WATERTOWN, Mass. — EnPlusOne Biosciences Inc. said it has appointed life sciences executive Jim Weissman to its board of directors as the company works to advance its enzymatic RNA synthesis platform.
The Watertown-based biotechnology company said Weissman’s appointment supports its 2026 focus on establishing a new standard in RNA synthesis through expanded modifications and greater scalability. With his appointment, Paxton Major, managing director at Northpond Ventures, will move to a board observer role.
“We are focused this year at EnPlusOne on important breakthroughs in enzymatic RNA synthesis, and we believe that Jim’s appointment to our Board will help us continue to lead the way in the field,” said Clare Murray, PhD, CEO. “The simplicity and elegance of our scalable solution address a very real need in the development of RNA therapeutics, and we plan to leverage our strength in novel modifications to access next-generation RNA therapeutics.”
Murray said RNA-driven therapeutics are expected to become the fastest-growing modality in the next decade as they expand from rare diseases into more prevalent conditions. She said that shift is expected to drive global demand for RNA and require new manufacturing approaches, including EnPlusOne’s ezRNA platform.
The company said ezRNA is the first fully enzymatic synthesis platform designed to unlock scalable RNA synthesis.
Weissman is principal of JBW Consulting, where he advises biopharmaceutical companies on business strategy and corporate development. He also serves as an independent director for Cerberus Therapeutics and Telesis Bio.
He previously spent more than a decade at Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, where he served as executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief business officer. Dicerna, which developed RNA interference-based medicines, was acquired by Novo Nordisk for $3.3 billion in 2021.
During Weissman’s tenure, Dicerna expanded its GalXC RNAi platform to support nearly 20 development programs and formed collaborations with Alexion, Alnylam, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Roche. EnPlusOne said those collaborations generated more than $1 billion in upfront, milestone and related payments by the time Dicerna was acquired.
Weissman also supported Dicerna’s financings, including its 2014 initial public offering. Earlier in his career, he was vice president of business development at MannKind Corporation and held business development, marketing and commercial leadership roles at Pfizer and Pharmacia Biotech.
“Jim’s experience is exceptionally well suited to EnPlusOne’s current plans for nurturing broader relationships within our industry, from the biggest industry leaders to the emerging growth firms,” said Steven Kasok, chair of the EnPlusOne board of directors. “We greatly value his expertise, which is already enhancing how we evaluate our portfolio of opportunities to partner and collaborate with key industry participants. We look forward to continued benefits from Jim’s engagement with EnPlusOne as we drive our innovative technology and platform expansion.”
Kasok said the company remains grateful for Major’s contributions and continued role as board observer, adding that Northpond has provided strong support to EnPlusOne.
“I’m very excited about the significant opportunity ahead of EnPlusOne,” Weissman said. “From my perspective, the team is in the early stages of a meaningful transformation in supplying the core building blocks to our scientific innovation, one that could drive substantial value and enable profound scientific discoveries to improve human health. I look forward to contributing to the company’s progress.”
