Genomics firm Warp Drive Bio has named its co-founder Gregory Verdine as CEO.
He replaces founding CEO Alexis Brosy who is set to become executive chairman of the Cambridge, US-based company.
In addition to this succession, Warp Drive Bio announced that Dr James Nichols will join the company as chief operating officer and Dr Julian Adams will join the board of directors.
The reorganisation is part of Warp Drive Bio’s plans to advance its programmes of genomic technologies to discover natural-source drugs, as part of which it has a £125m partnership with Sanofi.
“Today, this is underscored by the appointment of three proven, renowned and tenacious drug discovery and development experts to our team,” said departing CEO Borisy.
His replacement Dr Verdine helped launch the company in 2012 after an entrepreneurial career that included co-founding several biotech companies, including Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Gloucester Pharmaceuticals, Aileron Therapeutics, Tokai Pharmaceuticals, Ontorii Pharmaceuticals and Eleven Biotherapeutics.
He has also served as a global consultant for Roche, scientific adviser to Vertex and Ariad, and currently sits on the boards of the US National Cancer Institute and the SMA Foundation.
“The research being conducted by the Warp Drive Bio team is one of the most exciting scientific enterprises that I have ever been a part of, and I am thrilled to lead the company as we enter our next phase of growth and progress,” he said.
Dr Nichols joins as chief operating officer from Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals, where he was president and chief operating officer.
Dr Adams is president of R&D at Infinity Pharmaceuticals having served at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, where he had global responsibility for multiple drug discovery programmes, including the successful discovery and development of cancer treatment Velcade (bortezomib).