Dr. Ho is Head of Translational Medicine at Clene, where she leads the development of our drug candidates from basic science to early clinical studies. She is responsible for generating scientific insights into mechanism and efficacy, as well as much of the scientific communications about Clene’s catalytic nanomedicines. She leads biomarker development, scientific collaborations, presentations, publications, grant writing, and some of the company’s PR efforts. In addition, she serves as project manager of Clene’s NIH-funded Early Access Program for ALS. Prior to Clene, she was the lead scientist at a startup diagnostic testing company, where she streamlined and innovated new methodologies for the scientific interpretation of genetic testing results for children with autism, developmental delays, and/or cognitive impairment. After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry summa cum laude from Washington University as a Compton Scholar, Dr. Ho lived in England for two years where she earned a Masters degree in Genetics from the University of Cambridge as a Marshall Scholar. She has a PhD in Developmental Biology from Stanford and completed her postdoctoral training as a National Sleep Foundation Pickwick Scholar and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Neuroscience. Karen serves on several rare disease group Scientific Advisory Boards and holds a concurrent position as adjunct faculty at the University of Utah School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics.