Magnet Biomedicine Expands Leadership with Appointment of Nick Vlahakis, M.B.B.S., as Chief Medical Officer

Industry veteran brings more than 15 years of clinical development experience and deep expertise in immune and inflammatory (I&I) diseases

BOSTON, Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Magnet Biomedicine, a leading induced-proximity biotech company advancing rational molecular glue discovery, today announced the appointment of Nick Vlahakis, M.B.B.S., as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Vlahakis will oversee clinical development and medical strategy for the company's pipeline of molecular glue inhibitors.

"Nick's appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Magnet," said Brian Safina, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Magnet Biomedicine. "As we advance our molecular glue inhibitor programs toward the clinic, his strategic leadership will be instrumental in establishing a clear path to human proof-of-concept and reinforcing our position as a pioneer in induced proximity-derived medicines delivering convenient oral alternatives to standard of care biologics for I&I diseases, cancer and beyond."

"Effectively addressing the continuing unmet need in complex I&I diseases demands innovation," said Nick Vlahakis, M.B.B.S., Chief Medical Officer of Magnet Biomedicine. "Magnet has a distinct opportunity to lead the development of impactful medicines with its unique portfolio of molecular glue therapeutics and differentiated TrueGlue™ discovery platform. I'm thrilled to join the Magnet team and look forward to working together to deliver novel oral medicines for patients living with chronic diseases."

Dr. Vlahakis brings deep cross-functional expertise in strategic drug development, regulatory strategy and clinical study execution from preclinical to Phase 3 trials – spanning rare disease, immunology, and oncology programs. Previously, he served as Chief Medical Officer at CohBar, Inc., where he led translational and clinical development for mitochondrial peptide-based therapeutics. Prior to CohBar, Dr. Vlahakis was Head of Clinical Development at Global Blood Therapeutics, where he contributed to the approval of voxelotor (Oxbryta) for sickle cell disease, and served as a Medical Director in early and late-stage development at Genentech. Before joining the biopharmaceutical industry, he held the position of Associate Professor of Medicine and Clinician Scientist at the Mayo Clinic in the Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care. Dr. Vlahakis completed his post-doctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco.

About Magnet's TrueGlue™ Discovery Platform
Magnet's TrueGlue™ discovery platform utilizes state-of-the-art screening technologies, proprietary chemical libraries, and strategic selection of target and presenter proteins to rationally and systematically identify molecular glue inhibitors (MGIs). These small molecules induce cooperative protein-protein interactions to engage novel biology, unlock access to historically difficult-to-drug proteins, improve target and tissue specificity, and offer the convenience of oral delivery.

About Magnet Biomedicine
Magnet Biomedicine is a biotechnology company pioneering the systematic design and development of precision-engineered induced proximity therapeutics. The company's TrueGlue™ discovery platform and deep expertise fuel its pipeline of novel molecular glue inhibitors (MGIs) addressing challenging targets in immunology and oncology. Magnet is rapidly progressing multiple programs toward the clinic to deliver transformative treatments for patients with urgent unmet needs. For more information, visit magnetbio.com or follow us on LinkedIn and X, formerly known as Twitter.

Media Contact:
Peg Rusconi, Deerfield Group
[email protected] 

SOURCE Magnet Biomedicine