CAMBRIDGE, Mass.– Ribon Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics targeting stress support pathways, today announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Prakash Raman, Ph.D., as President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Raman has succeeded Victoria Richon, Ph.D., in these roles. Dr. Richon will remain actively involved in the Company as an R&D advisor to the Board of Directors and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, where she will work closely with Dr. Raman and executive leadership to advance Ribon’s scientific activities.
“Since joining Ribon in 2015 as founding President, Vicky has built an exceptional research and development organization that has created a novel pipeline of first-in-class drugs in clinical development,” said Jodie Morrison, Chair of the Board of Directors of Ribon Therapeutics. “The Board is excited to welcome Prakash, whose scientific background and strong business acumen are an excellent complement to our executive management team. This leadership transition allows Ribon to enhance its focus on its pipeline capabilities, business development and strategic growth plans while enabling Vicky to continue to contribute to the advancement of our innovative science as R&D Advisor to the Board of Directors and Chair of our Scientific Advisory Board. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I sincerely thank Vicky for her many contributions to the Company.”
“It was only several years ago that the role of NAD+-utilizing enzymes in stress support pathways in cancer and inflammatory disease was considered an emerging science and not well understood,” said Dr. Raman. “Under Vicky’s leadership, Ribon has advanced this family of enzymes to the clinic, where initial data have demonstrated PARP7, an NAD+-utilizing monoPARP, inhibition and early signs of antitumor activity in patients, a remarkable achievement. I am honored to join such a strong scientific organization with great potential for transforming the lives of patients with high unmet needs through the application of truly innovative science. I look forward to a collaborative and productive relationship with Vicky and the organization at Ribon to shepherd the company through its next phase of growth.”
“I am pleased to welcome Prakash to Ribon at this important time for the Company,” said Dr. Richon. “Prakash has the experience and skill set to carry the business forward toward our goal of bringing novel medicine to patients with cancer and inflammation. I look forward to a strong collaboration with the team in my role as SAB Chair as we work together to achieve our Company’s mission.”
Dr. Raman brings to Ribon decades of biopharmaceutical business development and executive leadership experience, blending his scientific background, program and portfolio management and strong business development experience. Prior to joining Ribon, he served as Senior Partner, Chief Business Development Officer at Flagship Pioneering, where he leveraged the platforms and assets in Flagship’s network to generate opportunities for significant value creation. Prior to Flagship, Dr. Raman spent nearly fourteen years at Novartis, most recently as Vice President, Global Head of Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR) Business Development and Licensing (BD&L). During his time at Novartis, Dr. Raman was instrumental in forging key collaborations in immuno-oncology, executing many out-licensing opportunities and guiding the acquisitions of Advanced Accelerator Applications, Endocyte, IFM Tre and Selexys. In addition, he has led cross-functional drug discovery and early development project teams that successfully progressed compounds to clinical testing in patients. Prior to Novartis, Dr. Raman spent six years as a Senior Scientist at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and two years as a post-doctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute. He completed his undergraduate work at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and received his Ph.D. in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ribon, named a “Fierce 15” Biotech Company by Fierce Biotech in 2021, is pioneering the discovery and development of first-in-class precision therapies targeting stress support pathways in cancer and inflammation for patients with limited options. By leveraging its proprietary BEACON+ platform, the Company is building a pipeline of selective, small molecule inhibitors to numerous NAD+-utilizing enzymes. Ribon’s lead program is RBN-2397, a PARP7 inhibitor in clinical development for the treatment of cancer. The expansion portion of the RBN-2397 Phase 1 trial is currently underway in a number of defined patient cohorts, including squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL). Ribon is also advancing a second clinical candidate, RBN-3143, a potent and selective PARP14 inhibitor for the treatment of patients with inflammatory diseases.
