NextRNA Therapeutics Appoints Seasoned Industry Leader Charles Kunsch, Ph.D. to Board of Directors

• Former Managing Director of AbbVie Ventures brings to NextRNA’s board more than 30 years of leadership in drug R&D, business development, and life science venture investing

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NextRNA Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on developing transformative medicines to address long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-driven diseases, today announced the appointment of Charles (Chuck) Kunsch, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Currently a Venture Partner at Dreavent Capital, Dr. Kunsch previously served as Managing Director at AbbVie Ventures for more than a decade.

“We’re excited to welcome Dr. Chuck Kunsch to NextRNA’s Board of Directors. His deep, diverse experience across the industry ecosystem and his proven track record guiding emerging companies will further strengthen our board as we solidify our leadership in the lncRNA space,” said Dominique Verhelle, Ph.D., MBA, NextRNA Co-Founder and CEO. “We continue to make important progress advancing our lncRNA-targeted programs in oncology and neuroscience, and we look forward to expanding our pipeline in the coming year and beyond.”

“I am passionate about working with experienced teams to translate innovations into novel therapeutics. I look forward to the opportunity to support Dominique and the NextRNA team in their efforts to accelerate the development of medicines using NextRNA’s platform to inhibit the function of lncRNAs with small molecules,” said Dr. Kunsch. “I believe that NextRNA’s unique approach holds the promise of addressing a broad spectrum of unmet needs and delivering transformative impact for patients.”

In his former role as Managing Director at AbbVie Ventures, Dr. Kunsch led investments in and served on the boards of numerous companies including Prevail (acquired by Lilly), Tidal Therapeutics (acquired by Sanofi), FireCyte Therapeutics, DG Medicines, Disc Medicine, Kojin Therapeutics, Accent Therapeutics and Quanta Therapeutics, among others. Prior to AbbVie, Dr. Kunsch served as Vice President of Biology at AtheroGenics, Inc., where he led teams to advance several programs into the clinic for cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

Dr. Kunsch obtained his Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and completed his post-doctoral fellowship at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology. He is an author on more than 60 scientific publications and inventor on dozens of patents. In addition to serving as a Venture Partner at Dreavent Capital, Dr. Kunsch sits on the Supervisory Board of Captor Therapeutics, is a member of the Board of Trustees for The Pennsylvania State Research Foundation and is Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives.

About NextRNA Therapeutics
NextRNA Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing transformative medicines to address long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-driven diseases, with a primary focus on oncology and neuroscience. Our team is driven by a common passion to advance pioneering science that impacts patients. Dysregulated lncRNAs recruit RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to drive pathological processes across disease areas. Our therapeutic approach centers on inhibiting the function of lncRNAs by disrupting the interaction between lncRNAs and RBPs with small molecules. Our strategy is uniquely differentiated in that it offers optionality to target the lncRNA or the RBP side of the interaction. We have an ongoing strategic collaboration with Bayer to develop small molecules targeting lncRNAs in oncology.

For more information, visit us at https://www.nextrnatx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.