BOSTON, July 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jnana Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging its next-generation chemoproteomics platform to discover medicines for challenging-to-drug targets, today announced the appointment of George Vratsanos, M.D., F.A.C.R., to chief medical officer and head of research and development. Dr. Vratsanos brings over 20 years of experience in roles spanning translational medicine, late-stage therapeutics development, and medical affairs. He will be responsible for leading the Company’s research and development teams.
“George has built and directed industry-leading translational research teams and successfully driven multiple first-in-class immunology programs through global clinical development and registration,” said Joanne Kotz, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Jnana Therapeutics. “We are delighted to welcome George to the Jnana team and look forward to his strategic leadership as we continue to advance our lead clinical program for PKU and pipeline in immune-mediated diseases and cancers.”
Prior to joining Jnana, Dr. Vratsanos held several senior leadership roles at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Most recently, he served as SVP, Translational Science and Medicine for the immunology therapeutic area, a division he formed to bring transformational new medicines and treatments to patients with immune diseases, including rare diseases. Previously, Dr. Vratsanos served as Executive Global Program Head at Novartis, where he led multiple biologic global submissions for immunology indications, including Cosentyx®. Before that, he led Roche’s early clinical development in autoimmune diseases as Translational Medicine Leader and served as the medical brand lead and global director of immunology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he contributed to the development and global registration of Orencia®.
“I am passionate about bringing transformational therapies to patients in need, and I believe Jnana has the commitment, portfolio, and technology to disrupt the therapeutic status quo across many diseases, including PKU,” said Dr. Vratsanos. “I’m proud to join Jnana, which is at the cusp of breakthrough therapies to reach previously inaccessible targets, made possible by its leadership in chemoproteomics and innovative RAPID platform.”
A rheumatologist by training and Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology, Dr. Vratsanos earned his M.D. from New York University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in investigative rheumatology/immunobiology at Yale University. In addition, he holds a B.S. and an M.S. in biomedical engineering from Columbia University and an M.S. in clinical investigation from Vanderbilt University.
About Jnana Therapeutics
Jnana Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging its next-generation RAPID chemoproteomics platform to discover medicines for highly validated, challenging-to-drug targets to treat diseases with high unmet needs. Jnana is focused on developing first- and best-in-class therapies to treat a wide range of diseases, including rare diseases, immune-mediated diseases, and cancer. Jnana’s wholly owned lead program, JNT-517, which targets an allosteric site on the phenylalanine transporter SLC6A19, is a potential first-in-class oral approach for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic metabolic disease. Located in Boston, Jnana brings together scientific leaders in small molecule drug discovery and development, a highly experienced management team, and the backing of leading life science investors Bain Capital Life Sciences, RA Capital Management, Polaris Partners, Versant Ventures, Avalon Ventures, Pfizer Ventures, and AbbVie Ventures. For more information, please visit www.jnanatx.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
