SEATTLE, Oct. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Mozart Therapeutics, the leading developer of CD8 Treg modulators for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory disease, today announced the expansion of its executive leadership team with the appointments of Jason Chien, MD, as Chief Medical Officer, and Russ Hawkinson as Chief Financial Officer. Additionally, Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD, emeritus faculty member of the Benaroya Research Institute Center for Interventional Immunology and former Director of the Immune Tolerance Network, has joined Mozart’s Scientific Advisory Board.
“Jason Chien and Russ Hawkinson are industry veterans with established track records and a wealth of strategic and operating experience. They both join Mozart at an exciting time as we prepare to enter the clinic with our lead program, MTX-101, in the first half of next year and advance our pipeline of first-in-class CD8 Treg modulators,” said Katie Fanning, President and Chief Executive Officer at Mozart Therapeutics.
Dr. Chien brings nearly 30 years of experience in immunology and infectious diseases from his work in academia, healthcare, and the biopharmaceutical industry. He previously served as VP of Respiratory Infection R&D Strategy and Infectious Diseases Clinical Translational Sciences at Janssen, where he was responsible for overseeing the development of a preclinical and clinical pipeline in infectious diseases and prior to that led multiple immunology programs during his tenure at Gilead.
Mr. Hawkinson brings over 20 years of experience guiding financial strategy in the life science industry. He recently served as SVP, Finance at Silverback Therapeutics, where he helped complete the company’s private offerings, IPO, and merger of the company with ARS Pharmaceuticals in 2022.
Regarding Dr. Nepom’s addition to the Scientific Advisory Board, Kristine Swiderek, Mozart’s Chief Scientific Officer, commented, “I am very pleased to have Dr. Nepom join our Scientific Advisory Board and provide his guidance and world-renowned expertise toward the therapeutic development of CD8 Treg modulators to restore immune balance in autoimmune diseases.”
About Mozart Therapeutics
Mozart Therapeutics is focused on developing first-in-class disease-modifying therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, utilizing a novel approach to restoring immune system function by targeting the CD8 T regulatory network. The company is headquartered in Seattle, WA. For more information visit www.mozart-tx.com and follow the company on LinkedIn @Mozart-tx.