CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aviceda Therapeutics is a pre-clinical stage biotech company focused on the next generation of glycol-immune therapeutics utilizing the Glyco-Code technology to address the innate immune system and chronic non-resolving inflammation. Today, the company is excited to announce the appointment of two biopharma and business veterans to their board of directors, effective immediately.

“Chris and Nancy will add significant value to our world-class, cross-disciplinary team and scientific advisory board and will help continue the progress we have already made in developing and actualizing the significant promise of glyco-immune therapeutics for the treatment of immune-dysfunction conditions. With Dr. Adams and Ms. Thomason, we are adding a wealth of experience in business development and financing that will help move our candidate products across the finish line,” said Mohamed A. Genead, MD, Chairman & CEO of Aviceda Therapeutics.

Dr. Adams has a long history of experience in orphan drug development and biotech transactions. In 2013, he co-founded Cydan, an orphan drug accelerator focused on improving the lives of patients with rare genetic diseases, where he currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. Together with the Cydan team Dr. Adams raised more than $200M and co-founded three NewCos, Vtesse (Niemann-Pick C), Imara (sickle cell) and Tiburio (Neuroendocrine). Prior to Cydan he served as Chief Business Officer of FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he played an instrumental role in the development of VYNDAQEL® (tafamidis), which led to an acquisition by Pfizer in 2010. He also served as Senior Vice President of business development for ViaCell Inc., Vice President of business development for Transkaryotic Therapies Inc., and Director of business development for the pharmaceutical division of Ciba-Geigy Limited, in Basel, Switzerland. Dr. Adams also serves on the Board of Directors of Tiburio Therapeutics. He holds a PhD in organic chemistry and a diploma in organic chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Zurich, and an MBA from INSEAD of Fontainebleau, France.

“Aviceda has an exciting portfolio of pipeline candidates that are primed to alter and improve the treatment of various immune-related inflammatory conditions across multiple therapeutic areas. I am excited to join the Board of Directors and continue the company’s mission to bring the next generation of glyco-immune therapeutics to market,” said Dr. Adams.

Ms. Thomason is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of HAP Investment Group, LLC, a family office for the Hanns A. Pielenz family, where she is active in sourcing and managing diverse operating entities, including health care; investments in all stages of venture capital; and investments in real estate in a variety of product types. Previously, Ms. Thomason served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Promedior, Inc. from 2015 until its recent sale to Roche for $1.39 Billion. She is a co-Founder and Board Member of Orsenix, LLC, a biotech start-up, and is a Board Observer on the Board of Spencer

Health Solutions, a medication adherence company. She is also a member of the Investment Committee of Saint Mary's School in Raleigh, North Carolina and is actively involved in their Capital Campaign. Ms. Thomason earned a BS in journalism and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

“I am looking forward to working with the Board at Aviceda Therapeutics as the company pursues its aggressive development and corporate strategy to bring multiple first-in-class glyco-immune therapeutics to market in the next few years,” said Ms. Thomason.

About Aviceda Therapeutics

Founded in 2018 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Aviceda Therapeutics is a late-stage pre-clinical biotechnology company with a mission to develop the next generation of glyco-immune therapeutics (GITs) utilizing the Glyco-Code technology platform to modulate the innate immune system and chronic non-resolving inflammation. Aviceda has assembled a world-class, cross-disciplinary team of recognized scientists, clinicians, and drug developers to tackle devastating ocular and systemic degenerative, fibrotic, oncologic, and immuno-inflammatory diseases. At Aviceda, we exploit a unique family of receptors found expressed on all innate immune cells and their associated glycobiological interactions to develop transformative medicines. Combining the power of our biology with our innovative cell-based high-throughput screening platform and proprietary nanoparticle technology, we can modulate the innate immune response specifically and profoundly. Aviceda is developing a pipeline of GITs that are delivered via biodegradable nanoparticles and which safely and effectively target numerous immune-inflammatory conditions. Aviceda’s lead ophthalmic optimized nanoparticle, as an intravitreal formulation, AVD-104, is being developed to target various immune system responses that contribute to pathology associated with non-exudative (Dry) age-related macular degeneration.