Harness Therapeutics appoints experienced biopharma exec as Chair
Harness, headquartered on Babraham Research Campus, is focused on protein upregulation to develop next generation therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. The company (formerly named Transine Therapeutics) raised an extra £4 million growth capital from existing investors last November to take its funding haul to £17.6m.
Ms Chhabra Karson brings over 20 years of experience in the global biopharmaceutical industry spanning leadership roles in both private and public large pharmaceutical as well as small biotech companies.
Her track record includes raising more than $500m in private and public capital, driving strategic transactions and delivering partnerships worth over $2 billion, meeting and accelerating value-generating milestones, as well as developing high-performing organisations.
She will lend her business, scientific and operational expertise towards helping Harness achieve its next phase of growth as it advances its oligonucleotide-based platform for controlled upregulation of CNS targets and its lead programme in Huntington’s disease.
Jan Thirkettle, CEO of Harness said: “I am delighted to welcome Meenu as our new Board Chair. Her strategic leadership, company building, and wide business development expertise, will enhance our efforts to open up the target space for neurodegenerative diseases.
“Meenu joins the company at an important time as we advance our lead Huntington’s disease programme towards the clinic and seek to broaden our portfolio based on the platform we have established over the past three years.”
Since July 2023, Ms Chhabra Karson has served as the Executive Chairperson of Samsara Therapeutics, a private preclinical-stage company developing novel therapeutics for a portfolio of neurodegenerative diseases which raised $25m in its Series A round.
Since January 2023, Ms Chhabra Karson has also served on the board of Macrogenics (MGNX) and is a member of its audit committee. Her previous board appointments include Chair of Apexigen (APGN), sold to Pyxis Oncology (PYXS); Chair of Audit Committee of Vallon, sold to GRI Biotech (GRI); and Chair of Audit Committee of Fore Bio.
She has also served as a biotech CEO for 15 years at Proteostasis Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTI) and Allozyne, Inc. and was Chief Business Officer at BioXell SpA, (SWX:BXLN). Earlier in her career, she held roles of increasing responsibility at Novartis, latterly VP Business Development.
Ms Chhabra Karson added: “With a unique approach to controlled upregulation of CNS targets we have the potential to transform the treatment of not only Huntington’s disease but potentially a broad array of neurodegenerative diseases for the benefit of patients worldwide.”
Harness is backed by leading life science investors Takeda Ventures, The Dementia Discovery Fund and Epidarex Capital.