ANN ARBOR, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Courage Therapeutics, a company at the forefront of developing treatments for obesity and eating disorders, today announced the appointment of Giovanni Ferrara as its Chief Executive Officer. This announcement follows a significant investment earlier in May led by Arsenal Bridge Ventures, which has positioned the company to accelerate development of its promising targeted drug candidates that could further advance the treatment landscape for these conditions.
Dan Housman, founding CEO of Courage Therapeutics, will continue to actively contribute to the company’s success as a board member, leveraging his deep expertise and commitment to the vision he helped establish with co-founder Dr. Roger Cone, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Michigan.
Ferrara comes to Courage Therapeutics with a rich history of leadership in the biopharma industry, spanning from business development to venture capital to CEO. Most recently, he was the CEO of Medeor Therapeutics, where he oversaw the Phase 3 development of a cell therapy immunology product. Prior to that, he was a partner at Novartis Venture Funds (NVF), where he focused on starting companies and during which he was Founder, President and CEO of NeuroVia, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on orphan Central Nervous System diseases. During his tenure, he successfully raised money, assembled a highly efficient team, and spearheaded clinical and regulatory strategies. Ferrara joined NVF from portfolio company Sorbent Therapeutics where he was Chief Business Officer and led the company’s clinical pivot from dialysis to heart failure. Previously he was a venture capital investor where he also played a significant role in business development and leadership in portfolio companies.
“I’m excited to join Courage at what is arguably the most robust era in obesity and weight management science and medicine,” said Ferrara. “Courage offers a unique opportunity to impact a critical area where patient needs are largely unmet and look forward to working with this talented team to bring these important treatments to patients and caregivers as soon as possible.”
Courage Therapeutics’ two drug-development programs aim to address obesity and restrictive eating disorders by targeting neural circuits in the brain known as the central melanocortin (MC) system. The company discovered the substantial role that two of these proteins – the MC3 and MC4 receptors – play in regulating energy balance and food intake.
“Giovanni is a pivotal hire that frees the rest of us up to focus on advancing our drugs into the clinic as soon as possible,” said Cone. “With our new leadership – including a fully operational new Board – and essential infrastructure in place, we are able to focus on generating meaningful data and fostering service provider relationships.”
The company is raising a second seed financing tranche to further accelerate its development and scaling in partnership with Arsenal Bridge Ventures.
“Through our extensive networks of experienced biotechnology CEOs and C-suite leadership, we were able to identify and recruit Giovanni, a leader whose vision and expertise are ideally suited for Courage Therapeutics,” said Isaac Barchas, founding partner of Arsenal Bridge Ventures. “We are confident that he will adeptly guide the company through its next crucial phase of development.”
About Courage Therapeutics:
Courage Therapeutics is a pre-clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on treating obesity and eating disorders. The company is led by an experienced team of scientists and pharmaceutical industry experts focusing on developing scientific discoveries regarding the brain’s response to energy signals from the body. The company has a licensing agreement with the University of Michigan to develop treatments based on a portfolio of intellectual property jointly invented by Courage. Led by Dr. Tomi Sawyer, the Courage medicinal chemistry team has pending patents on multiple compounds with highly selective and potent MC4R and MC3R activity.
About Arsenal Bridge Ventures:
Arsenal Bridge Ventures advances high-impact, differentiated biotechnology innovations grounded in AI and new technologies originating from mid-continent universities where commercial and venture networks are less saturated and well-positioned for future growth and evolution. The firm sources opportunities through relationships with the innovators themselves, while building and scaling companies through leadership recruitment, capital deployment and syndication strategies that optimize asset value.
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