Bridge Medicines Appoints Louis M. Renzetti, Ph.D., As Chief Scientific Officer

NEW YORK, April 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridge Medicines, a pioneering drug discovery company focused on advancing promising early technologies from concept to clinic, announced today the appointment of Louis M. Renzetti, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).

Bridge Medicines, launched by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine, in partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., Deerfield Management and Bay City Capital, is a groundbreaking initiative that extends the work of the independent, non-profit Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute (Tri-I TDI). Tri-I TDI, also a collaborative venture of the three academic institutions, in partnership with Takeda, is working on approximately 50 early-stage drug discovery projects spanning therapeutic areas that include infectious disease, oncology, neuropsychiatry and rare diseases. As CSO of Bridge Medicines, Dr. Renzetti will be responsible for scientific oversight for R&D programs within Bridge Medicines, building a portfolio of early-stage drug discovery projects and positioning these programs for entry into the clinic. 

"We are thrilled to bring such a talented drug discovery expert as Louis into the role of CSO at Bridge Medicines," said William Polvino, CEO of Bridge Medicines. "Louis is a rigorously trained scientist and an experienced drug developer. His skills in identifying promising scientific targets and driving toward successful clinical products will be a great asset to the mission of Bridge Medicines, the Tri-I TDI, and the three institutions."

Dr. Renzetti said, "Bridge Medicines is a unique opportunity to transform the breakthrough research done at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medicine, and the Tri-I TDI into valuable medicines for patients. I am excited to join Bill and the team and look forward to working with the highly talented investigators within the Tri-Institutional community."

Dr. Renzetti has more than 25 years of experience in biopharma, encompassing all aspects of drug discovery and early development. Most recently, he served as Chief Research and Early Development Officer for Gotham Therapeutics, a New York-based start-up. Prior to Gotham, Dr. Renzetti served as SVP of Drug Discovery and Early Development at X-Rx, Inc., where he led the company's efforts to develop small molecule inhibitors of autotaxin to treat fibrotic diseases, a program subsequently partnered with Gilead. Dr. Renzetti spent much of his drug discovery career at Roche. He was the champion and leader of the RNA Therapeutics division and collaboration with Alnylam. He served as the Disease Biology Area Head for Inflammation, was VP of Respiratory and Inflammation, and head of Discovery Pharmacology. Dr. Renzetti has advanced numerous programs to clinical candidacy and into the clinic. He earned his doctorate in Physiology from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Renzetti completed his post-doctoral training in Pharmacology at ICI Pharmaceuticals. He has authored more than 30 publications.

About Bridge Medicines

Bridge Medicines is a pioneering drug-discovery company focused on advancing promising early technologies in major academic institutions from human proof-of-concept to clinical development. Launched by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medicine and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., in partnership with Deerfield Management and Bay City Capital, Bridge Medicines is a groundbreaking initiative that provides an unbroken, fully funded and professionally staffed path from discovery to drug candidate.

Contacts:
Karen Heidelberger
Deerfield Management
[email protected]
(212) 551-1600

Carl S. Goldfischer, MD
Bay City Capital, LLC
[email protected]
(415) 835-9385

SOURCE Bridge Medicines