LAUSANNE, Switzerland and SAN DIEGO– HAYA Therapeutics, SA, a company developing RNA-guided programmable precision medicines focused on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), today announced that Brian C. Thomas, Ph.D., has joined HAYA as Chairperson of the Board of Directors. Dr. Thomas, CEO and Founder of Metagenomi, brings extensive experience in biotech research and development.
“As an innovator in the field of gene editing, Brian has built a world-renowned company in Metagenomi. His experience in discovery and development of genetic medicines and enhancing the utility of gene modification tools will significantly aid us in our mission of creating safer, more efficacious and accessible treatments,” said Samir Ounzain, Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO of HAYA Therapeutics. “We welcome Brian to the HAYA family and look forward to working with him as we uncover the biology of the dark genome.”
Dr. Thomas is Founder and CEO of gene editing company Metagenomi. Prior to founding Metagenomi, he spent more than 20 years at the University of California, Berkeley, advancing the science of metagenomics to understand novel biochemistry. Dr. Thomas’s scientific work has been cited over 17,000 times. He is also listed as an inventor on numerous patents in the field of gene editing. He has a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from The University of Kansas and completed post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley.
“It is clear that RNA is a powerful molecule that can be leveraged to develop innovative, precision medicines. As a leader in understanding the mechanisms behind the dark genome and lncRNAs, HAYA stands at the forefront of bringing better targeted therapies to a wide range of hard-to-treat conditions, starting with heart failure,” said Dr. Thomas. “I’m excited to support Samir and the entire HAYA team as they bring a new generation of RNA-guided programmable therapeutics to the clinic.” (IANS)
