Libra Therapeutics Appoints Gene Kinney, Ph.D., Chairperson of the Company’s Board of Directors
SAN DIEGO, March 11, 2024 – Libra Therapeutics, Inc., a private biotech developing novel therapeutics to restore cellular balance and stop neurodegeneration, today announced the appointment of Gene Kinney, Ph.D., as Chairperson of the Company’s Board of Directors. Dr. Kinney is a highly respected R&D pharmaceutical executive and has more than 30 years of experience overseeing portfolio strategy, leading R&D teams, and supporting pipeline development.
“Gene’s exceptional expertise as a neuroscientist combined with his deep experience in leading and operating biotech companies has been invaluable to Libra,” said Isaac Veinbergs, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Libra Therapeutics. “As a Board Director, he’s guided Libra through key program development milestones, and I am pleased to welcome him as Board Chairperson as we advance our programs to the clinic.”
“I’ve been impressed with the depth of scientific rigor and understanding that informs Libra’s differentiated small molecule approach that is designed to enhance autophagy and lysosomal biogenesis,” said Dr. Kinney. “Increasing the body’s natural ability to break down and clear toxic proteins and dysfunctional organelles, as well as to reduce the production of new neurotoxic proteins offers the exciting potential to treat a number of neurodegenerative disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and more.”
Since 2016, Dr. Kinney has served as the President, CEO, and Director of Prothena Corporation, where he is a member of its founding leadership team. Prior to being appointed to these roles, he held the positions of Chief Operating Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, and Head of Research and Development. Before joining Prothena, Dr. Kinney held positions with Elan Pharmaceuticals Inc., including Senior Vice President of Pharmacological Sciences and Vice President, Pharmacology. During that time, Dr. Kinney also served as Head of Nonclinical Research for Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy. Before joining Elan, Dr. Kinney held several senior positions at Merck & Co. and Bristol Myers Squibb and was an Assistant Professor at the Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Kinney earned his B.A. from Bloomsburg University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Florida Atlantic University.
About Libra Therapeutics
Libra Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing novel disease-modifying therapeutics to restore disrupted cellular balance in lysosome function and autophagy with the potential to slow the disease progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Libra’s therapeutic platform is uniquely positioned to discover and develop novel small molecule drugs that can both increase autophagy to more rapidly clear toxic proteins and dysfunctional machinery, as well as reduce the production of neurotoxic proteins. The Company’s lead program targets TRPML1, a regulator of autophagy and lysosome function, and Libra is advancing additional small molecule programs for C9orf72 transcriptional modification and Ran translation inhibition. For more information, visit www.libratherapeutics.com.
Contacts:
Company: Isaac Veinbergs, Ph.D., info@libratherapeutics.com
Media: Jessica Yingling, Ph.D., Little Dog Communications, jessica@litldog.com, +1.858.344.8091
