François Ravenelle, PhD Appointed President and CEO of Innospera Pharma to Lead Next Phase of Growth
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MONTREAL — Innospera Pharma Inc. ('Innospera'), a private, near-clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing small-molecule modulators of GPR84 and GPR40 to address a broad range of inflammatory and metabolic diseases with high unmet medical needs, today announced the appointment of François Ravenelle, PhD, as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.
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'With strong preclinical evidence and the potential to address chronic conditions such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Innospera is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful impact in the field of inflammatory-related conditions.' – François Ravenelle
Dr. Ravenelle is an accomplished biotech leader with over two decades of experience in pharmaceutical R&D and executive management. He most recently served as President and CEO of Inversago Pharma, a clinical-stage company developing therapies based on peripheral CB1 receptor blockade to treat metabolic and fibrotic diseases. Under his leadership, Inversago raised more than $100M, and was acquired by Novo Nordisk for up to approximately $1 billion USD.
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'I'm thrilled to join Innospera at this pivotal stage, as the company moves toward clinical development with a lead asset that shows strong potential for an exceptional balance of safety and efficacy in targeting inflammatory and metabolic pathways,' said Dr. Ravenelle. 'With strong preclinical evidence and the potential to address chronic conditions such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Innospera is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful impact in the field of inflammatory-related conditions. I'm excited to contribute to the company's next phase of growth.'
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Pierre Laurin, Executive Chairman of the Board, founder and former CEO, commented: 'François' appointment comes at the perfect time following the completion of our seed financing round. His proven leadership and strategic vision will be invaluable as we prepare for clinical development and beyond. Investissement Québec, Seido Capital, and Anges Québec worked synergistically together to support Innospera's vision, based on the strong potential of our lead assets. We are privileged to work in one of the best life science clusters in North America, where innovation is recognized by quality investors, acting together as catalysts for promising endeavours like ours.'
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About Long-term Inflammation
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Systemic inflammation (inflammaging), increases as a consequence of aging contributing to age-related morbidities. Persistent activation of fibrotic pathways and organ dysfunction is markedly more frequent in the elderly (fibroaging). Elderly individuals with chronic disorders tend to develop inflammaging, a condition associated with elevated levels of blood inflammatory markers and increased susceptibility to chronic disease progression. Chronic, low-grade inflammation is a crucial contributor to various age-related pathologies and natural processes in aging tissue, including the lung, kidney, heart, liver, nervous and the musculoskeletal system.
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