BOSTON– Atalanta Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering RNA interference (RNAi) for the treatment of neurological diseases, today announced the expansion of its executive team with the appointments of Serena Hung, M.D., as chief medical officer, and Jeffrey Young as chief financial officer. Dr. Hung is a board-certified neurologist who has held leadership roles at prominent CNS drug development companies, and Mr. Young is a seasoned financial executive with capital markets expertise and with over two decades of experience in life sciences.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jeffrey and Serena to Atalanta’s executive team as we prepare for our next phase of growth in building the leading CNS RNAi company,” said Alicia Secor, Atalanta’s president and chief executive officer. “Atalanta’s discovery efforts utilize our best-in-class di-siRNA platform and have generated a robust portfolio of 14 current programs across our wholly-owned and partnered pipelines. Jeffrey’s leadership will help shape Atalanta’s strategic direction and drive our continued sustainable growth, while Serena’s expertise will support the transition from research to development for two of our wholly-owned programs which we are advancing to planned IND submissions in 2025, with a third to follow.”
“Disease-modifying therapeutic options for neurological diseases are tragically limited, and I observed this firsthand in my years as a clinician specializing in Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases,” said Dr. Hung. “I believe Atalanta’s novel RNAi platform could provide a much-needed breakthrough to deliver better outcomes for these patients.”
“Atalanta’s di-siRNA technology has potential to unlock a large universe of CNS targets, and their pipeline progress underscores that they have the operational acumen to realize this potential for patients,” said Mr. Young. “I’m looking forward to strategically supporting and growing our programs to ensure continued success.”
Dr. Hung brings to Atalanta two decades of experience in neurology with a focus on neurodegenerative disorders, both as a treating physician and as a biopharmaceutical leader. Previously, Dr. Hung served as chief medical officer at Arkuda Therapeutics, where she led preparations for clinical entry of the company’s lead asset for the treatment of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), built the clinical development function, and established the company’s clinical development strategy. In previous roles at Wave Life Sciences and Biogen, Dr. Hung led clinical development of therapies in Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases, including supporting regulatory interactions and filings. She holds a BSE in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.D. from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She completed a neurology residency at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and a research fellowship in movement disorders at the University of Toronto. Dr. Hung sits of the Board of Directors for the National Ataxia Foundation and is industry co-chair of the FTD Research Roundtable.
Mr. Young joins Atalanta with more than 25 years of experience in finance and capital markets at life sciences and medical technology companies. He most recently served as chief financial officer, senior vice president, and treasurer at Axial Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company developing therapies for CNS diseases, where he led teams across finance, accounting and tax, among other efforts; facilitated the company’s successful Series B and Series C financings; and developed corporate and commercial strategy. Earlier in his career Mr. Young held CFO roles at NASDAQ-listed companies Juniper Pharmaceutical, Ova Science, Transmedics Group, and Lantheus Medical Imaging. Mr. Young began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a certified public accountant and holds a B.S. in business administration from Georgetown University.
