Exec Who Orchestrated Promedior’s $1.25 Billion Buyout Deal From Bristol-Myers Squibb To Helm Proclara

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Proclara Biosciences, a biotechnology company developing novel therapies for diseases caused by protein misfolding including Alzheimer’s disease, today announced the appointment of Suzanne Bruhn, Ph.D., as president and chief executive officer (CEO). Dr. Bruhn brings more than two decades of experience in the life sciences, with a strong track record of successfully developing and commercializing biologics.

“I am thrilled to join Proclara and lend my expertise to the company’s ongoing clinical development efforts as we advance NPT088 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and explore the potential of our broader pipeline”

“Proclara is excited to welcome Sue as CEO,” said Daniel Lynch, executive chairman of Proclara’s board of directors. “Her extensive experience ushering early stage R&D programs through clinical development, negotiating business development deals, and fostering cohesive and productive teams will be invaluable as we continue to grow Proclara and advance our lead candidate NPT088 and our broader pipeline of novel therapies for the treatment of protein misfolding diseases. We are grateful to Franz Hefti for his service as interim CEO, which laid the groundwork for our emergence as a promising clinical-stage company, and he will stay with the company as chief operating officer.”

Dr. Bruhn will serve as president and CEO, and join the Board of Directors of Proclara. She most recently served as president and CEO of Promedior, Inc., where she successfully negotiated an exclusive agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb for the right to acquire Promedior for a total deal potential of $1.25 billion. Previously, she served as senior vice president of strategic planning and program management at Shire’s Human Genetic Therapies division. Dr. Bruhn serves on the Board of Directors of Aeglea BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGLE) and Pliant Therapeutics. She received her doctorate in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Human Genetics at Harvard Medical School. A detailed biography is available here.

“I am thrilled to join Proclara and lend my expertise to the company’s ongoing clinical development efforts as we advance NPT088 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and explore the potential of our broader pipeline,” said Dr. Bruhn. “Like all of Proclara’s drug candidates, NPT088 is designed to simultaneously target multiple misfolded proteins. As such, it offers a highly differentiated approach,with the potential to address both cognitive and functional endpoints and disrupt the Alzheimer’s disease cascade across a broad patient population.”

About Proclara Biosciences

Proclara Biosciences is a biotechnology company advancing product candidates developed based on proprietary GAIM technology, which is capable of simultaneously targeting multiple toxic misfolded proteins. The broad applicability of the Proclara technology enables the company to target multiple protein misfolding diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases and several rare systemic amyloidoses. The lead GAIM drug candidate, NPT088, is in clinical development for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. For more information, please visit proclarabio.com.