Santarelli is a Proven Leader with a Track Record of Building Successful Biotech Companies
BASEL, Switzerland–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Alentis Therapeutics (“Alentis”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing treatments for organ fibrosis and Claudin-1 positive tumors, announced today the appointment of Dr. Luca Santarelli as the Chair of its Board of Directors. Rafaèle Tordjman, former chair of Alentis, will remain on Alentis’ board.
“I’m pleased to welcome Luca as chair of our board. His experience as a serial biotech entrepreneur and Alentis board member since 2021 are of great value to our board and company,” said Dr. Roberto Iacone, Chief Executive Officer of Alentis. “I very much want to thank Rafaèle for her tremendous contributions as chair. Her guidance was critical during the expansion of our pipeline into pan-organ fibrosis and cancer. I look forward to her continued service as a highly valued board member.”
Santarelli said: “I am truly excited to take on the Chair role at Alentis. I believe that Alentis is poised to become a global leader in discovering, developing and commercializing transformational medicines for cancer and fibrosis thanks to their first-in-class drugs addressing the biology of Claudin-1.”
Tordjman commented: “It has been a pleasure to serve as chair of Alentis’ Board of Directors and to help lay the foundation for the company. I look forward to continuing my work as a board member and further supporting the company on its journey.”
Luca Santarelli, MD, has served as member on Alentis’ board since 2021. He has more than 20 years of experience in academic and pharmaceutical R&D, spanning the value chain from discovery research to commercialization. He was recently the founder and CEO of VectivBio AG (Nasdaq: VECT), a clinical-stage biotechnology company acquired by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he served as CEO and co-founder of Therachon AG that was acquired by Pfizer in 2019. Prior to Therachon, he spent 11 years at Roche as the Head of Neuroscience, Rare Diseases, Ophthalmology and Small Molecules Research where he advanced over 20 NMEs to the clinic and various NMEs to registration studies. Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University and a co-founder of BrainCells Inc., a company focused on the discovery of novel antidepressants. Dr. Santarelli completed his MD and Psychiatry Residency at the University of Turin.
About Alentis Therapeutics
Alentis Therapeutics, the CLDN1 company, is a clinical-stage biotech developing breakthrough treatments for CLDN1+ tumors and organ fibrosis. Alentis is the only company pioneering a novel approach to modify and reverse the course of disease by targeting CLDN1, a previously unexploited target that plays a key role in the pathology of cancer and fibrotic disease.
Alentis was founded in 2019 based on ground-breaking research in the laboratory of Prof. Thomas Baumert, MD at the University of Strasbourg and the French National Institute of Health (Inserm). Alentis is headquartered in pharma-biotech hub Basel, Switzerland with an R&D subsidiary in Strasbourg, France and clinical operations in the US. Visit https://alentis.ch
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