– USA, CA – Septerna, Inc., a biotechnology company discovering and advancing novel small molecule medicines targeting G protein-coupled receptors, announced the appointments of Dr. Bernard Coulie (M.D., Ph.D.) and Shalini Sharp to its Board of Directors, bringing deep drug development and company-building experience to the board.
About Dr. Bernard Coulie
Bernard Coulie brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience and drug development expertise to the Septerna board. Dr. Coulie is currently President and CEO of Pliant Therapeutics. Previously, he was CEO, CMO, and Co-founder of ActoGeniX, and earlier in his career, he served as Therapeutic Area Leader, Internal Medicine, at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development Europe. Before his industry career, Dr. Coulie was Assistant Professor of Medicine and Staff Gastroenterologist at Mayo Medical School. Dr. Coulie serves on the boards of SQZ Biotechnologies and Dualyx.
“In the two years since launch, Septerna has built a promising pipeline of differentiated drug candidates in the areas of endocrinology, immunology, and metabolism. The company’s PTH1R program is a testament to the success of the company’s innovative approach to GPCR drug discovery and development,” said Dr. Coulie. “There remains a significant unmet need for improved treatment options for patients with hypoparathyroidism, and Septerna’s lead program has the potential to be the first oral replacement therapy to treat this disease.”
He holds an M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Leuven, Belgium, and an MBA from the Vlerick Management School.
About Shalini Sharp
Shalini Sharp has been in the life sciences industry for over 25 years, having spent 14 years as CFO. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Neurocrine Biosciences and Organon & Co. Previously, Ms. Sharp served on the boards of Mirati Therapeutics, Sutro Biopharma, Precision Biosciences, Array Biopharma, Panacea Acquisition Corp., and Agenus Inc. Ms. Sharp was CFO and EVP at Ultragenyx and CFO at Agenus. Earlier in her career, Ms. Sharp was at Elan Pharmaceuticals, McKinsey & Company, and Goldman Sachs.
“Septerna’s novel platform can be applied to the entire superfamily of GPCR targets and has the potential to identify novel drug candidates across a broad range of diseases,” said Ms. Sharp. “I’m excited to work with the company’s experienced leadership team to maximize opportunities to build value both through an internal pipeline of life-changing medicines and through value-creating partnerships.”
Shalini Sharp holds both an A.B. and an MBA from Harvard University.
About Septerna
Septerna, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on advancing novel, oral small-molecule medicines targeting the entire class of G protein-coupled receptors. The company’s Native Complex™ Platform recapitulates GPCRs with their native structure, function, and dynamics outside of the cellular environment to rapidly apply new technologies for industrial-scale drug discovery to address both validated GPCRs and many GPCRs that have been undruggable and unexploited to date. Septerna is building a pipeline of GPCR-targeted, oral small-molecule drug candidates, led by its program targeting the parathyroid hormone 1 receptor for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism. Septerna was launched in 2022 by scientific founders who have made groundbreaking GPCR discoveries.
For more information: https://septerna.com/
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