Dr. Mathieu Simon and Catherine Combot-Plétan join the Board of Directors of biotech firm LNC Therapeutics to support its new ambitions

Bordeaux, December 11, 2018 – LNC Therapeutics, a French biotech company specializing in gut microbiome-based drug discovery, has expanded its Board of Directors, welcoming two new external members with impressive track records. These newly appointed members bring new, complementary key competencies and an independent outlook to LNC, which will help the microbiome specialist pursue its new business strategy, launched in early 2018 by Georges Rawadi.

Dr. Mathieu Simon (MD) brings a wealth of expertise in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry to LNC. Dr. Simon worked for 18 years at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, where he served in several general and regional management positions in Europe, as well as an executive role at the international level as Senior Vice President, Head of Global Marketing and Medical Affairs. Dr. Simon then served as Managing Director, Head of Global Pharma at Pierre Fabre, France’s third-largest pharma company.

He joined Cellectis in 2012, serving as COO and a board member, where he played a pivotal role in the development of Cellectis’ first-in-class allogeneic CAR T cells targeting hematological malignancies. Dr. Simon currently divides his time between serving as an independent director on the boards of several European biotech companies (Vaxxim and Affimed) and as a Senior Advisor at Messier Maris & Associés (an M&A advisory firm based in Paris, New York and London). In addition, Dr. Simon is a Venture Partner at BB Pureos Bioventures (part of Bellevue Asset Management). He is also an advisor for the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program.

“I was won over by the LNC Therapeutics team’s enthusiasm and their sound science.I’ve been interested in microbiome-related developments for some time now, and LNC’s plans in this area are extremely promising.Georges Rawadi and his team’s recent move in the biotech field is very exciting.I’m delighted to be part of this adventure, and to be able to share my expertise,” said Dr. Simon.

Catherine Combot-Plétan(Pharm.D) has a solid background in strategy and project management for R&D and innovative biological drugs.

After beginning her career in 1995 doing international clinical research at Chiltern,
Ms. Combot-Plétan went on to gain expertise in the entire drug development process, from the research phase through to marketing. She worked as Strategic Project Director at LFB Biotechnologies, then as Head of Project Development at GamaMabs Pharma, where she led global operations, helped boost the value of the company’s portfolio and was involved in its fundraising.

Since 2016, she has served as the president and founder of ULTRace Development Partner, where she helps biotechnology companies and start-ups create value through R&D and acquisitions, providing strategic and operational support at every step in the development of their innovative drugs. She is also a member of the management team at several of these companies.

“I’m delighted to join the Board of Directors of LNC Therapeutics and to immerse myself in the world of microbiome research, which is such a promising, exciting field.The LNC team is highly driven and has a clear strategic vision of the sector.I’m enthusiastic about the prospect of working together to design and develop the medical positioning of LNC projects,” said Ms. Combot-Plétan.

The appointment of Dr. Simon and Ms. Combot-Pletan to the Board of Directors is effective immediately.

“Mathieu and Catherine are joining our Board of Directors at a key moment in our company’s history.I am convinced that they will play a pivotal role in shaping our vision to build a leading player in the field of gut microbiome-based drug discovery.They will bring a wealth of clinical, strategic and managerial expertise to the Board of Directors of LNC Therapeutics,” said Georges Rawadi, CEO of LNC Therapeutics.