About Us

Dr. Martin Edelstein is a chemist, innovator, and biotechnology executive with over four decades of experience translating advanced science into real-world solutions that improve human health at scale. Trained as an organic chemist, Dr. Edelstein earned his PhD from Texas A&M University and completed postdoctoral research at Baylor College of Medicine. Early in his career, he played a key role in pharmaceutical development at SmithKline Beckman, Berlex Biosciences, and Athena Neurosciences/Elan Pharmaceuticals, contributing to the technical development that led to commercialization of Tysabri, a multi-billion-dollar therapy for multiple sclerosis.

For the past two decades, Dr. Edelstein has focused on prevention-oriented technologies that address environmental drivers of disease through atomically precise materials and bottom-up nanotechnology. As co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Covalent, he directs the design of monomolecular membranes and synthetic ion channel architectures engineered with pharmaceutical-level precision but deployed as scalable materials. This work has received national recognition, including being featured on the U.S. Department of Energy’s website for four consecutive years—an unprecedented distinction for a scientific innovation.

Dr. Edelstein has also contributed to national policy, serving as one of a small group of scientific and technical leaders convened by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to help craft the President’s national water strategy. As co-founder and board member of Agua Via Ltd., he is bringing the first commercial implementations of these technologies to market, beginning with next-generation water purification systems designed to remove contaminants that silently erode healthspan and lifespan. His career reflects a unifying vision: preventing disease at its environmental source can extend healthspan, reduce global disease burden, and save lives on a scale comparable to—or greater than—many pharmaceuticals.