Alysson Renato Muotri is a Brazilian geneticist and developmental biologist, and a professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Cellular & Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, where he directs the UCSD Stem-Cell Program.

Reading scientific articles led him to learn about the research carried out at the Salk Institute, especially Dr. Fred Gage's line of work, which combines stem cells with the development of new neural networks.

[26][27][28][29] Also in 2016, Muotri led, together with international collaborators, a study showing the causal relationship between the Zika virus circulating in Brazil and cases of microcephaly and birth defects.

[33][34] In February 2014, he launched the book "Simples assim: células tronco", co-authored with the doctor Adelson Alves, published by Atheneu, with a cover illustrated by the cartoonist Ziraldo.

[35][36][37][38] In April 2016, Muotri, together with other scientists, founded Tismoo [pt], the world's first personalized medicine startup focused on autism and related syndromes,[39][40][41][42] with headquarters in São Paulo and two offices in the United States, in San Diego and Miami.

[55][56] In December 2017, the Brazilian researcher discovered in an experiment with mini-brains that a drug used for 60 years against malaria, chloroquine, works as a vaccine against Zika.

[57][58][59][60][61] Then, also using mini-brains, in a study published in January 2018 in the journal Scientific Reports,[62] from the prestigious Nature group, Muotri's team says that the drug Sofosbuvir, used to treat hepatitis C, can cure Zika infection, as well as preventing the transmission of the virus from mother to baby during pregnancy.

[74] At the end of 2023, Muotri revealed that there is interest from Canada and South Korea in investing in the flight, but it is unclear whether the Brazilian government will have any involvement, and that biomedical researcher Livia Luz should be trained as his backup.