Press Release
Draupnir Bio establishes Scientific Advisory Board of European experts in cholesterol metabolism and cardiovascular disease
Copenhagen, Denmark, 23 September 2021 – Draupnir Bio (“Draupnir”), a biotechnology company developing small molecule modulators of PCSK9 to transform the treatment of heart disease, today announces the establishment of its scientific advisory board (SAB) comprising global leaders in carbohydrate chemistry, the regulation and genetics of cholesterol metabolism, and in drug development for the treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The newly formed SAB will advise Draupnir on its current and future research and development strategy as the Company builds its preclinical pipeline and advances the development of novel therapeutics for CVD. Draupnir is pursuing the development of small molecule therapeutics to transform the treatment of heart disease, based on proprietary structural insights and the biology of Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9), a protein that enables a key step in the control of blood low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) levels.
CVD and coronary artery disease (CAD) remain the leading causes of deaths globally. While statins have proven to be a highly effective standard of care for CVD and CAD for decades, and the more recently available injectable anti-PCSK9 therapeutic mAbs and PCSK9 siRNA provide additional treatment options, there remains a need for easily accessible, orally available therapeutics for LDLC lowering in broad patient segments.
The SAB will comprise the following members:
Anne Tybjærg Hansen, MD, is Professor of Clinical Biochemistry with a focus on translational molecular cardiology at the University of Copenhagen and is Chief Physician in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Rigshospitalet, Denmark. She is a member of the steering committees of the Copenhagen City Heart Study and the Copenhagen General Population Study. Prof. Tybjærg-Hansen’s research has focused on the genetics and genomics of CVD and related diseases in large prospective studies of the general population. Recent focus areas include Mendelian randomisation, polygenic risk scores for dyslipidaemia and CAD, and amyloidosis and amyloidosis-related heart disease and other diseases.
Jay Horton, MD, is Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Genetics, and Director of the Center for Human Nutrition, UT Southwestern, Dallas, Texas, US, and holds the Distinguished Chair in Human Nutrition, the Scott Grundy Director’s Chair, and the Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Chair in Obesity and Diabetes Research. He serves as a consulting editor for Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology and as an associate editor of The Journal of Lipid Research. Dr. Horton’s research has delineated the function of PCSK9 and is currently focussed on clinical digestive diseases and fat metabolism.
John Kastelein, MD PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the Department of Vascular Medicine at the Academic Medical Center (AMC) of the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, and principal investigator and advisor to many studies trialling new anti-dyslipidemia compounds. He is member of several national and international medicine, atherosclerosis and cardiology societies aiming to study, prevent and treat CVD, and is CEO of the Vascular Research Network, comprising over 50 hospitals in the Netherlands. His research focuses on the etiology, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia.
Peter Seeberger, PhD, is Director at the Max-Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany, and Professor at the Free University of Berlin. In addition, he serves as honorary Professor at the University of Potsdam and is Vice President of the German Research Foundation (DFG), the main funding body in Germany. Prof Seeberger is a leading authority in the field of carbohydrate chemistry. Research from his laboratory has contributed to the founding of nine start-up companies in the US, Switzerland, Denmark and Germany.
Commenting on the establishment of the SAB, Simon Glerup, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Draupnir Bio, said: “Having attracted such a high calibre scientific advisory board is reflective of both the quality of our science and the importance of our mission. Each of these advisors brings unique expertise from the top of their field and they all share in our ambition to transform the treatment of heart disease. Their specialist knowledge will be invaluable as we advance our science and build Draupnir’s pipeline.”
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For more information, please contact:
Draupnir Bio
Andrew Hotchkiss, Chief Executive Officer
info@draupnir.bio
Consilium Strategic Communications
David Daley, Genevieve Wilson
Phone: +44 (0)20 3709 5700
Email: draupnirbio@consilium-comms.com
Notes to editors
About Draupnir Bio
Draupnir Bio is a Danish biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics to transform the treatment of heart disease, based on proprietary structural insights and the biology of Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9), a protein that enables a key step in the control of plasma low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) levels. The company was founded in 2017 as a spin-out from Aarhus University, Denmark, and the Max-Planck Institute, Germany. Backed by a syndicate of leading European investors, in 2019 Draupnir Bio completed a Series A funding round, raising €30 million Euros with participation from Gilde Healthcare Partners, Inkef Capital, Novo Seeds and High-Tech Gründerfonds. The Company is headquartered in Copenhagen, with research operations centered in Aarhus, Denmark.
For more, visit our website at draupnir.bio and follow us on LinkedIn.
