Sheila Mikhail thrives as a life sciences leader and women’s health advocate
Earlier this year, entrepreneur and women’s health advocate Sheila Mikhail received the Triangle Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the life sciences and women’s breast cancer detection.
Mikhail’s career in the field began as an attorney for biotech companies before she created a long-term partnership with geneticist and inventor Jude Samulski to tackle rare genetic disorders.
As the CEO of their first venture, Bamboo Therapeutics, she raised $50 million and led the company through its first acquisition by Pfizer in a deal valued at $840 million.
While the CEO of Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio), which she also co-founded with Samulski, she raised $235 million in capital, led six programs to clinical trials, established biomanufacturing facilities in Spain, grew the number of employees to 800, and led a $4 billion acquisition of AskBio by Bayer. And she hasn’t stopped.
Since then, she has co-founded two biotechnology companies, Jurata Thin Film and, most recently, M34, which develops gene therapies for treating neurological diseases. To support the ongoing development of gene therapies for ultra-rare genetic indications in children, she is also co-founder and executive director of the Columbus Children’s Foundation.
When the TBJ asked Mikhail what she was most proud of, she said, “empowering other women” and mentoring them to prepare them for leadership roles in the life sciences. She has also become a strong advocate for women’s health issues after her breast cancer diagnosis. Specifically, she advocates for MRI screening for women with dense breasts to allow for early detection.
Recently, she launched Breast Cancer Ruckus (BCRuckus), which, as its website states, “seeks to increase awareness about issues pertaining to breast cancer screening and diagnosis.” Specifically, it wants to educate women on the importance of knowing their breast tissue density and what that means in the screening and detection process.