AIRNA, a biotech company pioneering RNA editing therapeutics to transform the lives of patients with rare and common conditions, announced the appointment of Jacob Elkins, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Elkins, an accomplished neurologist and biopharmaceutical executive, comes to AIRNA with two decades of leadership experience in translational and clinical drug development.
“Jake’s deep experience in genetic medicine and his successful track record in clinical development will be of great value to AIRNA in the immediate and long term as we work to deliver the promise of RNA editing for patients,” said Kris Elverum, President and Chief Executive Officer of AIRNA. “We are tremendously excited to bring Jake on board as we progress toward a regulatory submission later this year for AIR-001, our lead program for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.”
Dr. Elkins was recently Head of Development Sciences and Chief Medical Officer at Sarepta Therapeutics supporting the development of ELEVIDYS®, the first gene therapy approved for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) as well as its portfolio of RNA-targeted exon-skipping treatments. Prior to joining Sarepta, Dr. Elkins held a range of leadership roles at Biogen, most recently as Vice President of Experimental Neurology Research and Early Development where he led development efforts for several novel RNA therapeutics.
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As CMO, Dr. Elkins will oversee clinical strategy and execution to develop AIR-001 with the goal of achieving a functional cure for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), and to help expand AIRNA’s pipeline into clinical development for both rare and common conditions.
“Patients suffering from AATD have an urgent need of new therapeutic options, and AIR-001’s differentiated chemistry has the potential to be a best-in-class medicine with very strong potency for RNA editing while minimizing off-target effects,” said Dr. Elkins. “I believe we have great potential to advance RNA editing as a breakthrough modality that delivers the precision of genetic medicines with the safety, convenience, and flexibility of more traditional medicines.”
SOURCE: Businesswire