CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Scholar Rock, a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing drugs that selectively target supracellular activation of growth factors in the disease microenvironment, today announced the appointment of Yung H. Chyung, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Chyung has previously held significant leadership roles at Dyax Corp. and Genzyme Corporation. He has a wide range of expertise in clinical trials, translational medicine and medical affairs, involving drug candidates in development as well as approved products.
"I am excited to join Scholar Rock as the company continues to realize its vision of building a premier biotechnology company that makes a meaningful impact on the lives of patients."
"Yung has an impressive track record of driving innovative medicines forward, and his expertise is ideally suited to Scholar Rock as we prepare to advance product candidates from our pipeline towards clinical testing," said Nagesh Mahanthappa, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Scholar Rock. "We are thrilled to bring Yung's exceptional experience across all aspects of drug development to realizing the potential of our novel modulators of supracellular activation to treat a variety of diseases with high unmet medical need."
Dr. Chyung most recently served as Vice President of Medical Research at Dyax Corp., where he successfully led the clinical program for DX-2930 (a monoclonal antibody being investigated for the prevention of hereditary angioedema attacks) to proof of concept, resulting in FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation and the opportunity to proceed directly from Phase 1b to a pivotal Phase 3 trial. While at Dyax, Dr. Chyung also was the medical lead for Kalbitor® (approved in the U.S. for treatment of hereditary angioedema attacks) as well as other product candidates in development. Prior to working at Dyax, Dr. Chyung was responsible for medical affairs efforts globally at Genzyme Corporation for multiple approved products for rare genetic diseases.
Dr. Chyung earned his MD from Harvard Medical School and completed his internal medicine residency and allergy and immunology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. He holds an AB in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College.
"I believe that Scholar Rock's novel approach of targeting supracellular activation holds tremendous potential for addressing a range of serious diseases in need of new treatment options," said Dr. Chyung. "I am excited to join Scholar Rock as the company continues to realize its vision of building a premier biotechnology company that makes a meaningful impact on the lives of patients."
About Scholar Rock
Scholar Rock is a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing a novel class of biologic therapies that target supracellular activation of growth factors in the disease microenvironment. The Company's initial proprietary and partnered drug discovery programs target specific growth factors which are present in the microenvironments of significant diseases, including fibrosis, musculoskeletal diseases, immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases. Scholar Rock was founded upon discoveries made by its scientific founders, Professors Timothy Springer, PhD, and Leonard Zon, MD, of Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, related to the molecular mechanisms of supracellular activation. The company is backed by leading investors, including Polaris Partners, Timothy Springer, ARCH Venture Partners, Fidelity Investments, EcoR1 Capital, The Kraft Group, and Cormorant Asset Management.
Kalbitor® is a registered trademark of Dyax Corp.
Contacts
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