Villejuif, France — Valerio Therapeutics announced the appointment of Gilles Besin, Ph.D., as chief executive officer, effective July 1, 2026, as part of a planned governance transition.
The clinical-stage biotechnology company, which is developing next-generation precision-guided therapeutics, also announced results from its shareholders’ general meeting held June 16, 2026.
The company said shareholders approved all resolutions recommended by the Board of Directors, including the renewal of Antonin de Fougerolles and Financière de la Montagne as directors, and the appointment of new directors Eric Vivier, Wael Jdey and Besin.
As part of the transition, Julien Miara will step down as CEO and Antoine Barouky will step down as deputy CEO, effective June 30, 2026. Both will remain members of the Board of Directors and support Besin during the transition.
The company said Miara and Barouky led Valerio through a major transformation of its operating model, refocusing its activities on high-potential opportunities and laying the foundation for its next phase of growth.
“We are delighted to welcome Gilles to lead Valerio Therapeutics into its next chapter. Gilles brings exactly the profile Valerio needs for its next phase of development: deep RNA and targeted-delivery expertise, strong translational leadership, and direct experience in building high-value programs in strategically important fields. His appointment marks an important step in strengthening Valerio’s execution capabilities and accelerating the development of our internal ambitions, partnerships and broader strategic roadmap.” said Jacques Mallet, Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Besin brings more than two decades of experience in drug discovery, immunology and RNA-based medicine. He most recently served as chief scientific officer of Orbital Therapeutics, a Cambridge, Mass.-based RNA medicine company acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb in December 2025 for $1.5 billion.
He later joined Bristol Myers Squibb as head of RNA and in vivo CAR-T cells and site head for the company’s Cambridge Kendall Square campus. Earlier, he served as vice president and head of discovery research at Affinivax, where he played a key role before the company’s $3.3 billion acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline in 2022.
Besin also held research and development leadership roles at In-Cell-Art, Moderna and several academic and translational research institutions, building expertise in immunology, nucleic acid therapeutics and drug discovery platform development.
“Valerio Therapeutics sits at a genuinely exciting intersection of RNA science, antibody engineering, and precision medicine, allowing a real breakthrough in target delivery – areas that I believe hold enormous, untapped potential. I am inspired by the innovative foundation the team has built and see a compelling opportunity to advance these platforms into meaningful therapies for patients. I look forward to working with the talented team at Valerio and our stakeholders to build on this foundation with discipline, creativity, and ambition,.” said Gilles Besin, Ph.D., incoming Chief Executive Officer.
Valerio said Besin’s appointment aligns with its strategic focus on RNA medicines, targeted delivery and in vivo cell therapy. The company has developed proprietary V-Body and integrated chemistry platforms, created InVimmune, its first subsidiary dedicated to in vivo cell therapy, and expanded collaboration agreements.
The company said the governance transition is expected to strengthen its ability to execute its strategic roadmap and support additional initiatives aimed at enhancing its capabilities and accelerating development.
