CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RaNA Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of a new class of medicines that target RNA, today announced the appointment of Thomas McCauley, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. McCauley brings to RaNA Therapeutics more than 16 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, most recently serving as Vice President and Global Head of Nonclinical Development at Shire Pharmaceuticals, where he led teams in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for rare diseases.
“Tom is joining RaNA at a pivotal and exciting time. We’ve spent the last 18 months strengthening our leadership team to ensure we have the in-house expertise needed to continue to advance our RNA therapeutics platform and transition programs into the clinic,” said Ron Renaud, Chief Executive Officer of RaNA Therapeutics. “Tom’s scientific leadership and demonstrated expertise in preclinical discovery, as well as translational and clinical development of small molecule and biologic drugs for rare diseases will be critical as we pioneer unparalleled innovation around selective gene upregulation.”
Over his career, Dr. McCauley has led discovery and development programs in a wide range of therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular, hematology, oncology, inflammation and ophthalmology. As Global Head of Nonclinical Development at Shire, he was responsible for leadership of the Global Nonclinical Development and Clinical Bioanalytical and Biomarker Development departments. In this role, he drove and supported development of all Shire portfolio programs, across all therapeutic areas and phases of development, including key contributions to the development, approval and commercialization of several therapies for patients with rare genetic conditions.
Prior to joining Shire, Tom was Head of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics at Inotek Pharmaceuticals Corp, and was a founding scientist and Group Leader for Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics at Archemix Corp. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Cornell University, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Additional Key Organizational Hires
In addition to appointing Dr. McCauley as CSO, RaNA Therapeutics has made several key organizational hires, including the following:
- Bal Bhat, Ph.D., Vice President of Chemistry (formerly Head of Chemistry, Regulus Therapeutics)
- Brian Fenton, Vice President of Corporate Development (formerly Head of Business Development - Neuroscience, Shire Pharmaceuticals)
- Paula Cloghessy, Vice President of Human Resources (formerly Vice President of Human Resources, Joule Unlimited Technologies)
- Paul Burgess, General Counsel (formerly legal counsel at Civitas Therapeutics).
Nelson Chau, Ph.D., formerly RaNA’s Senior Director of Drug Discovery, was also promoted to Vice President of Drug Discovery.
“I’m delighted to join RaNa’s impressive and dynamic team as we begin to build a pipeline of innovative new medicines to treat a broad range of previously inaccessible disease targets,” said Dr. McCauley. “These key strategic hires complete our leadership team and will enable us to translate our science from the laboratory to the clinic as we continue to explore and harness the tremendous potential of our technology to precisely and safely modulate gene expression.”
About RaNA Therapeutics
RaNA Therapeutics is a leading biotechnology company committed to the development of next generation RNA-targeted medicines that selectively upregulate gene expression to increase endogenous protein levels for therapeutic benefit. The company was founded by preeminent global leaders who pioneered the relationship between lncRNA and chromatin modifiers, as well as breakthrough oligonucleotide technologies. RaNA’s mission is to improve the lives of people suffering from serious life-altering diseases by creating precision medicines that can change the course of their condition. RaNA’s technology has broad therapeutic potential to treat a wide range of diseases, including rare genetic disorders. The company has current lead programs in spinal muscular atrophy and Friedreich’s ataxia. For more information about the company and its platforms, please visit www.ranarx.com.
