SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Epirium Bio, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on mitochondrial biogenesis and therapeutic approaches to neuromuscular diseases, today announced the appointment of Cristina Ghenoiu, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President (SVP) of Research and Development (R&D) Operations and New Product Planning. In this role, Dr. Ghenoiu will be responsible for R&D Operations, spearheading scientific collaborations on the mechanistic underpinnings of Epirium’s mitochondrial biogenesis technology to reveal its full therapeutic potential. She will also lead Epirium’s New Product Planning efforts as the company identifies new assets and therapeutic areas to expand its pipeline.

“Dr. Ghenoiu has deep knowledge of the mitochondrial landscape having performed diligence on numerous assets in this space. This experience makes her uniquely qualified to add value to the management team at Epirium Bio. Cristina also has the right balance of scientific rigor along with the passion and commitment to make a difference for patients with mitochondrial disorders,” said CEO, Russell Cox.

Prior to joining Epirium, Dr. Ghenoiu served as a senior investment professional at Longitude Capital where she actively contributed to private and public investments, including company formation efforts. In addition to deal sourcing, evaluation and execution, she provided operational, corporate strategy and capital formation support to portfolio companies. Dr. Ghenoiu was a board observer at 89bio (NASDAQ:ETNB), Neurana Pharmaceuticals, SutroVax, and Rivas Pharmaceuticals, and the diligence lead on numerous other opportunities, including two of Longitude’s investments developing mitochondrial-based therapeutics.

“Cristina played an instrumental role in defining Epirium’s value proposition and securing the company’s successful $85MM Series A financing. This important new position represents a great opportunity for her, and we look forward to working closely with Cristina and the Epirium team to advance the company’s programs for the benefit of patients with mitochondrial dysfunction,” said Patrick Enright, Managing Director at Longitude Capital and board member at Epirium Bio.

Before Longitude, she was a biotech equity research associate analyst at Cowen where she covered biotechnology companies across a multitude of therapeutic areas. Dr. Ghenoiu obtained her Ph.D. in Chromosome and Cell Biology from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences and undertook her postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry (magna cum laude) from Mount Holyoke College. Her scientific work is published in several prestigious journals, including first-author publications in Science and Molecular Cell.

“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Epirium and look forward to putting my energy and expertise towards maximizing the full potential of the unique mitochondrial biology discovered by Epirium’s founders,” said Dr. Ghenoiu.

About Epirium

Epirium is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that has developed unique insights related to the biology of mitochondrial biogenesis and tissue function, potentially resulting in novel and clinically significant therapeutic approaches to currently intractable neuromuscular diseases. The Company has identified and established an IP-protected platform of small molecules that constitute a new class of therapeutics with the potential to stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis and tissue regeneration. Epirium intends to advance its first clinical candidate next year, initially in Becker Muscular Dystrophy, followed by drug development targeting other progressive neuromuscular disorders associated with mitochondrial depletion. To learn more, please visit www.epirium.com.

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