SAN DIEGO, May 22, 2024 – Actio Biosciences, a biotechnology company leveraging a novel platform approach to genetics and precision medicine to develop new therapeutics that target shared underlying biology in both rare and common diseases, today announced that Ben Cravatt, Ph.D., has joined the company’s board of directors. Dr. Cravatt is professor and Norton B. Gilula Chair of Chemical Biology in the Department of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute. His research group is interested in developing chemical proteomic technologies that enable protein and drug discovery on a global scale and applying these methods to characterize biochemical pathways that play important roles in human physiology and disease.
“By combining genuine expertise across biology, chemistry and genetics, Ben has pioneered an approach to drug discovery and development that sits at the heart of Actio’s mission,” said David Goldstein, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Actio. “We are thrilled to welcome Ben to our board and look forward to working together to discover and develop new life-changing medicines.”
“Years of research has taught us that the best targets are those supported by human genetics – and it is becoming clear that specific kinds of genetic information are especially informative,” said Dr. Cravatt. “Actio’s laser-focused approach targeting genes responsible for rare devastating diseases promises new treatments for those diseases and a powerful framework for rational expansion to more common indications sharing mechanistic biology.”
In addition to his role at Scripps, Dr. Cravatt is a co-founder of Activx Biosciences (acquired by Kyorin Pharmaceuticals), Abide Therapeutics (acquired by Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals) and Vividion Therapeutics (acquired by Bayer AG). His honors include a Wolf Prize in Chemistry, a Searle Scholar Award, the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, a Cope Scholar Award, the ASBMB Merck Award, the Royal Society of Chemistry Jeremy Knowles Award, and memberships in the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Cravatt obtained his undergraduate education at Stanford University, receiving a B.S. in biological sciences and a B.A. in history. He received a Ph.D. from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in 1996 and joined the faculty at TSRI in 1997.
About Actio Biosciences
Actio Biosciences is leveraging advances in precision medicine to develop new therapeutics that target shared genetics in rare and common diseases—bringing meaningful medicines from one to many. Applying its expertise in genetics, drug discovery and data sciences, Actio seeks to identify programs where both biological and technical risk can be minimized to streamline the drug development process and bring forward exceptionally potent and precisely targeted therapeutics. Founded in October 2021, the San Diego-based company is led by leaders in genetics and drug development and backed by top healthcare investors. For more information, please visit ActioBiosciences.com.
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Dan Budwick, 1AB