BLUE BELL, PA — Ladder Bio has appointed pharmaceutical executive Jay Fine and venture investor John Prufeta to its board of directors as the biotechnology company advances a drug-development platform that spans therapeutic and biodefense applications.
The appointments add expertise in pharmaceutical research, clinical development, venture investment and national security as the company seeks to expand development of its Spiroligomer platform and associated artificial intelligence-driven drug design capabilities.
Fine currently serves as president of research and development at EvolveImmune Therapeutics and brings more than three decades of experience in drug discovery and development.
Before joining EvolveImmune, he held senior leadership roles at Boehringer Ingelheim, where research teams under his leadership contributed to the development of several approved therapies and advanced more than 30 drug candidates into clinical development.
Prufeta is founder and general partner of Medical Excellence Capital, the venture capital firm that led Ladder Bio’s seed financing round.
His appointment also strengthens the company’s connections to the defense and biosecurity sectors. Prufeta serves on the board of Business Executives for National Security, a nonprofit organization that brings private-sector expertise to national security and homeland defense issues.
Ladder Bio said it has secured more than $16.9 million in non-dilutive funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to support development of its technology for biodefense, pandemic preparedness and biosecurity applications.
“Few drug developers can point to a multi-billion-dollar medicine they helped bring to patients,” Chief Executive Officer Eric Heil said in discussing Fine’s appointment. Heil added that Prufeta’s experience has helped expand the company’s access to defense-related funding opportunities.
The company is developing Spiroligomers, a proprietary class of synthetic molecules intended for applications in immunology, oncology and biosecurity.
Fine said the platform’s combination of structure-based drug design and artificial intelligence creates opportunities to pursue established therapeutic targets with new molecular approaches.
The board appointments come as Ladder Bio works toward in vivo proof-of-concept studies for its lead development program and pursues additional partnerships in immunology and oncology.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.