Velia Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of a new generation of protein-based therapeutics that address the underlying causes of difficult-to-treat diseases, today announced that Michael York has joined the organization as chief business officer. Mr. York will lead business development, research collaborations and strategic planning to drive growth of the company’s microprotein-based pipeline of transformative therapeutics.
“I am pleased to welcome Michael to Velia as chief business officer, where he will play a critical role in our portfolio planning efforts to prioritize microproteins that we’ve identified hidden in the dark matter of the human proteome,” said John McHutchison, AO, MD, president and chief executive officer at Velia Therapeutics. “His extensive experience across numerous disease states and companies of varying sizes, as well as success in spearheading business development efforts, make him an invaluable addition to the company as we execute on our mission to identify novel drug targets and develop first-in-class therapies. I look forward to what we will accomplish together in the coming years.”
Mr. York has more than 30 years of experience in business development, corporate strategy, and commercial leadership across a breadth of therapeutic categories. He has a proven track record of identifying, structuring, and closing a range of strategic transactions and research collaborations and has raised private and public capital, including supporting an IPO. Most recently, Mr. York was CEO at Metacrine, and has held senior leadership positions at PhaseBio, Orexigen, and Sente Labs. Earlier in his career, he held roles of increasing responsibility at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Santarus, Amgen, AstraZeneca, and Merck. Mr. York received an MBA from the University of Redlands and a B.A. in public administration and economics from San Diego State University.
“I am thrilled with the unique opportunity at Velia Therapeutics to help grow the company into the industry leader in microprotein discovery and protein-based therapeutic development in diseases where patients require innovative therapeutic interventions,” said Mr. York. “There is a strong foundation for success, as the company was founded by globally recognized scientific leaders and funded by top tier venture capital groups with sufficient capital to propel the success of its priority business initiatives. I am drawn to opportunities that have the potential to positively impact patient lives, and I could not be more excited to join the team at Velia as we leverage our proprietary, industry-leading platform in novel microproteins to advance our most-promising pipeline programs.”
About Velia Therapeutics
Velia Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of a new generation of protein-based therapeutics that address the underlying causes of difficult-to-treat diseases. The company is the scientific leader in identifying disease-relevant microproteins hidden in the dark matter of the human proteome. Harnessing its proprietary platform technology and unique expertise in microprotein discovery, Velia is focused on uncovering new drug targets and developing first-in-class therapies for cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other diseases. The company’s innovative technology for identifying novel protein coding sequences in the proteome is based upon the seminal work of its world-renowned scientific founders, Eric Olson, PhD, Alan Saghatelian, PhD, Richard Scheller, PhD, and Jonathan Weissman, PhD; all recognized leaders in protein biology. Led by an experienced management team and funded by top-tier venture groups, the company is poised to break new ground in protein-based therapeutics to transform medical care and improve patients’ lives. More information about Velia Therapeutics is available at www.veliatx.com and on LinkedIn.
