SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Libra Therapeutics, Inc., (“Libra”) a private biotech developing novel therapeutics to restore cellular balance and attenuate neurodegeneration, today announced the appointment of Shawn A. Scranton, PharmD, as President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Scranton brings 30 years of biopharmaceutical experience, including substantial drug development success with multiple drug approvals and executive leadership expertise across meaningful company transactions.
"I’m excited to join Libra Therapeutics and help advance the Company’s unique therapeutic approach designed to restore cellular homeostasis via the augmentation of autophagy and lysosomal function, offering the potential to slow the progression of neurodegenerative disease,” said Dr. Scranton. “The Libra team has done a tremendous job advancing the science and developing differentiated drug candidates through key program milestones. I look forward to working closely with the Libra team to advance our lead candidate LBR-2950 into the clinic, as we work to bring meaningful new therapies to patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.”
"Shawn’s appointment marks a pivotal moment for Libra Therapeutics,” said Gene Kinney, Ph.D., Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Libra Therapeutics. “His extensive drug development and executive leadership experience will significantly expand our knowledge base and capabilities as Libra advances its first drug candidate into the clinic. We are excited to welcome Shawn to the team as he shares our dedication and passion to accelerate the development of new therapies that have the potential to improve outcomes for patients facing neurodegenerative diseases."
Dr. Kinney continued, “We would also like to extend our gratitude to Isaac for his valuable contributions to date. We are excited that he will continue to provide essential leadership to Libra as Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer.”
Most recently, Dr. Scranton served as President and Chief Scientific Officer of Amber Ophthalmics, Inc., leading the company from founding in 2020 through to its acquisition in 2024. Prior to that, he was the Senior Vice President of Late-Stage Development and Chief Operating Officer of Pfenex, Inc. (acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated), where he oversaw numerous late-stage preclinical and clinical development programs, including teriparatide parathyroid hormone (PTH) (1-34) (Bonsity®) that was approved in 2019. Prior to Pfenex, Dr. Scranton was the Chief Scientific Officer and a member of the founding executive team of Sentynl Therapeutics, Inc. (acquired by Zydus Cadila).
Prior to his career in industry, Dr. Scranton held a joint academic position at Baylor College of Medicine and University of Houston School of Pharmacy, where he served as a Principal Investigator on numerous industry- and government-supported clinical trials. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of the Pacific and a Bachelor’s degree in animal physiology from UC San Diego.
About Libra Therapeutics
Libra Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing novel disease-modifying therapeutics to restore disrupted cellular balance in lysosome function and autophagy with the potential to slow the disease progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Libra’s therapeutic platform is uniquely positioned to discover and develop novel small molecule drugs that can both increase autophagy to more rapidly clear toxic proteins and dysfunctional machinery, as well as reduce the production of neurotoxic proteins. The Company’s lead program targets TRPML1, a regulator of autophagy and lysosome function, and Libra is advancing additional small molecule programs for C9orf72 transcriptional modification and Ran translation inhibition. For more information, visit www.libratherapeutics.com.
