Astrosalva Therapeutics Adds Michael MacLean, Former CFO of Novartis-Acquired Avidity Biosciences, to Strategic Advisory Board

Former Akcea and Avidity finance chief brings decades of rare disease and life sciences leadership to Astrosalva's work in Alexander disease and cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy

SAN MATEO, Calif., Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Astrosalva Therapeutics, Inc. ("Astrosalva") today announced that Michael MacLean, former chief financial officer of Avidity Biosciences, has joined its Strategic Advisory Board, advising co-founders Thomas Wagner and Paul Schmidt on corporate and capital strategy and financial planning. Astrosalva Therapeutics is a privately held, preclinical biotechnology company developing treatments for Alexander disease (AxD) and cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (cALD).

Families, clinicians, researchers and patient advocacy organizations can write to [email protected], sign up for updates at astrosalva.com or follow Astrosalva on LinkedIn.

"Mike has been my mentor since our days at Akcea Therapeutics, and he knows how to connect financial decisions to what a development program needs next," said Paul Schmidt, co-founder and CEO of Astrosalva. "Families waiting for treatments for AxD and cALD deserve a company that asks the right scientific questions and invests carefully to answer them. Mike will help us build that discipline into Astrosalva from the start."

"What drew me to Astrosalva is that Thomas and Paul are genuinely focused on what families affected by AxD and cALD face today," said Michael MacLean. "Akcea and Avidity taught me that rare disease development requires an informed set of assumptions, especially before the clinic. Early development, and ultimately the chance of better outcomes for patients, depends on clear priorities, starting with truly understanding their unmet needs and finding the clearest path to treatment options."

MacLean is a biopharmaceutical executive whose decades in life sciences span corporate strategy, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and business development. Most recently, as chief financial officer of Avidity Biosciences, a developer of therapies for rare neuromuscular diseases, he took the company public in its 2020 initial public offering, scaled it for development, prepared it for commercialization and oversaw its acquisition by Novartis for approximately $12 billion in 2026. Before Avidity, he was chief financial officer of Akcea Therapeutics, a company focused on rare diseases. He serves on the boards of several early-stage biotechnology companies.

Astrosalva's programs are preclinical, and the company does not currently have a clinical trial or expanded-access program open for participation.

About Astrosalva Therapeutics

Astrosalva Therapeutics is a privately held, preclinical biotechnology company developing treatments for Alexander disease (AxD) and cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (cALD). Astrosalva was co-founded by Thomas Wagner and Paul Schmidt. Unravel Biosciences, a clinical-stage therapeutics company, is its founding development partner. The company is based in San Mateo, California. Learn more at astrosalva.com.

Media contact

Astrosalva Therapeutics: [email protected]

SOURCE Astrosalva Therapeutics, Inc.