Dianthus Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to advancing the next generation of antibody complement therapeutics, today announced the appointment of Adam Veness, Esq., as General Counsel. Joining Dianthus most recently from Cyteir Therapeutics, Veness spent much of his career as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Acceleron Pharma Inc. prior to the acquisition by Merck in November 2021. During his tenure at Acceleron, Veness gained experience in roles of increasing responsibility where he served on the Executive Committee responsible for company strategy, and he led all aspects of global legal and compliance, including capital markets and SEC reporting obligations, corporate governance, contracts, intellectual property, employment matters, and data privacy.
“We are excited to welcome Adam to the Dianthus team at such a pivotal time for the company,” said Marino Garcia, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dianthus Therapeutics. “Adam’s proven track record in helping develop and implement corporate strategy and successfully leading the legal and compliance functions in public life science companies will be invaluable as we expect to transition to a public company in the third quarter of this year. I am looking forward to working with Adam and to his contributions as we continue to build an exciting biotech company.”
Prior to moving in-house to the biotechnology industry, Veness was a corporate and securities attorney at the law firm Mintz Levin where he represented and counseled public and private companies in the biopharmaceutical, technology, and healthcare industries. He began his legal career at a boutique litigation firm representing companies and individuals in a variety of civil litigation matters. Veness earned a B.A. in political science and philosophy from Tulane University, and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
“I am thrilled to join Dianthus as the company embarks on this exciting chapter of growth,” said Adam Veness, Esq., General Counsel of Dianthus Therapeutics. “I have been impressed with the quality of the science and the caliber of the Dianthus management team, board of directors, and investors. The team’s dedication to improving the lives of people with severe autoimmune disease has been inspiring, and their impressive achievements over a short period of time exemplify their sense of urgency in bringing potentially best-in-class therapies to these patients with high unmet need. I look forward to working with Marino and the entire Dianthus team as we are poised to cross the threshold into the public markets.”
About DNTH103
DNTH103 is an investigational long-acting classical complement pathway inhibitor designed as a less frequent and convenient subcutaneous injection with the potential to treat people living with severe autoimmune diseases. DNTH103, a fully human monoclonal antibody, is designed to selectively target only the active form of the C1s complement protein, inhibiting only the classical complement pathway, with the aim of treating patients with a lower dosing volume as a convenient subcutaneous injection suitable for a self-administered pre-filled pen. Inhibiting the active form of the complement target seeks to address a critical treatment gap in current complement therapies that do not bind selectively to the active protein, wasting a significant amount of the drug on inert proteins. DNTH103 selective inhibition of the classical pathway is engineered to preserve important immune activity of the lectin and alternative complement pathways needed to protect the body against infections from encapsulated bacteria. DNTH103 is also enhanced with YTE half-life extension technology to further reduce dosing frequency.
DNTH103 has a steady cadence of expected clinical milestones including top-line Phase 1 data aiming to confirm potent classical pathway inhibition and favorable, extended pharmacokinetics expected by the end of 2023, initiation of a Phase 2 trial in generalized Myasthenia Gravis expected in the first quarter of 2024 followed by two additional planned Phase 2 trial initiations in Multifocal Motor Neuropathy (MMN) and Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Dianthus also plans to initiate an open label proof of efficacy trial in Cold Agglutinin Disease (CAD) with patient data anticipated in the second half of 2024.
About Dianthus Therapeutics
Dianthus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to designing and delivering novel, best-in-class monoclonal antibodies with improved selectivity and potency over existing complement therapies. Based in New York City and Waltham, Mass., Dianthus is comprised of an experienced team of biotech and pharma executives who are leading the next generation of antibody complement therapeutics, aiming to deliver transformative medicines for people living with severe autoimmune diseases. In May 2023, Dianthus announced a merger agreement with Magenta Therapeutics and upon completion of the merger, the combined company is expected to operate under the name Dianthus Therapeutics, Inc. and trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “DNTH”. To learn more, please visit www.dianthustx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
