Coave Therapeutics Strengthens Board of Directors

-  Frederic Chereau named Chairman of the Board

-  Seasoned entrepreneur, Dr Claudia Mitchell, appointed Non-executive Director

PARIS, Oct. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Coave Therapeutics ('Coave'), a biotech company leading the transition of genetic medicine from (ultra) rare to prevalent conditions in neurodegenerative diseases, today announces Frederic Chereau as Chairman of the Board and the appointment of Dr Claudia Mitchell, PhD, MBA to the Company's Board of Directors as an independent non-executive director.

"We are excited to welcome Claudia to Coave's Board at such a pivotal time for the Company. Her entrepreneurial skillset and track record of building companies based on platforms harnessing cell and gene therapy will be invaluable as the Company advances its proprietary AAV-Ligand Conjugates platform, ALIGATER, with the goal of delivering enhanced gene therapies for neurodegenerative diseases through the clinic," said Frederic Chereau, Chairman of Coave Therapeutics' Board. "Claudia will be an asset to the Board and I very much look forward to working with her."

Dr Claudia Mitchell added: "I am delighted to be joining Coave's Board during this exciting period of growth for the Company. Coave is in a strong position to drive forward its novel gene therapies derived from its ALIGATER platform, and I look forward to contributing to this journey, as the Company develops a strategy for its pipeline of novel gene therapies for neurodegenerative diseases."

Rodolphe Clerval, Coave's Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are thrilled that Fred will be leading the Board as Chairman and to have someone of Claudia's stature and experience join our Board. Her extensive entrepreneurial and senior leadership experience in cell and gene therapy will be invaluable as we progress the development of our gene therapies. Both the size and composition of the board have been carefully evaluated, comprising seasoned biotech executives that possess essential skills and experience to help execute the Company's long-term strategy. I look forward to working with them to guide Coave's future success." 

Frederic Chereau, MBA

Frederic currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of LogicBio Therapeutics, a clinical stage genetic medicine company pioneering genome editing and gene delivery platforms to address rare and serious diseases. He has more than 25 years of executive leadership and industry experience in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

Prior to LogicBio, Frederic has worked at Genzyme, Pervasis Therapeutics (acquired by Shire), Shire and aTyr Pharma as General Manager, President & CEO, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer respectively. Frederic is also a member of the Board of Directors for Dynacure SAS. Frederic holds a BSc in Physics from Paris University, an MSc in Management from ESC La Rochelle and completed his MBA at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.

Claudia Mitchell, PhD, MBA

Claudia is a scientist and entrepreneur with over 20 years research and industry experience. She was most recently Senior Vice President of Portfolio Strategy at Astellas Pharma in Tokyo, Japan, where since 2019 she was responsible for overseeing the entire Astellas development pipeline, developing portfolio strategy and for maximizing pipeline value. Prior to Astellas, Claudia co-founded Universal Cells, a company that produces engineered stem cell lines to be used in allogeneic cell therapy. She served as CEO of Universal Cells for four years until Astellas acquired the company in 2019 for over $100 million. 

Claudia also co-founded Halo-Bio RNAi Therapeutics, an early-stage company developing a novel platform of RNAi products, where she served as Chief Scientific Officer for two years. Further, Claudia has also worked as a Program Director at the LGMD2I Research Fund, a non-profit foundation and held a tenured academic research position at the French National Institute of Medical Research (INSERM). Claudia is a Board member of Adocia.

Claudia holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Paris and an MBA in International Management from the Ecole des Ponts Business School, Paris, France. She was awarded the 2018 EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in Life Sciences for the Pacific Northwest Region, USA.

The Coave Board of Directors is as follows:

• Frederic Chereau (Chairman)
• Guillaume Blavier, Omnes
• Jean-Frédéric Chibret, Théa Open Innovation
• Olivier Danos
• Claudia Mitchell
• Bruno Montanari, Seroba Life Sciences
• Philippe Monteyne, Fund+
• Willem Broekaert, V-BIO (Observer)
• Thierry Laugel, Kurma Partners (Observer)
• Rodolphe Clerval, Coave Therapeutics

About Coave Therapeutics

At Coave Therapeutics, we are leading the transition of genetic medicine from (ultra) rare to prevalent conditions, with an initial focus on neurodegenerative diseases.

The company's proprietary AAV-Ligand Conjugates platform ('ALIGATER') introduces chemical modifications onto AAV capsids, overcoming the limitations of current vectors on efficacy, safety, and manufacturability. With low doses and optimized routes of administration, our conjugated AAV vectors have demonstrated markedly improved transduction and biodistribution in the central nervous system and the eye across different species.

Our diverse pipeline of novel genetic medicines can potentially transform the lives of people afflicted by rare and prevalent neurodegenerative and ocular diseases – including genetically and non-genetically defined indications.

Headquartered in Paris, France, Coave Therapeutics is backed by leading international life sciences investors. For more information about the science, pipeline, and people, please visit www.coavetx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

CONTACTS

Coave Therapeutics 
Rodolphe Clerval, CEO
contact@coavetx.com

MEDiSTRAVA Consulting
Sylvie Berrebi, Eleanor Perkin, Mark Swallow PhD
coavetx@medistrava.com
Tel: +44 203 928 6900