LEXINGTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fractyl Health, an organ editing metabolic therapeutics company focused on pioneering a new approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D), today announced the appointment of Kelly Barnes to the company’s board of directors.
Kelly Barnes has a storied 30+ year career as a visionary, forward-thinking, and transformational leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). She will join Fractyl Health’s board, bringing her depth of audit experience, thought leadership in healthcare innovation, and exceptional communications skills to bear, as the company progresses its novel therapeutic approaches to one of the most burdensome diseases of our time.
“Type 2 diabetes is an urgent health care crisis that is exploding globally. New approaches that can change the trajectory of this disease are sorely needed in order for us to be able to improve the health of our society,” said Ms. Barnes. “I am thrilled to join the Fractyl Health board as it works to fulfill its mission.”
“We are witnessing an exciting and important time in how we understand and treat type 2 diabetes, with a shift from chronic blood sugar management to therapeutic approaches targeting the disease’s root cause and aiming to modify the progression of disease,” said Harith Rajagopalan M.D., Ph.D., Fractyl Health Co-Founder and CEO. “Kelly’s experience in leading healthcare transformation will be a crucial asset on our board as we advance the development of our therapies for T2D.”
Kelly Barnes is a retired partner from PwC. Ms. Barnes worked at PwC from 1988 to 2020, most recently serving as Global Health Industries Leader from 2018-2020 and as US Health Industries Leader from 2009-2020. Ms. Barnes currently serves on the board of directors of Included Health and is a member of the Executive Advisory Board for the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. She earned a B.S. in business administration and an MSA in accounting from the University of Arkansas.
About Fractyl Health
Fractyl Health is focused on pioneering a new approach to the treatment of T2D. Despite advances in treatment over the last 50 years, metabolic diseases in general, and T2D in particular, continue to be a principal and rapidly growing driver of morbidity and mortality in the 21st century. Fractyl Health’s goal is to transform T2D treatment from chronic blood glucose management to disease-modifying therapies that target the organ-level root causes of the disease. Fractyl Health’s lead product candidate, Revita, is designed to remodel the duodenal lining via hydrothermal ablation (i.e., duodenal mucosal resurfacing) in order to edit abnormal intestinal nutrient sensing and signaling mechanisms that are a potential root cause of metabolic diseases. Revita is for investigational use only in the US and received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA. Fractyl Health is a private organ-editing metabolic therapeutics company based in Lexington, MA. For more information, visit www.fractyl.com or www.twitter.com/FractylHealth.
