Former CureVac Chief Scientific Officer to Lead Research & Development of CNS Disease Therapies
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Yarrow Biotechnology, Inc. (“Yarrow”), an RTW Investments, LP (“RTW”) -incubated company developing nucleic acid therapeutics and other modalities for severe, genetically defined diseases including those of the central nervous system (“CNS”), today announced the appointment of Dr. Igor Splawski as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Splawski was previously the Chief Scientific Officer and a member of the Executive Board of CureVac (Nasdaq: CVAC), where he led a team of 150 scientists developing mRNA technology and mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for infectious disease, cancer, and rare indications.
Dr. Splawski brings three decades of experience in leading genetic discovery, as well as research and development of novel disease therapeutics. Igor and his teams have brought over 20 compounds to clinical trials, including 11 currently in phase I – III trials. Prior to serving as Chief Scientific Officer of CureVac, Dr. Splawski spent fifteen years at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR). While serving as the Executive Director and as a site head at the NIBR Biologics Center, he led a team of over 100 scientists that discovered and developed antibody and protein therapeutics. Earlier in his career, Dr. Splawski served as an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, where he identified new genes and mechanisms for cardiac arrhythmias and associated disorders, including cardiomyopathy, muscle disease, deafness, and autism. He has also held positions at Boston Children’s Hospital and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Dr. Splawski has a PhD in Human Genetics from the University of Utah and an MSc in Biotechnology from Sofia University. He is an inventor on 28 patents and author of 23 research publications in Cell, Science, New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Genetics, and PNAS.
“Dr. Splawski is recognized as a leading figure in the development of complex human genetic tests, protein biologics, and RNA therapies, and we are excited to welcome him to Yarrow,” said Peter Fong, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Yarrow Biotechnology and Partner and Chief Development Officer at RTW. “Igor’s deep expertise will be highly valuable to the company as we deliver impactful therapeutics for disorders with unmet need.”
“It is an honor to join the fantastic team at Yarrow and help bring transformative nucleic acid therapies to patients,” said Dr. Splawski. “Yarrow’s science is aiming to address the most urgent CNS diseases, many of which currently have suboptimal treatments and no cures. I am thrilled to help Yarrow realize its vision and help improve the lives of patients in need.”
About Yarrow Biotechnology, Inc.
Yarrow is focused on developing nucleic acid therapeutics for severe, genetically defined diseases, including those of the CNS. Yarrow was founded and incubated by RTW Investments in New York and is rooted in the fund’s longstanding expertise in and commitment to solving genetic diseases.
About RTW Investments, LP
RTW Investments, LP (“RTW”) is a global, full life-cycle investment firm that focuses on identifying transformational and disruptive innovations across the biopharmaceutical and medical technologies sectors. As a leading partner of industry and academia, RTW combines deep scientific expertise with a solution-oriented investment approach to support emerging medical therapies and the companies and/or academics developing them. RTW is headquartered in New York with offices in London and Shanghai.
For further information about RTW, please visit www.RTWfunds.com
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