LNC Therapeutics appoints new CEO, Dr. Georges Rawadi, and accelerates development in microbiome research

After €6.5 million of fundraising and the arrival of a new Chief Scientific Officer in 2017,
LNC Therapeutics today appoints a new CEO and strengthens its microbiome development ambitions

Bordeaux (France), April 17, 2018 – LNC Therapeutics, a French biotech company specialized in research and development for gut microbiome-based drugs, today announces the appointment of Dr. Georges Rawadi as its new CEO.
Jean-Luc Treillou, his predecessor, will become Chairman of the Board of Directors as of July 1st.

A health biotechnology specialist to drive LNC Therapeutics’ vision

Prior to joining LNC Therapeutics, Georges Rawadi, formerly a researcher at Institut Pasteur, was Vice President of Business Development & Intellectual Property and a member of the management team at Celyad. Previously, he successfully held various business development positions at Cellectis, Galapagos, ProStrakan and Sanofi-Aventis and led strategic alliance development consulting assignments.

He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Pierre and Marie Curie University (France) and a Master’s degree in Management and Strategy in the Health Industry from ESSEC Business School.  

An ambitious strategy: beyond obesity and cardiometabolic diseases

LNC Therapeutics’ main objective is to develop new drug candidates with a mechanism of action based on microbiome interaction with gut. Targeted therapeutic indications are pathologies caused by metabolic or immune system deregulation.

“The innovations resulting from our understanding of the microbiome are still in their infancy, and I am very proud to lead LNC Therapeutics’ ambitions in this field,” says Dr. Rawadi. “Everything that has been accomplished so far, the result of collaborative work led by Sandrine Claus and the founding team, is a solid basis for exploring new ways of developing breakthrough therapies based on gut microbiome mechanisms. While the treatment of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases remain our first indications, we are now convinced that our work will enable us to expand to other therapeutic areas, and particularly towards severe diseases that still have no or limited effective treatment.”

 Jean-Luc Treillou, former CEO and future Chairman of LNC Therapeutics explains, “With the arrival of Sandrine Claus and her scientific expertise, LNC has strengthened its research and development programs, and I am convinced that Georges Rawadi’s leadership will enhance the company’s ability to build partnerships and drive international ambitions. For my part, I will continue to support the new management team, focusing on the strategic components.”

“LNC Therapeutics, one of the very promising companies in our microbiome portfolio, is now at a strategic stage in its evolution and is accelerating its development. Georges Rawadi is the right person to lead a very ambitious team and drive the various programs and clinical developments,” adds Isabelle de Crémoux, CEO of Seventure Partners and founder of Health for Life Capital, LNC Therapeutics’ lead investor.