We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and delivering innovative therapies to treat patients with liver and cardiometabolic diseases. We are driven to help change the dynamic for patients, and through our experience, know that science is key to breaking this cycle of suboptimal treatments.
Our lead candidate, pegozafermin, is an investigational glycopegylated FGF21 analog currently being evaluated for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and severe hypertriglyceridemia (SHTG). We believe that targeting FGF21, a metabolic hormone that regulates energy expenditure and glucose and lipid metabolism, may be a promising option for people with liver and cardiometabolic diseases, such as MASH and SHTG.
Our leadership team is built to tackle the many nuanced and multi-faceted needs of patients with liver and cardiometabolic diseases. We are well equipped to design and execute clinical development programs, and having created and led fully commercialized companies, we have the expertise to bring this potential new therapy to patients efficiently.
Rohan Palekar is a seasoned C-suite executive with over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Most recently, Rohan was the president and CEO of Avanir Pharmaceuticals (2015-2017) after serving as its EVP-Chief Operations Officer (2015). Rohan joined Avanir in 2012 as SVP-Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and as part of the senior leadership team led the organization through a dynamic growth phase. Avanir was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals in 2015. Prior to Avanir, Rohan served as the CCO of Medivation (2008-2011), where he oversaw commercial, medical affairs, CMC & manufacturing, and public relations. Earlier in his career, Rohan spent 16 years at Johnson & Johnson in various senior commercial and strategic management roles, including worldwide VP of immunology and VP of sales and marketing at Centocor.
Rohan holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College and a BA/BS in law and accounting from the University of Bombay.
Dr. Hank Mansbach is chief medical officer of 89bio. Dr. Mansbach has more than 20 years of clinical, regulatory, and medical affairs experience working across all stages of product development in a wide range of disease states. Most recently, Dr. Mansbach was head of metabolic and neurology global clinical development at Ultragenyx. There, he led clinical development for several programs on rare inborn errors of metabolism. Before Ultragenyx, Dr. Mansbach served as VP of medical affairs at Medivation, where he played a key role in the development and commercialization of enzalutamide for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Earlier in his career, Dr. Mansbach served as SVP of global drug development at Valeant Pharmaceuticals and chief medical officer at Cortex Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Mansbach began his industry career at Glaxo Wellcome after clinical practice and research in neurology. He earned a medical degree from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.
Quoc Le-Nguyen is the chief technical operations officer and head of quality of 89bio. He has over 25 years of experience in biopharmaceutical operations from large pharma and small startup and has the rare experience of both starting a manufacturing operation and closing a manufacturing plant. Quoc is a seasoned executive with extensive knowledge in technical operations and product supply, including building out facilities, organization, and systems as well as advancing programs through various stages of clinical development to licensure. His most recent position was SVP, global head of technical operations & quality for Aduro BioTech, where he was responsible for clinical supply including analytical/process development, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality for all three platforms: Cell Therapy, Small Molecule, and Antibody. Prior to that, Quoc was the VP of manufacturing operations for Bayer Healthcare, responsible for the Betaferon/Betaseron franchise. Quoc also played a critical role in the startup of BioMarin, in the development and approval of their first product, Adurazyme, in 2001.
Quoc holds a BS in biochemistry from the University of California at Davis.
Ryan Martins is chief financial officer (CFO) of 89bio. He brings almost 20 years of biotech experience to the company, including having completed strategic financings and acquisitions with an aggregate transaction value in excess of $1 billion. Ryan was most recently CFO at privately held Revolution Medicines, prior to which he was vice president, head of corporate strategy and investor relations at Ultragenyx. Prior to Ultragenyx, Ryan spent nearly 10 years as a biotechnology analyst at Jefferies, Lazard, and Barclays/Lehman Brothers, where he conducted in-depth analysis of profitable, public, and private biotech companies. Ryan began his career at Chiron Corp., where he held operating roles in commercial, business development, and legal until its acquisition by Novartis for approximately $5 billion.
Ryan earned his BS in Life Sciences from St. Xavier’s College, an MS degree in Biology from Virginia Tech, and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley.
Dr. Teresa Perney brings over 20 years of relevant experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, she was Chief Regulatory and Quality Officer at EQRx prior to its acquisition by Revolution Medicines. Prior to that position, Dr. Perney served as Senior Vice President of Regulatory and Quality at Myovant Sciences, Vice President of Global Development for Oncology at Pfizer, Inc., and Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Medivation. She also held Regulatory & Product Development positions at Hoffman LaRoche/Genentech and the Schering Plough Research Institute. Dr. Perney received her B.A. from Northwestern University and her Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the University of Chicago.
Francis Sarena is a seasoned C-suite biotech executive with 25 years of experience. Before joining 89bio, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer at Apexigen, Inc., where he played a key role in the company's acquisition by Pyxis Oncology, Inc. Prior to that, Francis held leadership positions at Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc., serving as Chief Strategy Officer and contributing to the company's evolution from a research-focused private entity to a public development-stage company, culminating in its acquisition by Amgen, Inc. in 2021. He also held significant roles at Facet Biotech Corporation and PDL BioPharma, Inc., where he navigated complex M&A and corporate governance matters. Francis began his career in law, representing a diverse array of clients in M&A, financing transactions, and corporate governance. He holds a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BS in finance from San Francisco State University.
Melissa Abel is SVP, Commercial Strategy at 89bio with responsibility for commercial, medical affairs and corporate communications. She has more than 25 years of broad commercial experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. From 2016-2020, she worked as VP, Commercial Strategy at Concentric Analgesics and Five Prime Therapeutics, both companies in the pre-commercialization phase. Prior to that, she led the launch and commercialization of XTANDI® (enzalutamide), one of the most successful prostate cancer medicines ever developed, for Medivation (2009-2014). Prior to Medivation, she worked at a several pre-commercial and commercial companies including Anesiva, Telik, Alza and Chiron. She began her career in Sales and Marketing at SmithKline Beecham (1995-1999).
Melissa holds an MBA from Emory University Goizueta Business School and a BA in statistics from the University of Chicago.
Michael Baldwin is Vice President, Head of Quality at 89bio. Michael has more than 25 years of experience in biotechnology including Quality Assurance (in-house and CMO/CDMO manufactured products), Global Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Operations, Tech Transfer, Manufacturing, product launch, medical devices, and establishment of quality systems. Prior to joining our company, Michael was the Director of Quality Assurance at Bayer Healthcare responsible for all aspects of quality assurance for Bayer’s Hematology products manufacturing from 2016 to 2019. He served as Bayer’s Head of Contract Manufacturing Biotech QA in Berlin from 2014 to 2016, responsible for oversight of contracted biotech products and establishment of quality teams in Berlin and Basel. He has held multiple quality roles at Bayer, Novartis and Chiron in addition to managing manufacturing and facility startup operations earlier in his career.
Michael earned his B.S. in Biology from the University of California, Davis.
Annie Chang is the Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at 89bio. With a decade in the life science industry, Annie's experience spans various roles within investor relations and capital markets. Before 89bio, she was the Vice President of Investor Relations at Sutro Biopharma and has collaborated with multiple life science companies as a Vice President of Investment Relations at Solebury Trout, an investor relations and communications agency. Annie was also the Director of Research focused on investing in companies within the biotechnology industry at a family office. Her career started in Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan, where she covered a large-cap biotechnology company and as well as companies in other industries. Additionally, Annie has experience in corporate development and M&A in the technology industry.
She holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from New York University's Stern School of Business.
Shaji Joseph is Vice President, CMC at 89bio. Shaji has more than 25 years of experience in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and technical operations managing in-house and CMO/CDMO manufactured products. His experience covers site management, clinical and commercial supply chain operations, CMC, formulation and drug device development, manufacturing of synthetic molecules and peptides, CMO contracting and technology transfers. Prior to joining our company, Shaji served as the Site Head, Manufacturing Operations at Revance Therapeutics, responsible for all aspects of drug substance, novel synthetic peptide, drug product manufacturing, clinical supply chain and warehouse management. He was a key member of CMC supporting BLA activities. Prior to that, he served as the Plant Manager (Site Head) at Solstice Neurosciences, managing site operations for the manufacture and supply of their commercial injectable product distributed in the US, EU and Japan. Earlier in his career, he worked at Allergan and Regeneron in progressive roles in Technical Support and both clinical and commercial product manufacturing.
Shaji has a Master of Technology degree in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India.
Amanda joined 89bio in 2021 as Vice President, People & Culture. Prior to that, she served in various roles of increasing responsibility including Vice President, Human Resources at Catalyst Biosciences. At Catalyst, she was the de facto chief of staff to the CEO, responsible for strategic alignment with the business, leadership & organizational development, DE&I, culture & values and employee experience. Amanda's career began in the biotechnology industry at Exelixis in 1999 where she saw the Company through its start-up phase, initial public offering and exponential growth. She is uniquely skilled at building mindful, inclusive company cultures that attract, optimize and retain top talent.
Amanda holds Bachelors of Arts degrees in Psychology and Ethnic Studies from Mills College and serves as a Global Advisor for How Women Lead's Women Leaders for the World.
Shiva Natarajan is SVP Finance & Principal Accounting Officer. Shiva has over 25 years of extensive accounting and financial management experience in both public and private companies. Most recently he served as CFO of SiFive, Inc., from 2017 to 2019. Before SiFive, between 2015 and 2017, he was vice president finance at A10 Networks. Prior to A10 Networks, Shiva was vice president and chief accounting officer at Fluidigm Corporation and held several roles at Applied Micro Corporation, including vice president, chief accounting officer and interim chief financial officer. Earlier in his career he held positions of increasing responsibility at various high technology companies and worked as senior manager at Ernst & Young LLP in their Assurance and Business Advisory practice.
Shiva is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Calcutta.
Paul Shin is Senior Vice President, Head of R&D Operations at 89bio and is responsible for Clinical Operations, Program Management, Medical Writing and Regulatory Affairs. Paul has 25+ years of experience in positions of increasing responsibility at biopharmaceutical companies and CROs including leadership roles in clinical research & operations, program management, biometrics, medical writing and other functional areas within R&D. Prior to joining 89bio, Paul served as Vice President, Global Clinical Operations at Intercept Pharmaceuticals from December 2018 to August 2020, where he was responsible for management and execution of all clinical programs globally. Before Intercept, Paul was Sr. Vice President, Global R&D Operations at Nestle Health Sciences from 2016 to 2018, and prior to that, he served as Vice President, R&D Operations at Avanir Pharmaceuticals from 2011 to 2016. Prior to Avanir Pharmaceuticals from 2005 to 2011, Paul held leadership roles within R&D at Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals and Prometheus Therapeutics. He has a broad background in drug development with strong organizational leadership experience in building and managing high performing, global R&D teams as well as broad therapeutic experience in CNS, Endocrinology, Cardiovascular, GI, Liver and Oncology.
Paul earned his B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, Riverside and completed a post-graduate program in Neurosciences at University of California, Irvine.
Wenyan joined 89bio in 2023 as Vice President, Clinical Development and is responsible for the NASH clinical development program. Wenyan has 25 years of experience in drug discovery and development in large pharma and small biotech. Most recently she served as the Vice President, Global Team Leader of the SerpinPC hemophilia program at Centessa, where she led the IND submission to End of Phase 2, clinical development and global regulatory strategy. Prior to Centessa, Wenyan spent 8 years at Novartis in roles of increasing responsibility. She was the scientific lead for the iptacopan program, including design of the phase 2 and 3 studies for the leading indication IgA nephropathy, design of a phase 2 study for resistant hypertension with a selective neprilysin inhibitor, and design and execution of the global outcome PARAGON-HF study of Sacubitril/Valsartan (Entresto®) for heart failure with preserved ejection. She also supported global approvals for Entresto after successful completion of the phase 3 PARADIGM-HF study. Prior to Novartis she spent 6 years in global clinical development at Merck including work on the ezetimibe lipid program and the vorapaxar anti-thrombotic program for prevention of cardiovascular events. She started her industry career at Schering-Plough as a Senior Scientist in the Structural Chemistry Department.
Wenyan holds a master’s degree in biochemistry from Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China and she received her PhD from Iowa State University in biochemistry.
Dr. Altschuler is the managing director of Healthcare Ventures at Ziff Capital Partners, where he co-leads the firm’s efforts towards investing in and facilitating the startup and development of companies with potentially transformative technologies that emphasize cellular and molecular approaches to human disease. Dr. Altschuler developed this expertise while cofounding Spark Therapeutics to develop and commercialize the preclinical and clinical gene therapy programs advanced at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and other institutions. Dr. Altschuler served as Spark’s board chair from its founding through its acquisition by Roche in 2019. His tenure included leading the company through a successful transition to a public company and the launch of an approved commercial product. This was the first gene therapy for an inherited disease approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency.
Dr. Altschuler is the former executive vice president for Health Affairs at the University of Miami and CEO of UHealth – the University of Miami Health System. He also served as CEO for CHOP from 2000 to 2015.
Dr. Altschuler completed a pediatric internship and residency at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston and completed a fellowship in gastroenterology and nutrition at CHOP. He also served as a faculty member and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania prior to becoming CEO of CHOP.
Dr. Altschuler is a member of the board of directors of WW (formally Weight Watchers International), Orchard Therapeutics, AsclepiX Therapeutics, ImVaX inc. and Platelet Biogenesis. He is also an independent trustee of the Brigham and Women’s Physician Organization at Mass General Brigham.
Dr. Altschuler holds a BA in mathematics and an MD from Case Western Reserve University.
Dr. Atkinson is Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Operations Officer, Head of Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Manufacturing Operations of Vertex Pharmaceuticals with over 20 years of experience in biopharmaceutical development, launch, manufacturing and supply chain. Prior to his role at Vertex, Dr. Atkinson served in a number of roles at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), including most recently as Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations, where he helped lead the manufacturing and cell therapy integration team for BMS’s $74 billion merger with Celgene. Prior to BMS, he served as Chief Scientific Officer at Cook Pharmica (now Catalent) and Head of Biologics Development & Manufacturing Sciences at Eli Lilly, where he specialized in biologics, manufacturing and development. Throughout his career, he has participated in the development, commercialization and manufacturing of multiple commercial products at Eli Lilly, BMS and Vertex. He has also been instrumental in spearheading the building and qualification of R&D and commercial manufacturing facilities across the United States and Europe.
Dr. Atkinson holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University in Biological Sciences and a B.S. from Indiana University in Biology.
Mr. Babler brings over 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotech experience. Prior to his role at Alumis Therapeutics, he served as President and CEO of Principia Biopharma, until its acquisition by Sanofi S.A. in September 2020. Prior to Principia Biopharma, Mr. Babler served as President and CEO of Talima Therapeutics from 2007 to 2011. From 1998 to 2007, he held several positions at Genentech, most notably as Vice President, Immunology Sales and Marketing. While at Genentech, he also helped to build and lead the Commercial Development organization and led the Cardiovascular Marketing organization. Mr. Babler previously served at Eli Lilly and Company in positions focused on sales, sales management, global marketing, and business development. Mr. Babler currently serves on the Board of Directors of Prelude Therapeutics Inc., Sardona Therapeutics and the Emerging Companies Section Governing Board of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, and previously served on the Board of Directors of Neoleukin Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Babler received a Swiss Federal Diploma in Pharmacy from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and completed the Executive Development Program at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Derek DiRocco is a partner on the Investment Team at RA Capital Management, LLC, a multi-stage investment manager dedicated to evidence-based investing in healthcare and life sciences, including companies developing novel drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics. Derek works on both public and private investments and serves as a board director for 89bio, Inc. Previously, Derek covered solid tumor oncology landscapes. Derek holds a BA in Biology from Holy Cross College and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Washington. He conducted his postdoctoral research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, where he researched the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in mouse models of kidney disease and was part of a team that discovered a stem cell subtype responsible for solid organ fibrosis.
Dr. Hayden was the president of global R&D and CSO at Teva from 2012 until the end of 2017. During this time, approximately 35 new products were approved in major markets, with many for diseases of the CNS such as migraine. He led the development of the first deuterated drug to be approved by the FDA and the second drug ever to be approved for Huntington disease (HD).
In 2015, Teva R&D was recognized as one of the 10 most exciting innovators in Pharma by IDEA Pharma, and in 2017 ranked top of the industry for CNS development and clinical trial success rate by Pharma Intelligence.
Dr. Hayden was recently named one of the 50 Canadians born in the 20th century who have changed the world. Dr. Hayden is the co-founder of six biotechnology companies and currently sits on different private and public boards in the biotech industry.
Author of over 860 peer-reviewed publications and invited submissions, Dr. Hayden has focused his research primarily on translational medicine, including genetics of diabetes, lipoprotein disorders, HD, and predictive and personalized medicine. Dr. Hayden and his research group have identified 10 disease-causing genes, which includes the identification of the major gene underlying high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in humans. Dr. Hayden also identified the first mutations underlying Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL) Deficiency and developed gene therapy approaches to treat this condition, the first approved gene therapy in the western world. Dr. Hayden is the most cited author in the world for ABCA1 and HD.
He is also a Killam professor at the University of British Columbia and the director of the Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine at the National University of Singapore and Astar.
Dr. Hayden is the recipient of numerous prestigious honors and awards. He was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2017. He was named one of PharmaVoice’s “100 of the Most Inspiring People” (2015). He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Gottingen (2014); the Luminary Award by the Personalized Medicine World Conference (2014); the Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), on behalf of HRH Queen Elisabeth II, in recognition of his significant contributions and achievements; the Margolese National Brain Disorder Prize (2011), awarded to Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration, or cure of brain diseases; the Killam Prize by the Canada Council of the Arts (2011), in recognition of his outstanding career achievements; and the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award (2011), recognizing him as a physician-scientist who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in medicine and medical science. Dr. Hayden has also been awarded the Order of Canada (2011) and the Order of British Columbia (2010). He was named Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (NIH of Canada) in 2008, and he received the Prix Galien in 2007, which recognizes the outstanding contribution of a researcher to Canadian pharmaceutical research.
Dr. Hayden is committed to empowering others. In addition to mentoring over 100 graduate students and postdocs, he is also a TED mentor.
Kathy LaPorte brings over 30 years of experience in executive leadership and venture investing within the biotech industry. Ms. LaPorte previously served as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Nodality Inc. Ms. LaPorte was a Founding Partner of New Leaf Venture Partners, which was a spin-out from the Sprout Group, where she served as a General Partner. She has extensive Board experience and currently serves on the Boards of Bolt Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ: BOLT), Precipio Inc. (NASDAQ: PRPO), and Phoenix Biotech Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: PBAXU). Additionally, Ms. LaPorte has served on multiple public boards including Onyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ONXX), Affymax (NASDAQ: AFFY), and ISTA Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ISTA). Ms. LaPorte received her MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and her B.S. in Biology from Yale University.
Dr. Charles A. McWherter, PhD, most recently served as Chief Scientific Officer at CymaBay Therapeutics, Inc. since 2013 and served as its President of Research and Development since November 2022 until its acquisition by Gilead Sciences in March 2024. Dr. McWherter served as Senior Vice President of Research and Preclinical Development at CymaBay Therapeutics from August 2007 to November 2013. From 2003 to 2007, Dr. McWherter served as Vice President and Head of Pfizer, Inc.'s cardiovascular research unit in St. Louis during which his organization built a portfolio of clinical candidates for hypertension, renal disease, and thrombosis. Prior to Pfizer, Inc. he served as Vice President of Drug Discovery at Sugen Inc., where he developed and implemented a strategic plan integrating structure-based drug design with advanced compound screening. Before joining Sugen, Dr. McWherter worked at Pharmacia Corp. and its predecessor companies, G.D. Searle & Co. and Monsanto Co., for almost two decades, rising to the position of Director for oncology research. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Greater St. Louis Division of the American Heart Association. Dr. McWherter has published more than 45 scientific articles and holds many U.S. patents. He previously served as an adjunct assistant professor of molecular biology and pharmacology at the Washington University School of Medicine.
Rohan Palekar is a seasoned C-suite executive with over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Most recently, Rohan was the president and CEO of Avanir Pharmaceuticals (2015-2017) after serving as its EVP-Chief Operations Officer (2015). Rohan joined Avanir in 2012 as SVP-Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and as part of the senior leadership team led the organization through a dynamic growth phase. Avanir was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals in 2015. Prior to Avanir, Rohan served as the CCO of Medivation (2008-2011) where he oversaw commercial, medical affairs, CMC & manufacturing, and public relations. Earlier in his career, Rohan spent 16 years at Johnson & Johnson in various senior commercial and strategic management roles, including worldwide VP of immunology and VP of sales and marketing at Centocor.
Rohan holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College and a BA/BS in law and accounting from the University of Bombay.
Ms. Zoth has served as a member of our Board of Directors since August 2020. Ms. Zoth is a Certified Public Accountant and has served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller for various publicly traded companies, including MedImmune, Inc. and PSINet, Inc., and as a financial executive in various roles and Sodexho Maririott, Marriott International, Pesi-Cola International and PepsiCo. Ms. Zoth began her career as an auditor with Ernst & Young. Ms. Zoth currently serves on the boards of Zymeworks, Inc., (Chairman, Board member and Audit Committee Chair), Lumos Pharma, Inc. (Board Member and Audit Committee Chair, Compensation Committee Member) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Board Member, Audit Committee Member and Compensation Committee Member and Audit Committee Chair). Previously, Ms. Zoth served on the boards of six other biopharmaceutical companies (Aeras, Circassia Pharmaceuticals, plc., Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc., Ikaria, Inc., Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., and Spark Therapeutics. Inc.). Ms. Zoth received a BBA in accounting, summa cum laude, from Texas Tech University.
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