King of Prussia, PA. September 12, 2024 – Merlin Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing innovative therapeutic solutions to prevent, treat, and cure patients with neurofibromatosis type 2, announced the appointment of Nora Yang, PhD, as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective on August 19, 2024. Dr. Yang succeeds Nicole Henwood, MD, who has served as Merlin Therapeutics founding CEO since its inception in April 2022. Dr. Yang will drive the commercialization of a portfolio of novel therapeutic products to provide much needed medical relief for patients suffering from NF2 genetic defects worldwide.
Dr. Yang brings a wealth of scientific, clinical, operational, and commercial experience in taking innovative therapies from the bench to patient access in global markets. She is a proven leader in rare disease therapeutic development and gene therapy in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and academia.
“I am thrilled to hand over the reins of Merlin to Nora,” said Dr. Henwood. “Bringing Nora on board positions Merlin for growth, as she takes the important work done at Merlin forward to the clinic and beyond. Nora has both the scientific strength to understand the complexities around developing a gene therapy to treat patients with NF2, but also the business and leadership fortitude needed to advance a program and company.” Dr. Henwood will direct more of her time to NF2 BioSolutions, the 501(c)3 she co-founded after her son, AJ, was diagnosed with NF2 in 2017. NF2 BioSolutions played a critical role in funding the pipeline products at Merlin Therapeutics to speed up patient access to much needed medical relief.
“I am delighted to join Merlin at this critical and exciting time,” said Dr. Yang. “Merlin is a young company with a unique combination of innovative products targeting huge unmet medical needs, world leading scientists and clinicians working on a clear understanding of the disease, desirable therapeutic targets with potentials to treat a range of other diseases, and steadfast support from NF2 patients. I look forward to growing the company to speed up the development of much needed therapies for NF2 patients and beyond.”
Dr. Yang’s appointment follows the company’s recent announcement of its NIH grant award to fund preclinical studies of the company’s leading gene therapy candidate in animal models. These studies are a critical step as Merlin Therapeutics paves the way for clinical trials and patient dosing. Merlin Therapeutics Press Release
About NF2
The NF2 gene encodes the tumor suppressor protein, merlin. Patients, whose NF2 gene is defective, develop clinical symptoms of the disease called neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), a serious genetic disorder characterized by the growth of encroaching tumors on nerves, particularly in the brain and spinal cord. These tumors can cause debilitating pain and lead to loss of hearing, vision, balance, along with muscle weakness and paralysis while larger tumors can be life-threatening. Epidemiological studies show that NF2 shortens lifespan to an average of 36 years while severely diminishes patients’ quality of life. Currently, treatment options for NF2 are restricted to surgical resection of tumors and radiation, both of which come with significant risks including severe nerve damage, exorbitant costs, and unpredictable clinical outcome.
About Merlin Therapeutics
Merlin Therapeutics is developing breakthrough gene therapies that target the underlying etiology of NF2 and have the potential to reduce the growth of existing tumors and prevent future tumor growth, addressing the urgent unmet medical need of patients suffering from NF2 genetic defects. Merlin partners with top gene therapy and NF2 research and clinical experts to demonstrate the therapeutic and commercial viability of gene therapies for NF2.
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