LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND, and CAMBRIDGE, MASS., June 14, 2018 – Anokion (“Anokion” or the “Company”), a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing novel tolerance-inducing therapeutics for autoimmune diseases, today announced that Michael D. Clayman, M.D., president, chief executive officer, and director of Flexion Therapeutics, has been elected as non-executive chairman of Anokion’s board of directors (“the Board”). Dr. Clayman has been an independent director of Anokion since February 2016. In his new role as chairman he is replacing Jeffrey Hubbell, Ph.D., who will remain on the Board as a director.
“We are grateful to Jeff for his significant contributions chairing Anokion’s Board. During his tenure, the Company opened a site in Cambridge, MA, and expanded its novel tolerance-inducing portfolio for autoimmune diseases,” said John Hohneker, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Anokion. “We are also excited to welcome Mike to his new role. His expertise in company building and biopharmaceutical product development across a range of therapeutic indications will no doubt prove invaluable to us as we continue to progress our lead program in multiple sclerosis toward the clinic.”
“In working alongside the Anokion team, I have been impressed by their passion, scientific rigor, and commitment to bringing new medicines to patients in need,” said Dr. Clayman. “Anokion is translating immune tolerance mechanisms into novel therapies, and I look forward to collaborating with the leadership team and my fellow board members to help the Company advance its pipeline.”
Dr. Clayman co-founded Flexion Therapeutics and also serves on the board of directors of Akebia Therapeutics. Previously, Dr. Clayman served in senior management positions at Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly), most recently as vice president, Lilly Research Laboratories, general manager of Chorus, Lilly’s early phase development accelerator and Chair of the Lilly Bioethics Committee. Prior to Lilly, Dr. Clayman was an Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where his research centered on the immunopathogenesis of renal disease. Additionally, Dr. Clayman is the recipient of the Physician Scientist Award from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Clayman earned a B.A., cum laude, from Yale University and an M.D. from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. Following an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco Moffitt Hospitals, Dr. Clayman completed clinical and research fellowships in nephrology at the University of Pennsylvania.
About Anokion
Anokion, a spin-off from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), is focused on applying the company’s antigen-specific immune tolerance technology to treat autoimmune and allergic diseases and reduce the immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins. As a platform technology, Anokion’s approach to antigen-specific immune tolerance can be translated to virtually any protein in numerous clinical indications. Anokion’s investors include Versant Ventures, Novo Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund and a group of individual investors. For more information, please visit www.anokion.com.
CONTACT:
Deb Geraghty, Ph.D.
deb.geraghty@anokion.com
+1 (857) 320-6635