Escient Pharmaceuticals Names Svetlana Makhni as Chief Financial Officer

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Escient Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage, industry-leading platform company developing Mas-related G Protein-Coupled Receptor (MRGPR)-targeted drugs to address serious, unserved medical needs across a broad range of therapeutic indications, today announced the appointment of Svetlana Makhni as Chief Financial Officer effective May 3, 2021. Ms. Makhni will oversee Escient’s finance, accounting, legal, human resources, and administrative operations.

“Svetlana is a seasoned financial professional who brings a strong background in corporate finance, investment banking, and business operations to Escient, and we are very pleased to welcome her to the team,” said Alain Baron, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Escient. “She’s joining us at a critical juncture in our company’s journey. We have made tremendous progress leveraging the unique and proprietary insights of our platform and are focused on accelerating the advancement of our first-in-class MRGPR programs in and toward the clinic.”

“Led by a respected and experienced management team, Escient’s pioneering work in MRGPR-targeted science, and its broad potential across various indications is what drew me to the company,” said Ms. Makhni. “This promises to be an exciting time for Escient as the company expects to announce clinical progress across multiple programs over the next 18 months.”

Ms. Makhni joins Escient from Bierman ABA, a leading national provider of behavioral health services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, where she served as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Operations. Prior to joining Bierman, she was a Director at BMO Capital Markets in the healthcare investment banking group. Additionally, she has held positions at Goldman Sachs, Westbrook Partners, and The Blackstone Group. Ms. Makhni holds a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

About Escient Pharmaceuticals

Escient Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage, industry-leading platform biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of first-in-class Mas-Related G Protein-Coupled Receptor (MRGPR)-targeted drugs to address serious, unserved medical needs across a broad range of therapeutic indications. Based in San Diego, Calif., Escient is led by an experienced team of biotechnology entrepreneurs with specific expertise in GPCR drug discovery and development, and funded by top-tier life science investors, including The Column Group, 5AM Ventures, Sanofi Ventures, Cowen Healthcare Investors, Redmile Group, Perceptive Advisors, Osage University Partners and Altitude Life Science Ventures.

Visit www.escientpharma.com to learn more.