Grace E. Colón, Ph.D., Appointed Chair of the Board of Directors
John Glasspool Appointed Board Director
Lekhan Shivashankar Appointed Chief of Staff
New Additions Strengthen Aronora as it Advances Pipeline of Differentiated Cardio-Hematologic Therapies
PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aronora, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering innovative therapies for cardio-hematologic diseases, today announced the expansion of its leadership team to support the advancement of its differentiated clinical pipeline and long-term growth objectives.
The company has named Grace E. Colón, Ph.D., as chair of its board of directors, John Glasspool as board director, and Lekhan Shivashankar as chief of staff.
“Aronora was founded to address the most urgent and persistent unmet needs in cardiovascular and hematologic medicine. By welcoming leaders who have repeatedly built and advanced first-in-class therapies, we are strengthening our ability to move faster, think bigger, and definitively reimagine treatment outcomes for patient communities,” said Erik Tucker, Ph.D., Aronora’s president and chief executive officer.
Grace E. Colón, Ph.D. - Chair of the Board of Directors
Dr. Colón is an accomplished entrepreneur and executive with a 30-year career spanning biopharma, genomics, health care, venture capital, and industrial biotechnology. Previously, she served as CEO of InCarda Therapeutics, and held senior leadership roles at Gilead Sciences, Intrexon, Affymetrix, McKinsey & Company, and New Science Ventures. Dr. Colón brings substantial governance expertise shaped by service on numerous public, private, and non-profit boards. Her previous board roles include CareDx, ProterixBio (executive chair), Paradigm Diagnostics (acquired by Exact Sciences), Cocoon Biotech, and PerceptiMed. She currently serves as board chair of Bloom Sciences and Emm, and on the boards of Voyager Therapeutics, the MIT Corporation, and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).
“Aronora has built a robust pipeline of clinical programs grounded in decades of scientific thought leadership. I'm thrilled to support the team and its mission of developing transformational therapies that aim to meaningfully improve patient outcomes," said Dr. Colón.
John Glasspool - Board Director
Mr. Glasspool is a seasoned global biopharmaceutical executive with a distinguished track record of leading organizations through clinical, operational, and strategic inflection points. He currently serves as CEO of VarmX. Prior to joining VarmX, he was the founding CEO of Anthos Therapeutics (acquired for up to $3.1B by Novartis), where he led the development of abelacimab, a first-in-class dual factor XI/XIa inhibitor. Mr. Glasspool previously held various leadership roles at Baxalta, Baxter International, and Novartis. He currently serves on the boards of Relmada Therapeutics and Promicell Therapeutics. He is also a member of the Emerging Companies Section Governing Board at BIO, a venture partner at Agent Capital, and a senior advisor to the NEWDIGS Project at the Tufts Medicine Center for Biomedical System Design and the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation.
“What excites me about Aronora is its combination of a highly capable team and patient-centric pipeline of novel clinical programs. The company is well-positioned to deliver on its vision, and I’m delighted to join in furthering its paradigm-shifting endeavors," said Mr. Glasspool.
Lekhan Shivashankar - Chief of Staff
Mr. Shivashankar is an accomplished management consultant with deep expertise in shaping value narratives for cardiovascular biotechnology companies. Prior to joining Aronora, he founded Renaissance bio, a specialty consulting firm dedicated to storytelling, where he served as an advisor and operating partner to executives at VarmX, Bitterroot Bio, and Kardigan.
“Aronora has stayed ahead of the curve since inception. I’m honored to join our team of luminaries who paved the way for modern breakthroughs in anti-thrombotic drug development," said Mr. Shivashankar.
"The depth and breadth of experience that Grace, John, and Lekhan bring to Aronora uniquely positions us to accelerate multiple programs in parallel and translate breakthrough science into meaningful medicines,” added Dr. Tucker. “We look forward to a transformative year ahead as we continue executing on our vision to deliver patient impact at global scale.”
About Aronora
Aronora is advancing a differentiated portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class therapies for cardio-hematologic diseases. The company’s lead program, AB002, is a first-in-class thrombolytic enzyme in clinical development for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Aronora’s pipeline also includes first-in-class factor XI (FXI) A2 and A3 inhibitors for the treatment and prevention of thrombotic diseases, a factor XII (FXII) inhibitor for thrombo-inflammatory conditions, and a thrombopoietin (TPO) targeted therapy for the treatment of essential thrombocythemia. To learn more, please visit aronora.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Media Contacts:
Vida Strategic Partners (on behalf of Aronora)
Tim Brons
tbrons@vidasp.com
Aronora
media@aronora.com
