Foghorn® Therapeutics appoints Carl P. Decicco, Ph.D. as Chief Scientific Officer
Decicco also to become Venture Partner at Flagship Pioneering
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Foghorn® Therapeutics Inc. (Foghorn), a discoverer and developer of new medicines based on insights into genetic mutations in the chromatin regulatory system, and Flagship Pioneering, a unique life science innovation enterprise, today announced the appointment of Carl P. Decicco, Ph.D., as Foghorn’s new chief scientific officer (CSO). A pioneer in biopharmaceutical research and development for nearly 30 years, Dr. Decicco most recently served as head of discovery at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS).
During his career, Dr. Decicco has played a central role in the advancement of more than 200 compounds and in the approval of more than 20 drugs, including groundbreaking medicines such as Daklinza®, Sunvepra®, Ximency®, Eliquis®, Onglyza®, Farxiga® and Sprycel®. Dr. Decicco started his industrial career with DuPont-Merck and following the acquisition of DuPont Pharma by BMS, became the head of discovery chemistry in 2001. Carl ascended in positions of increasing responsibility and was appointed to head of discovery at BMS in 2013.
“We are delighted to add Carl’s extensive scientific talent and experience to Foghorn’s leadership team,” said Adrian Gottschalk, chief executive officer of Foghorn Therapeutics. “Through our Gene Traffic Control™ product platform, Foghorn is advancing a major new class of medicines targeting breakdowns in the chromatin regulatory system. Carl’s unparalleled track record of success in drug discovery and development will accelerate our efforts to translate the vast potential of our Gene Traffic Control product platform into new treatments for cancer and other serious diseases.”
In addition to being appointed as Foghorn’s CSO, Dr. Decicco will also serve as a venture partner at Flagship Pioneering. “The addition of a drug-discovery luminary like Carl to Foghorn’s leadership team is further validation of the promise of Foghorn’s platform to drive therapeutic innovations based on its singular and proprietary ability to study the chromatin regulatory system in context,” said Doug Cole, Foghorn Therapeutics co-founder, board chairman and Flagship Pioneering managing partner. “In cancer alone, chromatin dysregulation occurs in more than 25 percent of forms of the disease, making it a robust area of drug exploration and one where Carl’s unsurpassed talents as a ‘drug hunter’ will be perfectly suited.”
“The potential of Foghorn’s Gene Traffic Control product platform to create transformational new medicines is rarely seen and exhilarating to me personally,” stated Dr. Decicco. “I am honored to help build upon the great successes already achieved by Foghorn’s talented scientific founders and internal team in advancing this platform and to play a role in driving forward the company’s promising programs for the benefit of patients.”
Dr. Decicco obtained his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Guelph-Waterloo Center in Ontario, Canada. He completed his post-doctoral studies at Harvard University, and was a teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. He has authored or co-authored 105 publications in peer-reviewed journals and is a co-inventor on 26 patents.
About Foghorn Therapeutics
A Flagship Pioneering company, Foghorn Therapeutics was founded in 2016 by Cigall Kadoch, Ph.D., Gerald Crabtree, M.D., and Doug Cole, M.D., of Flagship Pioneering. With its Gene Traffic Control product platform, Foghorn Therapeutics is discovering and developing a new major class of medicines targeting genetic mutations ion the chromatin regulatory system.
Foghorn Therapeutics is pursuing an entirely new approach to regulating and controlling gene expression. The company has a broad platform based on its unique understanding of the biology of the chromatin regulatory system. The chromatin regulatory system orchestrates the location, sequence, and timing of gene expression in cells. Over 25% of cancer has a mutation or breakdown in this system. Chromatin dysregulation is also implicated in neurological, autoimmune, and other serious diseases.
With its Gene Traffic Control product platform, Foghorn is discovering novel targets and rapidly advancing a diverse pipeline of drugs across a wide range of cancers. Learn more about Foghorn at www.foghorntx.com.
About Flagship Pioneering
Flagship Pioneering conceives, creates, resources, and develops first-in-category life sciences companies to transform human health and sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, the firm has applied a unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $30 billion in aggregate value. To date, Flagship has attracted $2.5 billion of aggregate capital commitments, of which over $1.4 billion has been deployed toward the founding and growth of its pioneering companies alongside $10 billion of follow-on investments from other institutions. The current Flagship ecosystem includes public companies such as Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DNLI), Evelo Biosciences (NASDAQ: EVLO), Moderna Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MRNA), Rubius Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RUBY), Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), and Syros Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SYRS), as well as private companies such as CiBO Technologies, Codiak BioSciences, and Indigo Agriculture. To learn more about Flagship Pioneering, please visit our website: www.FlagshipPioneering.com.
Contacts
Foghorn Therapeutics Media Contacts
Fanny Cavalié, Foghorn Therapeutics
+1 (617) 238-4954
fcavalie@foghorntx.com
Greg Kelley, Ogilvy
+1 (404) 836-2302
Gregory.kelley@ogilvy.com
Flagship Pioneering Media Contact
Genevieve Gadenne, Flagship Pioneering
+1 (617) 868-1888
media@flagshippioneering.com