Redwood City, Calif. — Juvena Therapeutics Inc. appointed Julie Anne Smith as Chief Executive Officer and a member of its Board of Directors as the clinical-stage biotechnology company advances its lead biologic, JUV-161, through Phase 2 development.
Smith brings more than two decades of leadership experience in rare disease, neuromuscular and autoimmune therapeutics. She most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Nuvig Therapeutics, a clinical-stage autoimmune company.
Juvena said Smith joins as JUV-161 is enrolling participants in a Phase 2a atrophy study. The candidate has received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for myotonic dystrophy and was discovered using JuvNET, the company’s AI-enabled platform for mapping the therapeutic potential of stem cell-secreted proteins.
The company is also working with Eli Lilly and Company under a global licensing and multi-target research collaboration focused on additional muscle and metabolic health programs using the JuvNET platform.
“Juvena has built something rare: a discovery platform that sits at the intersection of biology, AI, and clinical translation, with an exciting asset already in the clinic,” Smith said. “I’ve spent my career on therapies that change the trajectory of disease for people with few or no options. JUV-161 can do that for people living with progressive muscle disease.”
Stephen Juelsgaard, DVM, JD, Independent Director of Juvena Therapeutics, said Smith’s experience leading clinical-stage companies and building teams made her well suited to guide the company through its next phase.
“With Phase 1 completed and our Lilly collaboration adding momentum, this is the right moment to bring in a CEO with Julie’s caliber of leadership, and we are confident she is the right person to take Juvena through this next stage of growth,” Juelsgaard said.
Before joining Nuvig Therapeutics, Smith served as President and Chief Executive Officer of ESCAPE Bio, which focused on therapies for genetic neurodegeneration. She previously led Raptor Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded orphan disease company that was acquired by Horizon Pharmaceuticals in 2016.
Earlier in her career, Smith held commercial and operational leadership roles at Enobia Pharma, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Genzyme and Bristol-Myers Squibb. She currently serves on the boards of Stoke Therapeutics and Exelixis.
Juvena said it is scheduled to present at Morgan Stanley’s 24th Annual Global Healthcare Conference on Sept. 16.
