ProQR Therapeutics N.V. (Nasdaq: PRQR) has announced the appointment of Dennis Hom as Chief Financial Officer and Cristina Lopez Lopez, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer. These strategic leadership additions come at a pivotal moment as the company prepares to advance its proprietary Axiomer™ RNA editing technology platform and pipeline programs into clinical development.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dennis and Cristina to ProQR at such an important time in our evolution," said Daniel A. de Boer, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ProQR. "Dennis brings deep expertise in corporate finance and business development strategy, while Cristina brings extensive experience in translational science, clinical development, and regulatory affairs. Their combined leadership capabilities will be instrumental as we advance our Axiomer platform and progress our pipeline into and through clinical development."
Strategic Financial Leadership
Dennis Hom joins ProQR with over 25 years of financial leadership experience across public and private biotech companies. Most recently serving as CFO and Head of Corporate Development at Sagimet Biosciences, Hom has an impressive track record of raising more than $4.5 billion in capital and executing transactions totaling over $57 billion in disclosed value.
At Sagimet, he successfully led multiple financing rounds, including the company's IPO, and executed a transformational licensing transaction. His career includes significant roles in business development and M&A at industry giants Amgen and Novartis, following investment banking experience at Hambrecht & Quist and its subsequent mergers with Chase and JP Morgan.
Hom holds a bachelor's degree in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he conducted research in the lab of Nobel Laureate H. Robert Horvitz. At ProQR, he will oversee all corporate development functions, including corporate finance, investor relations, and business development.
Clinical Development Expertise
Dr. Cristina Lopez Lopez brings more than two decades of global leadership in translational R&D to ProQR, spanning early discovery to late-stage clinical development. Her expertise in translational science includes the integration of biomarker strategies, precision medicine, and patient-centric approaches in therapeutic development.
Prior to joining ProQR, Dr. Lopez Lopez served as Global Head of Neurodegeneration at Johnson & Johnson, where she led therapeutic development across a portfolio addressing conditions with high unmet medical needs. Her previous senior roles include Vice President and Global Head of Biomarkers & Translational Technologies at Roche, and Vice President and Global Head of Neurodegeneration and Neuromuscular at Novartis.
Dr. Lopez Lopez holds an MD from Universidad de Santiago de Compostela and a PhD in Neuroscience from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Cajal Institute). A recognized leader in her field, she has authored numerous publications, holds several patents, and is known for her strategic vision and collaborative leadership approach. At ProQR, she will lead all preclinical, translational, clinical, and regulatory activities.
Leadership Transition
As part of this leadership evolution, current Chief Financial Officer Jurriaan Dekkers and Chief Corporate Development Officer René Beukema will be stepping down from their roles. Both executives will remain with the company during a transitional period to ensure continuity, having played key roles in supporting ProQR's strategic transition to a focused RNA editing platform.
"I want to thank Jurriaan and René for their incredibly valuable contributions as we prepared ProQR for successfully translating the Axiomer platform into medicines for patients," said de Boer. "Their contributions have been instrumental in establishing a strong foundation for ProQR's next phase of growth."
The Axiomer™ Platform Technology
ProQR is pioneering a next-generation RNA base editing technology called Axiomer™, which could potentially yield a new class of medicines for diverse types of diseases. The platform utilizes "Editing Oligonucleotides" (EONs) that mediate single nucleotide changes to RNA in a highly specific and targeted way.
The technology leverages molecular machinery naturally present in human cells called ADAR (Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA). Axiomer™ EONs are designed to recruit and direct endogenously expressed ADARs to change an Adenosine (A) to an Inosine (I) in RNA—an Inosine is translated as a Guanosine (G)—correcting disease-causing mutations, modulating protein expression, or altering proteins to create new therapeutic functions.
Company Outlook
As ProQR transitions its Axiomer™ platform into clinical development, these leadership appointments signal the company's commitment to advancing its innovative RNA editing technology toward commercialization. The company is dedicated to creating transformative RNA therapies that could address both rare and prevalent diseases with significant unmet medical needs.
Based in Leiden, Netherlands, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, ProQR Therapeutics continues to grow its pipeline of RNA editing programs with the potential to change lives through targeted genetic medicine approaches.
