World-renowned immunologist strengthens scientific leadership and translational focus
BOSTON, Feb. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Vie Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm focused on autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases, today announced that Jeff Bluestone, PhD, has been named Managing Director, joining founders Steven St. Peter, MD, and Luke Evnin, PhD, who also serve as Managing Directors. Together with Lou DeGennaro, PhD, Senior Advisor, Vie’s leadership brings complementary expertise spanning venture capital, immunology, biotech company building, and patient-focused philanthropy.
Dr. Bluestone is a world-renowned immunologist and biotech leader whose work has helped define modern understanding of immune regulation, tolerance, and translational immunology. His career spans seminal academic discoveries, leadership of major translational research networks, and company building at the forefront of immune-based therapies.
Over several decades, Dr. Bluestone has played a central role in translating foundational immunology into approved medicines. Among his accomplishments, Dr. Bluestone defined key aspects of CD3 signaling and immune modulation, created teplizumab, the first FDA-approved therapy shown to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes, and informed therapies targeting T-cell co-stimulation and immune checkpoints. He previously served as founding Director of the Immune Tolerance Network, founding CEO of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and most recently co-founded and led Sonoma Biotherapeutics, a company focused on engineered regulatory T-cell therapies. Dr. Bluestone has also held senior leadership roles at the University of California, San Francisco, including Diabetes Center Director and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“Jeff is a rare combination of scientific rigor, a translational medicine focus, and collaborative leadership,” said Steven St. Peter, MD, Founder and Managing Director of Vie Ventures. “Luke and I have each worked with Jeff in different professional contexts over many years, and we have tremendous respect for how he thinks about biology, patients, and risk. His decision to join Vie reflects a shared belief that the next generation of autoimmune therapies will require tighter integration between science, capital, and patient communities.”
“I have spent my career working at the intersection of discovery science, clinical translation, and patient need,” said Dr. Bluestone. “Vie Ventures brings those elements together in a way that is both scientifically ambitious and operationally disciplined. I am excited to join Steven and Luke in advancing a model designed to accelerate the development of innovative therapies by leveraging shared biology and collaborative insight.”
“Jeff’s career has been defined by translating deep immunology insights into real therapies for patients,” said Luke Evnin, PhD, Founder and Managing Director of Vie Ventures. “His experience building scientific organizations and guiding translational strategy strengthens Vie Ventures’ ability to identify and support companies that can make meaningful impact across multiple autoimmune conditions, particularly by focusing on shared biological drivers across indications.” Dr. Evnin concurrently serves as Chair of the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF), where he has been a member of the Board of Directors for more than 25 years. Dr. Bluestone served on the SRF scientific advisory board for many years.
Vie Ventures works closely with a growing network of Strategic Collaborators—disease-focused nonprofit organizations that contribute scientific insight, patient perspective, and development expertise to help inform investment decisions and accelerate the path from discovery to patients—including the American Diabetes Association, Arthritis Foundation, Beyond Celiac, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Food Allergy Fund, Immune Boost Capital / Arthritis National Research Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Psoriasis Foundation, Scleroderma Research Foundation, and the Sjögren’s Foundation.
About Vie Ventures
Vie Ventures is a life sciences investment firm operating at the intersection of venture capital and disease philanthropy. Vie Ventures invests alongside other leading venture capital investors and strategic partners in private biotech companies focused on advancing novel therapeutics for autoimmune disease and other disorders of the immune system, an area of significant unmet medical need. Our team leverages decades of experience, a proven track record in life sciences venture capital, a returns-oriented approach, and a network of strategic collaborators from across the biotech and disease philanthropy ecosystems to advance life-changing therapies and cures for patients. To learn more, visit vieventures.com
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SOURCE Vie Ventures
