BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jnana Therapeutics, a biotechnology company targeting the solute carrier (SLC) family of metabolite transporters to treat underserved diseases, today announced the appointment of Caroline Stark Beer as its chief business officer. Ms. Stark Beer joins Jnana after over a decade at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, where she served in a variety of business development roles, most recently in the position of vice president and head of business development.
“Caroline is a deeply experienced executive with an impressive track record of generating strategic partnerships and deals while at Alnylam. We are thrilled to welcome her to our senior leadership team, where her passion for accelerating company growth and driving the development of new therapies will be invaluable in advancing our mission,” said Joanne Kotz, Ph.D., co-founder, chief executive officer and president at Jnana. “With our growing portfolio in inflammatory and neurological diseases, Caroline will be integral to advancing Jnana’s pipeline through both internal efforts and in collaboration with partners.”
As head of business development at Alnylam, Caroline led the company’s full range of business development activities including opportunity identification, diligence and transaction negotiations. These efforts resulted in the formation of multiple significant partnerships and licensing deals including major multi-program collaborations with Sanofi Genzyme and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Alnylam, Caroline served in business development at Amicus Therapeutics and started her career at management consulting firm Bain & Company. Caroline received her MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Economics from Duke University.
“Despite their critical role in human health, the 450 members of the SLC family are almost entirely untapped therapeutically. Notably, the few exceptions include transformative medicines,” said Ms. Stark Beer. “Using RAPID, the company’s proprietary, small-molecule discovery platform for targeted screening in live cells, Jnana is leading the discovery and development of SLC-targeted therapeutics. I look forward to contributing to the company’s development, partnership strategy and advancement of its pipeline to patients in need.”
About Jnana Therapeutics
Jnana Therapeutics is a biotechnology company working to unlock the solute carrier (SLC) family of metabolite transporters as a therapeutic target class. Jnana leverages RAPID, its proprietary, cell-based drug discovery platform, to develop first-in-class therapies for diseases where patients have limited or no treatment options. Headquartered in Boston, Jnana launched in 2017 with $50 million in Series A financing from investors including Polaris Partners, Avalon Ventures, Versant Ventures, AbbVie Ventures and Pfizer R&D Innovate. For more information, please visit www.jnanatx.com and follow us on Twitter and on LinkedIn.
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