Disarm Therapeutics Appoints Peter Keller Chief Business Officer
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Disarm Therapeutics, a biotechnology company creating a new class of disease-modifying therapeutics for patients with axonal degeneration, a central driver of neurological disease, today announced that Peter Keller is joining the company as Chief Business Officer on January 1, 2018. Mr. Keller previously was CBO at Selecta Biosciences (NASDAQ: SELB), where he directed the company's product and business strategy leading to a $70 million IPO and a more than $2 billion deal with Spark Therapeutics.
"We are thrilled to welcome Peter to the Disarm Therapeutics leadership team. With more than 15 years of experience in corporate development and strategy, he will be a key contributor as we develop this important new therapeutic approach for patients with neurological diseases of the central, ocular, and peripheral nervous systems," said Jason Rhodes, chairman and acting CEO of Disarm Therapeutics and partner at Atlas Venture.
Disarm's scientific founders identified the role of the SARM1 protein as the central driver of axonal degeneration, which causes disability and disease progression in a broad range of neurological disorders. Based on this discovery, Disarm's goal is to pioneer breakthrough disease-modifying therapeutics for patients with neurological diseases by preventing axonal degeneration, stabilizing disease, and allowing for functional recovery.
"I am extremely enthusiastic about joining Disarm," said Mr. Keller. "Our scientific founders have done exceptional work determining the role of SARM1 as the central driver of axonal degeneration. Disarm is advancing novel, selective, and potent SARM1 inhibitors with a clear translational strategy for human proof of concept. We are committed to creating an entirely new class of disease-modifying therapeutics for patients suffering from a broad range of neurological diseases including multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, glaucoma, and peripheral neuropathies."
Prior to Selecta, Mr. Keller was Vice President, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions and Alliance Management at Solvay Pharmaceuticals, where he negotiated license and acquisition agreements in various therapeutic areas such as vaccines, neurology and cardiology. He was the lead negotiator for the $1.5 billion fenofibrate alliance between Solvay Pharmaceuticals and Abbott Laboratories and was instrumental in the $6.2 billion acquisition of Solvay Pharmaceuticals by Abbott Laboratories. Mr. Keller then led the post-merger integration resulting in the spin-out of what became AbbVie.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Keller was an Associate Principal at McKinsey and Company where he led projects for large pharmaceutical companies focusing on R&D and corporate strategy.
About Disarm
Disarm Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that is creating a new class of disease-modifying therapeutics for patients with axonal degeneration, a central driver of neurological disease causing disability and disease progression. By inhibiting the SARM1 protein, identified by the company's scientific founders as the central driver of axonal degeneration, these therapeutics may prevent the loss of axons in chronic and acute diseases of the central, ocular, and peripheral nervous systems. For a broad range of diseases including multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, glaucoma, and peripheral neuropathies, the therapeutic goal is to prevent further degeneration, stabilize disease, and allow for functional recovery. Disarm was founded by Atlas Venture, Dr. Jeffrey Milbrandt and Dr. Aaron DiAntonio of Washington University in St. Louis, and a team of exceptional scientists and drug developers committed to developing a new treatment paradigm for patients with neurological diseases. For more information, please visit www.disarmtx.com.
Contacts:
Lissette Steele
[email protected]
+1.202.930.4762
SOURCE Disarm Therapeutics
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