VectivBio

Transforming Lives

About Us

VectivBio AG is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on rare conditions with a well-defined biology that can be targeted with transformational therapeutics.

VectivBio was formed in 2019 as a spinout from Therachon, a biotechnology company acquired by Pfizer for its program in achondroplasia, with the ambition to continue to have an impact on people’s lives by bringing transformational medicines to patients with serious rare conditions.

The company is led by a world-class leadership team with deep expertise in rare diseases and a track record of success in R&D, commercialization and business development for innovative products targeting orphan conditions with major unmet medical need. The company is drawing on the expertise of its founders as it continues building a portfolio of rare disease medicines while advancing its lead program for Short Bowel Syndrome.

Our Mission

We are building a global, fully integrated company to become a Global Rare Disease Leader.

Our Vision

We aim to bring Transformational Medicines to Patients with Rare Diseases.

Thomas F. Woiwode
Thomas F. Woiwode, Ph.D.
Board Member and Chair

Tom Woiwode, Ph.D. has been with Versant Ventures since
2002, serving as a Venture Partner since 2008 and a Managing Director since
2014.

Dr. Woiwode has served in a number of operating roles
over this time, most recently as the Chief Operating Officer of Okairos, a
biopharmaceutical company developing genetic vaccines for major infectious
diseases. He led the process that culminated in the sale of Okairos to
GlaxoSmithKline for $325M. Prior to his role with Okairos, Dr. Woiwode
co-founded EuroVentures, a wholly owned biotech incubator within Versant
Ventures, and in this role, served as the founding Chief Business Officer for
three biotech companies created within Versant: Flexion (public), Synosia
(public, merged with BioTie), and Amira (acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb for
up to $475M). Prior to his role as a Venture Partner, Tom was a Principal at
Versant Ventures and served on the boards of Antipodean, Metabolex and Saegis.
Tom was a research scientist at XenoPort before joining Versant. Tom earned his
PhD in Organic Chemistry as an NSF Fellow at Stanford University and graduated
summa cum laude with a BA in English and received the Departmental Citation for
his B.S. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley. Tom currently serves on the boards of
Annapurna, Anokion, Audentes, CRISPR, Gritstone and VectivBio.

Close

Stephen Squinto
Stephen Squinto, Ph.D.
Board Member

Stephen Squinto, Ph.D., is a Venture Partner with OrbiMed who brings over 25 years of biotechnology industry experience.

Dr. Squinto was a co-founder of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and recently served as its Executive Vice President and Chief Global Operations Officer. Prior to 2013, he was Alexion’s Global Head of Research and Development. From 1988 to 1992, Dr. Squinto held various positions at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to Regeneron, he held a joint academic position at both the Tulane University and LSU Medical Schools. He is a recipient of numerous honors and awards from academic and professional organizations for his scientific work. Dr. Squinto received his B.A. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Loyola University of Chicago.

Close

Naveed Siddiqi
Naveed Siddiqi, M.D.
Board Member

Naveed Siddiqi, M.D., is a Partner at Novo Ventures. He brings more than 20 years of experience in life science venture investments and investment banking.

Most recently, he was Partner at Andera Partners, a Paris based venture capital and growth equity firm with over Î2 billion under management, focusing on life science investing.  Prior to that, he worked for Nomura Phase4 Ventures, Nomura International, EFG Corporate Finance, KPMG and as a medical doctor in the UK’s National Health Service. In his prior firms, Dr. Siddiqi served on several life science company boards in both Europe and the U.S. 

Dr. Siddiqi obtained his M.D. from Guy’s and St. Thomas’s Hospital Medical School (now King’s College London). Later, he also qualified as a chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales.

Dr. Siddiqi will be elected on January 21, 2020.

Close

Luca Santarelli
Luca Santarelli, M.D.
Chief Executive Officer and Board Member

Dr. Luca Santarelli is the Chief Executive Officer, co-founder and board member of VectivBio. Dr. Santarelli has more than 20 years of experience in academic and industrial R&D, having led drug programs in the areas of neuroscience, rare diseases, ophthalmology, metabolic and G.I., spanning the value chain from discovery research to commercialization. Most recently, Dr. Santarelli served as Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Therachon AG. Therachon was focused on the discovery and development of therapeutics for rare pediatric conditions, and was acquired by Pfizer, Inc., in 2019 for $810 million.

Prior to Therachon, he spent 12 years at Roche, most recently serving as the Senior Vice President and Head of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Rare Diseases, as well as Small Molecule Research at Roche in Switzerland. In this capacity, he advanced over 20 NMEs to the clinic and various NMEs to registration studies including ocrelizumab in Multiple Sclerosis, gantenerumab in Alzheimer’s disease, balovaptan in Autism, risdiplam in Spinal Muscular Atrophy and faricimab in Diabetic Macular Edema and Age-related Macular Degeneration. During this period, he also catalyzed the creation of Synosia and Clementia, two companies built from Roche’s asset spin-offs, and led the company to multiple in-licensing deals.

Previously, he was a faculty at Columbia University and a co-founder of BrainCells Inc., a company focused on the discovery of novel antidepressants that are able to stimulate the growth of new neurons, with Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, Rene Hen and Fred Gage.

Dr. Santarelli completed his M.D. and Psychiatry Residency at the University of Turin, Italy, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and adult brain stem cells. His work has been published in high impact journals including Nature, Science, Nature Neuroscience, Archives of Neurology and JAMA Psychiatry.

Close

Hans Schikan
Hans Schikan
Board Member

Hans Schikan currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for InteRNA (Netherlands) and Complix (Belgium), in addition to serving on the boards of Dutch Pharvaris and Swedish public companies SOBI and Vicore Pharma. Furthermore, he is a member of the Top Team of the Dutch Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (Netherlands).

Previously, Hans Schikan was the CEO of Prosensa, which used RNA modulating treatments to treat rare diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. During his time at Prosensa, he oversaw the listing of the company on Nasdaq and the conclusion of an M&A deal with BioMarin for up to $840 million. Prior to that, Hans Schikan held senior positions in Global Marketing and Strategic Development at Genzyme and leadership roles at Organon. Hans Schikan received his Pharm.D. from the University of Utrecht (Netherlands). He previously served on the boards of Wilson Therapeutics (acquired by Alexion), Therachon (acquired by Pfizer), Asceneuron and Hansa Biopharma.

Close

Chahra Louafi
Chahra Louafi
Board Member

Chahra Louafi is Senior Investment Director at Bpifrance.

Prior to its acquisition by Bpifrance in 2013, she spent 12 years at CDC Entreprises leading its investments in biotherapies and rare disease funds. Before joining CDC Entreprises, she led project development and entrepreneurship in a private incubator specializing in biotechnology.

She is Chairman of Inserm Transfert Initiative and currently serves on the Boards of numerous biopharmaceutical companies including Eyevensys S.A.S., Sensorion SA, Pixium Vision SA, Gecko Biomedical SAS and ENYO Pharma SAS.

Ms. Louafi earned an M.A. in Technology and Innovation Management from Paris Dauphine University, M.A. in Corporate Finance from Paris Nanterre University and M.Sc. in Microbiology and Enzymatic Engineering from the Institut National Agronomique de Paris – Grignon.

Close

Luca Santarelli
Luca Santarelli, M.D.
Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Luca Santarelli is the Chief Executive Officer, co-founder and board member of VectivBio. Dr. Santarelli has more than 20 years of experience in academic and industrial R&D, having led drug programs in the areas of neuroscience, rare diseases, ophthalmology, metabolic and G.I., spanning the value chain from discovery research to commercialization. Most recently, Dr. Santarelli served as Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Therachon AG. Therachon was focused on the discovery and development of therapeutics for rare pediatric conditions, and was acquired by Pfizer, Inc., in 2019 for $810 million.

Prior to Therachon, he spent 12 years at Roche, most recently serving as the Senior Vice President and Head of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Rare Diseases, as well as Small Molecule Research at Roche in Switzerland. In this capacity, he advanced over 20 NMEs to the clinic and various NMEs to registration studies including ocrelizumab in Multiple Sclerosis, gantenerumab in Alzheimer’s disease, balovaptan in Autism, risdiplam in Spinal Muscular Atrophy and faricimab in Diabetic Macular Edema and Age-related Macular Degeneration. During this period, he also catalyzed the creation of Synosia and Clementia, two companies built from Roche’s asset spin-offs, and led the company to multiple in-licensing deals.

Previously, he was a faculty at Columbia University and a co-founder of BrainCells Inc., a company focused on the discovery of novel antidepressants that are able to stimulate the growth of new neurons, with Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, Rene Hen and Fred Gage.

Dr. Santarelli completed his M.D. and Psychiatry Residency at the University of Turin, Italy, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and adult brain stem cells. His work has been published in high impact journals including Nature, Science, Nature Neuroscience, Archives of Neurology and JAMA Psychiatry.

Close

Tim Anderson
Tim Anderson
Board Member

Tim Anderson is a Partner and Managing Director of Cowen Healthcare Investments. He focuses on investments in biotechnology and digital medicine companies that have the potential to meaningfully address serious medical conditions. Mr. Anderson is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Cadent Therapeutics, Compass Therapeutics and VectivBio Holding. Mr. Anderson previously served as a Board Member or Observer of Precision Biosciences, Therachon and Livongo Health.

Close

Claudia D’Augusta
Claudia D’Augusta, Ph.D.
Chief Financial Officer

Dr. Claudia D’Augusta has over 20 years of experience in the field of corporate finance, capital markets and M&A.

She was most recently Chief Financial Officer of Therachon prior to its acquisition by Pfizer in early July 2019. Previously she served as General Manager at TiGenix after its acquisition by Takeda. Prior to this appointment, Claudia was Chief Financial Officer of TiGenix, where she led the company’s IPO on Nasdaq in 2016, served as a member of the Executive Committee and held responsibility for the Finance, Legal and Investor Relations areas. She also served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cellerix and led its merger with TiGenix, a company listed on Euronext. Before joining Cellerix in 2004, Claudia was Finance Director of Aquanima (Santander Group). Previous experiences include Deloitte & Touche in Milan and Apax Partners in Madrid.

Dr. Augusta holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Bocconi University, Italy.

Close

Christian Meyer
Christian Meyer, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Development Officer

Christian Meyer, M.D. Ph.D., is the Chief Development Officer of VectivBio, bringing more than 20 years of international rare disease drug development leadership and entrepreneurship to the company.

Throughout his career, Dr. Meyer has held several executive positions in rare disease biotech companies, most recently as the Chief Development Officer of Therachon AG, where he was instrumental in supporting the clinical development of recifercept (TA-46) until its acquisition by Pfizer. Prior to Therachon, he served as Chief Medical Officer at uniQure N.V. where he supported Glybera, the first gene therapy ever approved and was instrumental in the pivotal development of etranacogene dezaparvovec. At Zymenex A/S he was instrumental in the clinical development of Metazyme prior to its acquisition by Shire. Since the beginning of his career at Novo Nordisk A/S, he has been active in the rare disease space including senior leadership positions at Symphogen A/S and Cardoz AB. Before entering the pharmaceutical industry, he held numerous academic and hospital positions.

Dr. Meyer received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Copenhagen.

Close

Behrad Derakhshan
Behrad Derakhshan, Ph.D.
Chief Business Officer

Dr. Behrad Derakhshan is Chief Business Officer of VectivBio. Dr. Derakhshan brings more than 10 years of experience in the rare/ultra-rare disease space.

Most recently, Dr. Derakhshan served as Vice President, Head of Business Development at Therachon prior to its acquisition by Pfizer, Inc. Prior to Therachon, he was a Director at Alexion Pharmaceuticals responsible for Business Development and Strategic Evaluation. In this role, he reviewed and evaluated numerous opportunities for potential in-licensing or acquisitions. Prior to this role, Dr. Derakhshan served as the Director of New Products, leading Global Commercial Insights and Analytics, also at Alexion, where he provided commercial support for both early stage development and late stage life cycle programs for Alexion’s internal portfolio as well as external Business Development opportunities.

Prior to Alexion, Dr. Derakhshan spent several years in life science consulting, first as a Senior Consultant at Easton Associates and then as an Associate Director at Navigant Consulting, Inc. Dr. Derakhshan provided consulting services to numerous Top 20 pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology companies, including business development/opportunity searches, corporate and commercial strategies, payer/reimbursement strategies and strategic product development.

Dr. Derakhshan conducted his postdoctoral training at the Yale University School of Medicine and earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Biochemistry from a joint program between Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and the University of Surrey, UK. While at Cornell, he was the recipient of an “International Young Investigator Award” for research performed during his graduate degree. He received a First-Class Honors BSc. with distinction in Biochemistry from the University of Surrey.

Close

Alain Bernard
Alain Bernard, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Alain Bernard is Chief Technology Officer of VectivBio and brings more than 30 years of experience in bioprocess development to the company.

Prior to joining VectivBio, Dr. Bernard served as Head of Global Biotech Process Development at R-Pharm and Vice President of Biopharmaceutical Process Sciences at UCB. During the 10 years spent at UCB, he oversaw process development for all new chemical and biological entities. He contributed to launching several biotech and small molecules into commercial phases and lifecycle management of marketed products. Prior to UCB, Dr. Bernard served as Director of Biotech Process Development at Merck Serono where he was responsible for the biotechnology process developments that delivered several improved processes for strategic products. He began his career at Biogen, Geneva, a site that was transitioned to the Glaxo-Wellcome Institute of Molecular Biology.

Dr. Bernard earned his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from a joint program between AgroParisTech in France and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S.

Close

Martine Mazzetti
Martine Mazzetti, MsPharm
Head of Project Leadership and Principal to the CEO

Martine Mazzetti is Head of Project Leadership and Principal to the CEO at VectivBio. She brings more than 30 years of experience as a pharmaceutical executive in drug development across multiple therapeutic areas, including orphan diseases.

Most recently, Martine served as Global Head of IMED Project & Portfolio Management at AstraZeneca, a department she was integral in building. Prior to AstraZeneca, she held positions of increasing responsibility at Roche for 20 years including Global Head of Project Management Early Development (pRED). Martine began her career as Regulatory Head for Clinical Nutrition at Salvia (Boehringer Mannheim Group) in Germany later acquired by Clintec (Nestlé-Baxter joint venture) where she successfully led the worldwide registration of new enteral, parenteral products and several medical devices.

Martine Mazzetti studied Biological Engineering at Paris XII and earned her PharmD at the University of Saarbrücken, Germany.

Close