Dr. Ounzain is a molecular biologist with over 15 years of experience exploring the dark matter of the genome and its roles in development and disease. Prior to founding HAYA Therapeutics, Dr. Ounzain was a Project Leader and Research Fellow at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), where his research efforts directly led to the discovery of hundreds of novel heart-enriched lncRNAs, most notably the lncRNAs CARMEN, Meteor and Wisper. In 2024, Dr. Ounzain, along with co-founder Daniel Blessing, received the inaugural Andreas & Thomas Struengmann Award for their entrepreneurial vision in life sciences. Dr. Ounzain regularly speaks at various RNA therapeutics conferences, including, most recently, the RNA Leaders USA Congress, in a session titled “Leveraging Proprietary Technology to Identify Novel lncRNA Therapeutic Targets within the Dark Genome.”