Scholar Rock, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing innovative treatments for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), cardiometabolic disorders, and other serious diseases where protein growth factors play a fundamental role, announced the appointment of Beth Shafer, Ph.D., to the newly created role of Chief Business Officer. Ms. Shafer brings over 20 years of biopharmaceutical industry leadership and expertise to Scholar Rock, where she will drive the Company’s long-term corporate and business development strategy.
“We are pleased to welcome Beth to the executive team at a transformative time for Scholar Rock,” said Jay Backstrom, M.D., MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer of Scholar Rock. “Beth brings broad corporate strategy and business development experience which will be critical as we build an integrated biopharmaceutical company for the future and advance our pipeline of innovative therapies in high-value areas such as cardiometabolic disorders.”
“With a robust pipeline of highly differentiated growth factor-targeted therapeutics and multiple upcoming milestones across Scholar Rock’s portfolio, it is an exciting time to join Scholar Rock and help shape the company’s corporate strategy and execute development activities,” said Ms. Shafer. “I look forward to working with the team to maximize the reach of Scholar Rock’s potentially transformative therapies and deliver tremendous value to patients and their families.”
Also Read: Alessandra Vignola Named President of Cardiovascular & Metabolic at Worldwide Clinical Trials
Ms. Shafer is a seasoned healthcare executive. She has led and built corporate and business development functions at several companies, and completed seminal transactions in key therapeutic areas, including neuroscience, gastroenterology, and ophthalmology. She joins Scholar Rock from Voyager Therapeutics, where she served as Chief Business Officer from 2023 to 2024. Prior to that, Ms. Shafer served as Vice President and Head of R&D Business Development at Takeda. Previously, she served as Head, Ophthalmology and Disease Area Business Development & Licensing at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. She also served as Director, Business Development & Licensing at Roche.
Ms. Shafer has served as a member of the Board of Directors for Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals and Arcellx Inc. She currently serves as a Venture Partner to Mubadala Capital Ventures. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego, her M.Phil. and M.A. in Cellular and Molecular Biophysics from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and her B.A. from Rutgers University.
SOURCE: Businesswire