Chris Rusconi to serve as Chief Development Officer; Steven Zelenkofske to take role of Chief Strategy Officer as DiNAQOR continues rapid growth
ZURICH-SCHLIEREN, Switzerland, January 9, 2023 – DiNAQOR, a genetic medicine platform company, today announced that it has added to its leadership team with the appointments of two veteran biotechnology executives. Chris Rusconi, Ph.D., who brings decades of experience in global pharmaceutical development, will serve as DiNAQOR’s Chief Development Officer. Steven Zelenkofske, D.O., M.S., an expert in clinical development and adaptive trial design and operations who serves on DiNAQOR’s board of directors, will assume the role of Chief Strategy Officer.
“We are fortunate to add Chris and Steve’s expertise to DiNAQOR’s leadership at such a pivotal time for our company,” said Johannes Holzmeister, M.D., Chairman and CEO of DiNAQOR. “In addition to the progress we are making on our pipeline of genetic medicines, we are operating a robust technology platform and a manufacturing subsidiary to help other biotech companies bring their innovations to market. Their industry experience will be invaluable to us as we continue to push forward on behalf of patients.”
Dr. Rusconi, an expert in leveraging platform science to create product pipelines, brings to his new role more than 20 years of biotech executive experience with both privately held and publicly traded companies and extensive global pharmaceutical development and regulatory experience. He comes to DiNAQOR from the PKD Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding treatments and a cure for polycystic kidney disease (PKD). He also served as the Chief Scientific Officer at Vitrisa Therapeutics, the founding CEO of Ribometrix, and was a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Regado Biosciences. Prior to Regado he served as Director of Research for the Program in Combinatorial Therapeutics and as an Assistant Research Professor of Surgery at Duke University Medical Center.
“Taking on a leadership role with DiNAQOR is an exciting opportunity and the beginning of a new chapter for me,” Dr. Rusconi said. “The company’s platform capabilities make it a true outlier in genetic medicine, and I look forward to helping the company stay on the leading edge as it grows rapidly.”
Dr. Zelenkofske, who will continue to serve on DiNAQOR’s board of directors, assumes the role of Chief Strategy Officer with more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical, medical device, and gene therapy industry experience and more than a decade of cardiovascular academic and clinical experience. He has been responsible for multiple NDA filings and approvals throughout his career and has held leadership positions at SwanBio Therapeutics, Achillion Pharmaceuticals, uniQure, Regado Biosciences, AstraZeneca, Sanofi-Aventis, and Boston Scientific. His work has spanned numerous therapeutic areas including neurology, immunology, hematology, cardiovascular, metabolic diseases, diabetes, and nephrology.
“I have been with DiNAQOR as a director throughout this exciting growth phase, and I look forward to taking on new responsibilities as we continue our trajectory,” Dr. Zelenkofske said. “Patients are waiting for new treatment options, and we are committed to finding solutions for these individuals and their families.”
About DiNAQOR
DiNAQOR is a genetic medicine platform company pioneering early-stage drug development and manufacturing to advance promising gene therapies to the clinic. The company’s patent-protected, industry leading platform is designed to overcome the challenges and limitations of advanced gene therapy development by using proprietary engineered heart tissue technology (EHT), a novel Loco-Regional Perfusion system (LRP) and a fully integrated manufacturing solution. The company is headquartered in Zurich-Schlieren, Switzerland, with additional presence in Hamburg, Germany and Laguna Hills, California. For more information visit www.dinaqor.com.