Aera Therapeutics Appoints Paul Conrad, Ph.D., MBA, as Chief Business and Financial Officer

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aera Therapeutics, a biotechnology company harnessing next-generation enabling delivery technologies and precision payloads to unlock the full potential of genetic medicines, today announced the appointment of Paul Conrad, Ph.D., MBA, as chief business and financial officer. Dr. Conrad brings more than 30 years of biopharma experience and expertise spanning R&D, strategy and operations, business and corporate development, alliance management, and finance.

“We are excited to welcome Paul to the Aera team,” said Akin Akinc, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Aera. “Paul is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive, and his leadership will be key as we continue to build the company, advance our programs toward the clinic, and develop enabling delivery technologies to expand the application and impact of genetic medicines.”

“With a clear focus on next-generation delivery technologies, Aera is well-positioned to impact the landscape of genetic medicines by broadening their application across many patient populations and disease areas,” said Dr. Conrad. “I am excited to be a part of Aera’s exceptional team and look forward to contributing to the next chapter of growth for the company.”

Prior to joining Aera, Dr. Conrad served as chief business officer at NextPoint Therapeutics where he established research partnerships, secured multiple rounds of financing, and built out the company’s operations. Previously, he served as vice president and head of business development, alliance management, and pipeline strategy at bluebird bio, playing a pivotal role in expanding the company’s oncology cell therapy pipeline. Prior to bluebird, Dr. Conrad held business and corporate development roles at Shire, Baxalta and AMAG Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Conrad began his career as a biochemical engineer at Merck & Co. He holds degrees from Princeton University, University of Wisconsin – Madison, and Harvard Business School.

About Aera

Aera Therapeutics is a biotechnology company harnessing next-generation enabling delivery technologies and precision payloads to unlock the full potential of genetic medicines. Aera has two proprietary delivery platforms – lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and protein nanoparticles (PNPs) – that are being developed to enable next-generation genetic medicines across a range of therapeutic modalities and disease areas. Aera’s vision is to expand the reach of genetic medicines to different tissues and applications, in order to benefit more patients across more disease areas. Aera is headquartered in Boston and has raised $193 million to date from leading life sciences investors. To learn more, please visit www.aeratx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.