Ribometrix Appoints Dr. Manjunath Ramarao as Senior Vice President of Research

Seasoned therapeutic developer brings over 20 years of experience managing R&D organizations and portfolio growth

DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ribometrix, a biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics that directly target RNA to treat human diseases, announced today the appointment of Manjunath (Manju) Ramarao, Ph.D., as senior vice president (SVP) in its research and development (R&D) team. Dr. Ramarao brings more than 20 years of experience leading multidisciplinary biopharmaceutical research and development teams to Ribometrix.

“Ribometrix has considerably advanced our core platform capabilities and mapped out a portfolio of compelling RNA therapeutics based on our unique structural and design capabilities,” said Michael Solomon, Ph.D., chief executive officer. “Experienced stewardship of the R&D function will be critical to continue our rapid progress across both our collaborative and in-house programs, so we welcome Dr. Ramarao and his expert guidance as we move into a new stage of growth as a leader in RNA therapeutics.”

Most recently, Dr. Ramarao held an executive position at the Biocon-Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Center (BBRC) in Bangalore, India. Serving as an executive director, site leader for research and early development and head of discovery biology and translational medicine, his portfolio of responsibilities included managing scientific strategy, oversight of a wide range of preclinical programs and platforms, and management of the large R&D organization. Research under his oversight spanned multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, fibrosis and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Ramarao joined BBRC at its inception in 2009, and in close collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) U.S., he was instrumental in building a world class research center with state-of-the-art capabilities and talent recruited from across the world.

Prior to his roles at BBRC, Dr. Ramarao worked for eight years at Pfizer (Wyeth) in Cambridge, MA, leading biology programs in immunology and pain. Dr. Ramarao received his BSc and MSc from Bangalore University, India, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. His post-graduate experience included a post-doctoral fellowship and an instructor position at Harvard Medical School.

About Ribometrix

Ribometrix is a biotechnology company pioneering a completely new class of small molecule therapeutics that directly target and modulate the function of RNA to treat human diseases. Ribometrix leverages its world-leading expertise in three-dimensional structural analysis of RNA to drive its discovery platform for the identification of novel small molecules that modulate the function of RNA and proteins associated with human disease. Ribometrix has established collaborations with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which leverage Ribometrix’s discovery platform. Ribometrix is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.