Biography
Senior executive and biopharmaceutical leader with more than 25 years of experience driving the discovery and development of innovative medicines. Proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams from target identification through late-stage clinical development, with contributions to multiple approved and late-stage therapies, including Rezdiffra, cotadutide, dorzagliatin, and bentracimab. Co-Founder and CEO of Pep2Tango Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company developing next-generation unimolecular multi-agonist peptides for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders.
Currently a member of the Health Council at TECNALIA and former member of the Board of Directors of Axcella (AXLA). Previously served as President of Cellarity Inc. and as Senior Vice President at AstraZeneca (MedImmune), where she led Research and Development for Cardiovascular, Metabolic, and Renal Diseases. Prior to AstraZeneca, she held senior leadership roles at Hoffmann-La Roche and Abbott Laboratories, where she led multiple programs, including the discovery of Rezdiffra.
Before joining industry, she was an Associate Professor (Docent) of Molecular Medicine at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Buenos Aires and completed postdoctoral training at the Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology at the NIDDK, National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA. She has authored more than 80 scientific publications, holds 10 patents, and is an inducted member of the Royal Academy of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Spain
Topic
Discovery of novel unimolecular tetra-agonist peptides for the treatment of obesity and related disorders
The prevalence of obesity and associated co-morbidities necessitates innovative approaches for safe and efficacious therapies. We describe the discovery and characterization of a novel unimolecular long-acting peptide agonist for GLP-1, GIP, Amylin and Calcitonin Receptors and assessed its efficacy against the dual GIPR/GLP-1R agonist, Tirzepatide. Multiple metabolic endpoints were examined, including acute food intake and calcium regulation effects in lean rats, acute glucose-lowering effects in lean mice, and its chronic effects in diet induced obesity (DIO) rats compared to Tirzepatide. Chronic studies in DIO rats revealed significant reduction in cumulative food intake and body weight, driven by decreases in fat mass without loss of muscle mass, unlike that seen with Tirzepatide. The tetra-agonist peptide demonstrated robust efficacy for glucose and plasma lipid lowering, insulin sensitization and liver benefits, outperforming Tirzepatide at equivalent doses.
Conclusion: Unimolecular tetra-agonist peptides offer superior outcomes for weight loss, glycemic control, insulin sensitization, and liver health compared to Tirzepatide. These findings underscore the promise of such poly-pharmacological agents to tackle the complex challenges associated with obesity-related metabolic disorders.