Biotech between worlds: Jacob Licht's aliyah story - interview

Jacob Licht is vice president of corporate development at NurExone Biologic and CEO of its US subsidiary, Exo-Top Inc.

He has over 20 years of leadership experience in the biotech and specialty pharmaceutical industries and has led transactions totaling more than $1 billion.

For more than two decades, he served on the board of directors of the Moebius Syndrome Foundation, based in Denver, Colorado.

Miriam, our youngest daughter, was born with this syndrome. It is a congenital condition resulting from underdevelopment of the facial nerves controlling eye movement and facial expressions.

Our oldest daughter, Hudi, who is a PhD candidate at Northwestern University, is conducting a study investigating language and communication in children with Moebius syndrome.

A better question might be: For a couple who fell in love with Israel as teenagers, why did it take us so long to make aliyah? But I’ll answer your question. In the US, when people with disabilities turn 21, they’re pretty much on their own and out of the system.

Miriam’s twin sister, Ayelet, made aliyah before we did. She was a lone soldier in the Israel Air Force for two years and is now studying quantum physics at Bar-Ilan University.

I’ll give plugs for the two I know best – both excellent choices for the Shabbat-observant.

First, Ohr Torah Stone’s Elaine and Norm Brodsky Darkaynu program in the Gush Etzion area of Jerusalem. Second, Sadnat Shiluv, a residential program located on top of a mountain in Gvaot, Gush Etzion.

Moebius syndrome is an extremely rare condition, and it’s rare to know others with the condition, even in large cities.

The goals of the foundation are to build awareness, host conferences, fund research, award scholarships, and serve as a community for people with the syndrome and for their families.

I was born in 1969 in State College, Pennsylvania – home to the main campus of Penn State University, where my father was earning his PhD.

Neither of my parents came from religious families, but they became Shabbat observant in the 1970s when we lived in Annapolis, Maryland.

My first trip was during my gap year, during the First Intifada, and I stayed for 18 months. I just wanted to take in everything and explore every corner of the country.

I was both studying in a yeshiva and hitchhiking everywhere. I fell in love with Israel.

I started college wanting to immerse myself in big ideas – and that’s exactly what happened at the University of Chicago (UChicago), where the Great Books program forms the core of the curriculum.

Physics and biology majors read Plato and Aristotle, and humanities students like me had to study math, physics, and biology. It taught me to think critically and approach problems from multiple perspectives. I received my undergraduate degree in 1993.

That’s another reason I have such warm feelings for UChicago – it’s where I met Panina Medow, who was a year ahead of me. We met at Hillel on the kosher meal plan.

We ate together, learned together, and fell in love. We married in 1992. As they say, Hillel is the place for Jews to ‘do Jewish’ with other Jews.

Panina and I had parallel but separate upbringings. Her family were Reform Jews in South Bend, Indiana, and she was very involved in Young Judaea.

Her gap year in Israel on a Young Judaea course was transformational. She wanted to stay in Israel – but lucky for me, she returned to the US to study at UChicago.

Today, Panina is the director of academics at TRY [Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim], a semester program for North American high school students in Israel.

I received my MBA from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) in 1997. We stayed in St. Louis for several years while I worked at Monsanto, then an agricultural biotechnology and pharmaceuticals company.

My role is really split into two. For corporate development at NurExone [www.nurexone.com], I identify potential partners and relevant players and then go out and meet them – kind of like a matchmaker.

For Exo-Top, we’re establishing a biomanufacturing facility in the US at the highest standards.

Turning great scientific discoveries into commercial products requires both brilliant scientists and talented business-minded people who understand the art of translation between the two worlds.

We’re using nanoparticles called exosomes to try to help the body regenerate damaged nerves in the central nervous system. Our goal is to turn irreversible spinal cord or optic nerve injuries into ones where functional recovery can occur.

In numerous animal models, we’ve seen spinal cord nerves regenerate and restore motor and sensory function, which is pretty remarkable.

That’s how biotech usually works: a discovery in a lab that – if the stars line up – makes its way out of a research setting and hopefully toward something that can help real people.

There is hope for people with spinal cord and other central nervous system injuries, but it will take time.

We need regulatory approval to begin human studies, which requires extensive animal studies and rigorous testing. We’re making great progress and hope to start our first human trials in 2026.

I love cooking. I’m on a mission here in Israel to cook unlike any of my Ashkenazi ancestors. I don’t want to make stuffed cabbage or gefilte fish.

I love exploring spice shops, discovering new ingredients, and creating new dishes. Recently, I found dried Persian limes and added a few to my chicken soup recipe. ■