The Best Secret Of Leen Kawas

The CEO of Athira, previously referred to as M3 Biotechnology, is Leen Kawas, once a PhD student at Washington State whose 2011 doctoral dissertation supplied figures for this laden 2011 post in JPET, which earned a correction in 2014. Previously this year, as STAT reported, Kawas was required to take a leave of absence from the company over issues that she modified images in a number of documents. And there has actually been other analysis of the company.

Co-founder and managing general partner of Propel Bio Partner, a life science investment firm focused on supporting the very best skill and most innovative technologies. formerly Co-founder of Athira Pharma and co-inventor of its lead drug prospect ATH-1017. Creator of several of the ingenious drug prospects in Athira’s pipeline. Led the technological and monetary growth of Athira, raising around $400M and taking the company through it public offering.

The board is fielding its own slate of candidates, that includes Joseph Edelman, the founder, CEO and portfolio manager of Perceptive Advisors; John M. Fluke, Jr., the head of the investment firm Fluke Capital Management; and Grant Pickering, CEO of Vaxcyte, Inc. “The company’s director candidates have the right skills and experience needed to support Athira at this important time,” the board said. “Our highest concern is advancing our lead drug candidate, fosgonimeton, through medical trials and protecting regulatory approval for the treatment of Alzheimer’s illness (AD), which affects as numerous as 35 million individuals worldwide. Under the present leadership team, Athira is performing well and providing against our target turning points.

Co-founded with Richard Kayne, a prominent Los Angeles-based property manager who was an early Athira financier, Propel Bio Partners likewise has assistance from numerous other Athira investors. Amongst them: John Fluke Jr., who stays on Athira’s board as the openly traded company pursues therapies for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s illness.

Kawas co-founded Athira (initially M3 Biotechnology) in 2011. Called Startup CEO of the Year at the 2019 GeekWire Awards, she took Athira public in 2020, as the first female to lead a company to an IPO in Washington state in more than two decades. Shares of Athira fell by more than 50% in June 2021 after Kawas was initially placed on leave from Athira as questions emerged about her research study at Washington State University. Athira stock continues to trade at half its prior peak.

Leen Kawas, the Seattle biotech officer who resigned as CEO of Athira Pharma after an examination found she had actually changed doctoral research study images that helped to form the initial basis for the company, reappeared Friday as co-founder and managing basic partner of a brand-new investment firm called Propel Bio Partners LP.

Athira Pharma is circling the wagons and urging shareholders to decline require management modification. This comes one week after investor Richard Kayne required a leadership change in order to drive the advancement and commercialization of the company’s lead Alzheimer’s disease possession, ATH-1017 (fosgonimeton). Mark Litton was tapped to function as CEO of Athira last fall following the ouster of Leen Kawas after an examination exposed that she changed images in her 2011 doctoral argumentation and in a minimum of 4 research study papers that she co-authored while a graduate student at Washington State University. In the letter, Kayne said Litton is not fit for the task.