Alex Abuin

Alex Abuin serves as Professor of the Practice and Director of Research and Development for the Therapeutics Accelerator within Eshelman Innovation at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Based in Beard Hall on the Chapel Hill campus, he bridges academic research and therapeutic development through UNC's innovation ecosystem.

His educational background includes:

• PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics from Baylor College of Medicine
• BS in Biology from UNC Charlotte

With over 25 years of cross-sector experience spanning big pharma, IPOed biotech startups, and academia, Dr. Abuin specializes in translating novel therapeutic approaches into early-stage assets. His expertise covers target identification, preclinical proof-of-concept, asset evaluation, and portfolio strategy within drug discovery and development. Current work focuses on building compelling preclinical data packages for Eshelman Innovation-funded faculty projects.

In his leadership role, Dr. Abuin advises faculty innovators on therapeutic translation through the Therapeutics Accelerator program, guiding projects from concept to preclinical validation. This includes strategic portfolio management and business development for emerging assets.

He operates within Eshelman Innovation's framework alongside the Drug Discovery division (CBMC), driving UNC's mission to advance pharmaceutical sciences through structured translational pathways.