Aera Therapeutics Names Bill Querbes as Chief Scientific Officer to Advance Genetic Medicine Pipeline
Key Insights
Aera Therapeutics (search) appointed William Querbes (search), Ph.D., as chief scientific officer to lead advancement of genetic medicine delivery platforms and pipeline expansion.
Dr. Querbes brings over 20 years of experience in genetic medicines development, including leading the discovery of GIVLAARI, the first FDA-approved RNAi therapeutic using GalNAc conjugate technology.
The appointment strengthens Aera's leadership team as the company develops proprietary lipid and protein nanoparticle platforms to expand genetic medicine applications across multiple therapeutic areas.
Aera Therapeutics (search) announced the appointment of William Querbes (search), Ph.D., as chief scientific officer, bringing extensive genetic medicine expertise to advance the company's next-generation delivery platforms and therapeutic pipeline. Dr. Querbes joins the Boston-based biotechnology company with more than 20 years of experience leading cross-functional teams from early drug discovery through clinical trials.
Leadership Transition Strengthens Scientific Capabilities
"We are excited to welcome Bill to the Aera team. Bill brings deep scientific expertise and a proven track record of advancing new genetic medicines from discovery through clinical development," said Akin Akinc, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Aera. "His leadership, scientific acumen, and commitment to innovation will be instrumental as we continue to advance our genetic medicine delivery platforms, grow our pipeline and deliver on our mission to develop transformative genetic medicines across a broad range of modalities and therapeutic areas."
Dr. Querbes expressed enthusiasm about joining the company, stating, "Aera's vision, delivery platforms, and commitment to scientific excellence create a unique opportunity to build a leading genetic medicine pipeline. I am honored to be joining Aera at such an exciting time and I look forward to working with this exceptional team to bring transformative therapies to patients in need."
Proven Track Record in Genetic Medicine Development
Dr. Querbes joins Aera from Tessera Therapeutics (search), where he served as senior vice president of therapeutic discovery and translational sciences. His career trajectory includes leadership positions at several prominent biotechnology companies, including vice president and Fabry program lead at AVROBIO and senior director at Synlogic, where he led clinical program teams in PKU (search) and hyperammonemia (search) disorders.
His most significant contribution to the field came during his 12-year tenure at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (search), where he made important contributions to both siRNA delivery platforms and the therapeutic pipeline. Dr. Querbes led the discovery and early clinical development of GIVLAARI (givosiran) for the treatment of acute hepatic porphyria (search), which became the first FDA-approved RNAi therapeutic utilizing GalNAc conjugate technology.
Advancing Proprietary Delivery Platforms
Aera Therapeutics (search) focuses on harnessing next-generation enabling delivery technologies and precision payloads to unlock the full potential of genetic medicines. The company has developed two proprietary delivery platforms: lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and protein nanoparticles (PNPs), which are being developed to enable next-generation genetic medicines across a range of therapeutic modalities and disease areas.
The company's vision centers on expanding the reach of genetic medicines to different tissues and applications to benefit more patients across more disease areas. Aera has raised $193 million to date from leading life sciences investors to support its mission of developing transformative genetic medicines.
Dr. Querbes holds a B.S. in Biology from SUNY Geneseo and a Ph.D. from Brown University, providing the academic foundation for his extensive industry experience in advancing genetic medicine technologies from laboratory to clinic.