Aro Biotherapeutics Announces Leadership Transition and Appoints Purnanand Sarma, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer

Co-founder Susan Dillon, Ph.D., to remain as the chair of Board of Directors

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aro Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company working to develop potent, targeted short-interfering RNA (siRNA) medicines, today announced that its co-founder, Susan Dillon, Ph.D., will transition from her position as president and chief executive officer (CEO) and continue as chair of the Board of Directors and advisor to the company. As part of the planned leadership transition, Aro appointed industry veteran Purnanand Sarma, Ph.D., as the CEO and a member of the Board, effective immediately.

“We founded Aro with the vision to create a new class of targeted siRNA medicines to address significant clinical needs with a fundamentally new approach for the most intractable diseases. As we rapidly build our pipeline, with our lead program already in clinical testing in patients, we believe the time is right for new leadership to guide the next stages of Aro’s growth,” noted Dr. Dillon. “Purnanand brings deep experience in industry and a proven track record of success in drug development across multiple therapeutic areas, and in scaling platforms, to his new role at Aro Biotherapeutics. I look forward to collaborating with him and the Aro Board to realize the company’s long-term goals.”

Dr. Sarma will be responsible for the further development of Aro’s pipeline of siRNA-conjugate medications, including the company’s lead product candidate ABX1100, a novel Centyrin-GYS1 short-interfering RNA (siRNA) drug conjugate for the treatment of Pompe disease, while preparing the company for its next stage of value creation.

“I am honored to take on the leadership of Aro at this pivotal point in the company’s evolution,” said Dr. Sarma. “The company has a rare opportunity to make a significant clinical impact across multiple therapeutic areas using what I consider as a disruptive approach. I look forward to building upon the success of Sue and the rest of the Aro team to unleash the potential of a new class of siRNA drugs for a wide range of diseases, starting with their lead program in Pompe disease.”

Dr. Sarma’s pharmaceutical experience spans more than three decades, with an extensive background in drug development, from discovery through approval, and a robust track record of value creation, including initial public offerings (IPOs), mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and asset and company transactions. He has more than 13 years of experience as an operating CEO and board member for both private and public companies, most recently as CEO for Immunome (NASDAQ:IMNM).

Prior to Immunome, Dr. Sarma led TARIS Biomedical as its CEO through the sale of its first program for interstitial cystitis to Allergan, and before the company was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2019. Prior to his CEO roles, he also held positions of increasing responsibility at Cephalon Corporation, Nektar Therapeutics, and SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Sarma has a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) degree from Andhra University in Visakhapatnam, India.

“Purnanand’s unique combination of extensive strategic and operational experience, coupled with deep pharmaceutical knowledge, makes him a market-leading candidate for leadership positions across the industry,” added Kevin Raidy, Board member of Aro and senior managing director and head of Healthcare Opportunities at Blue Owl Capital. “The fact that he chose to join Aro is a validation of the exciting possibilities inherent in our platform and lead asset.”

Dr. Dillon co-founded Aro Biotherapeutics in 2018 along with Karyn O’Neil, Ph.D., the company’s chief scientific offer and co-inventor of the company’s proprietary Centyrin technology. Dr Dillon’s career has been marked by leading cross-disciplinary teams to discover and develop novel therapeutics. Prior to joining Aro, she spent 16 years at Centocor and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, leading global Immunology R&D, achieving numerous regulatory approvals for innovative antibody products for autoimmune diseases, and was named one of the “Fierce Women in Biotech” in 2013 and 2022.

About Aro Biotherapeutics

Aro Biotherapeutics is a biotechnology company working to develop potent and versatile tissue-targeted genetic medicines with a platform based on a proprietary protein technology called Centyrins. The company is developing a wholly owned pipeline of Centyrin-based therapeutic candidates for tissue-specific targeting of therapeutics for a diverse set of diseases. For more information, visit www.arobiotx.com.

About ABX1100​

ABX1100, an investigational treatment for Pompe disease, is comprised of a CD71 receptor-binding Centyrin conjugated to a short-interfering RNA (siRNA) that specifically interferes with expression of GYS1 messenger RNA (mRNA), thereby reducing levels and overall activity of the GYS1 enzyme in muscle tissues. ABX1100 was well tolerated in a recently completed Phase 1 trial conducted in normal healthy volunteers, and demonstrated durable GYS1 mRNA knockdown in muscle biopsies, supporting the potential for quarterly dosing. ABX1100 has received Orphan Drug Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease status from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).