Cervello Therapeutics was created with an emphasis on finding a cure for a rare medical condition, Cerebral Cavernous Malformation (CCM). Tony Varano, with his established reputation of running a clinical software and services organization (DSG), teamed up with an entrepreneurial drug hunter, Matt Lee, who had just stepped away from his position as Senior Director of Drug Discovery at Mirati Therapeutics after playing a key role in the design of their KRas G12C inhibitor MRTX849, with a dream to build a biotech company from the ground-level.

This privately-held company was established with a virtual drug discovery business paradigm, to capitalize on the global contract research organization resources, investing in companies that focus on specific research areas, rather than investing internally in expert staff across the wide range of functional areas needed for drug discovery.