N4 Pharma plc has appointed biotechnology industry veteran Dr David H. Solomon as chief executive officer and plans to change its name to Thalia Therapeutics as it pivots towards RNA therapeutics and novel delivery technologies. Founder Nigel Theobald has stepped down as CEO and director with immediate effect to retire.
The UK-based company, currently focused on its Nuvec gene delivery platform, said it will expand its pipeline to become a therapeutic biotechnology company developing RNA-based treatments in cardiovascular disease and oncology while continuing to advance Nuvec as an RNA delivery system. The group has filed a preliminary patent application for a long-duration, dual-acting small interfering RNA (siRNA) candidate targeting PCSK9 and lipoprotein(a), both key drivers of cardiovascular risk.
N4 Pharma’s near-term strategy will center on progressing internally generated assets to value-inflection points and using resulting data to support partnering and licensing deals, which it described as a capital-disciplined approach aimed at reducing reliance on any single program. In parallel, the company is working with the University of Strathclyde to assess Nuvec’s ability to target specific cell types, which it believes will help define disease areas where the platform can be applied.
As part of the refocus, development of ECP105 under Nanogenics Limited has been paused while options are reviewed with other shareholders. The proposed name change to Thalia Therapeutics, including a new TIDM of THAT, remains subject to shareholder approval at a forthcoming general meeting.
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