts company developing autologous neuron replacement therapy for Parkinson's. He is a past Chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).

- **Role:** CEO at Oryon Cell Therapies
- **Organizations:** Oryon Cell Therapies, Acorda Therapeutics, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Advanced Tissue Sciences
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. with honors in Psychology, Princeton University, M.D., Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons, Residency in Internal Medicine (Board Certified), University of Virginia Medical Center
- **Known for:** Founded Acorda Therapeutics in 1995 and built it into a public company with ~300 employees and a market cap exceeding $1 billion, Led development and commercialization of Ampyra (for MS) and Inbrija (for Parkinson's), Served as Chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)

## Career timeline

- **mid-1980s** — Began biotech career at Advanced Tissue Sciences, a tissue-engineering company
- **1995** — Founded Acorda Therapeutics out of his apartment with no employees or outside funding
- **2010** — Acorda's Ampyra (dalfampridine) approved by the FDA for multiple sclerosis
- **2017** — Ampyra generates roughly $550 million, over 90% of Acorda revenue
- **2018** — Ampyra patents invalidated, opening the door to generics
- **2024** — Acorda files for bankruptcy and is sold to Merz Therapeutics; Cohen steps down as CEO after ~30 years
- **2026** — Named CEO of Oryon Cell Therapies as it emerges from stealth with $42M total funding

## Achievements

- Founded Acorda Therapeutics in 1995 and built it into a public company with ~300 employees and a market cap exceeding $1 billion
- Led development and commercialization of Ampyra (for MS) and Inbrija (for Parkinson's)
- Served as Chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
- Named NeuroInvestment's CEO of the Year
- Recognized by PharmaVoice as one of the 100 Most Inspirational People in the Biopharmaceutical Industry
- Recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the New York Metropolitan Region
- Inducted into the National Spinal Cord Injury Association's Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame
- Previously served as Director and Chair of the New York Biotechnology Association (NYBA)

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Appointed CEO of Oryon Cell Therapies as the company emerged from stealth with a $21M Series A (led by Neuro.VC and Byers Capital), bringing total funding to $42M.

## Links

- Website: https://oryoncelltherapies.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-cohen-m-d-396113

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/ron-cohen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-06