Cereno Scientific appoints Dr. Rahul Agrawal as Chief Medical Officer and Head of R&D
Cereno Scientific (Nasdaq First North: CRNO B) today announced that Dr. Rahul Agrawal has been appointed as Chief Medical Officer and Head of R&D. The recruitment follows an intense period in the clinical-stage biotech’s growth journey. Cereno is focused on developing innovative treatments for common and rare cardiovascular disease, with lead candidate drug CS1 currently in phase II for the orphan disease pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). On January 30th CS1 received FDA approval for Expanded Access also known as “Compassionate Use” after Cereno had received request to apply for CU from an investigator in the PAH study.
“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Rahul Agrawal as CMO and Head of R&D for Cereno. With his extensive experience in cardiovascular disease, including leading and/or co-designing nearly 30 clinical trials involving over 200,000 patients, Dr. Agrawal will play an important role in advancing the development of CS1 into a pivotal clinical study phase as well as leading the R&D teams’ effort to move our promising drug candidate pipeline towards next milestones. I am also glad that Dr. Björn Dahlöf, a valuable member of the R&D team who has been instrumental in developing the current strategies for our candidate drugs now gets the opportunity to focus more on his role as CSO and work with the scientific platform and the strategies for development of our pipeline within current and new applications," said Sten R. Sörensen, CEO.
In June 2023, Cereno received data from a patient case study initiated by an investigator on the first patient having completed the Phase II study of CS1 in the rare disease pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) at the site. The patient required no changes to her PAH medication during the study, and her status was improved from NYHA/WHO functional class II to functional class I at the end of the treatment period. Later that year, in October, the company announced that the initiative to control the data quality produced from the cutting-edge technology CardioMEMS HF System (Abbott Inc.) used in the Phase II study of CS1 in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) had successfully been concluded with positive results. In late January 2024, Cereno was granted approval by the FDA for Expanded Access, sometimes called “compassionate use”, to investigational drug CS1 for use in an extension of the ongoing Phase II trial evaluating CS1 in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Cereno’s Expanded Access Program (EAP) to drug candidate CS1 will initially be limited to patients who have completed the Phase II study in PAH.
“I’m thrilled to join Cereno Scientific. The Company has a very exciting drug candidate portfolio and platform with a potential to transform treatment in cardiovascular disease. Cereno’s focus on PAH and prevention of thrombosis holds promise for a paradigm shift in patient care. The portfolio´s capacity for reverse remodeling in PAH and prevention of thrombosis without associated bleeding risks is of high clinical relevance,” said Dr. Agrawal.
Dr. Rahul Agrawal is an experienced senior executive leader with a diverse background spanning Big Pharma and biotech. His expertise encompasses the entire value chain including R&D, Medical Affairs, commercial and strategy experience across various therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, and rare/orphan drugs and he has launched seven drugs globally. Joining Cereno after having worked as a CMO at another gene therapy focused biotech Cardior, and prior to that as VP and Global Medicines Leader at AstraZeneca, Dr Agrawal brings extensive cardiovascular clinical trial leadership. Further, his experience in branding and marketing for the Pulmonary Hypertension portfolio as Global Director of Medical Affairs and Clinical Development at Bayer HealthCare, makes him a valuable addition to the Cereno Scientific team.
Dr. Agrawal has an MD degree after having studied at the Free University of Berlin, Germany and Cornell University, New York, USA, and is board-certified in cardiology, internal medicine, and emergency medicine. Additionally, he holds an MBA from Buckinghamshire New University, UK.
Dr. Agrawal will in his capacity be a member of the Executive Management Team and report to Sten R. Sörensen, CEO.
Björn Dahlöf, in his capacity as CSO, will continue to report to Sten R. Sörensen, CEO.
For further information, please contact:
Henrik Westdahl, Director IR & Communications
Email: henrik.westdahl@cerenoscientific.com
Phone: +46 708 17 59 96
Sten R. Sörensen, CEO
Email: sten.sorensen@cerenoscientific.com
Phone: +46 73-374 03 74
About Cereno Scientific AB
Cereno Scientific develops innovative treatments for common and rare cardiovascular disease. The lead drug candidate, CS1, is a HDAC (histone deacetylase) inhibitor that acts as an epigenetic modulator with pressure-reducing, reverse-remodeling, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic and anti-thrombotic properties. A Phase II study is ongoing to evaluate CS1’s safety, tolerability, and efficacy in patients with the rare disease pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). A collaboration agreement with global healthcare company Abbott allows Cereno to use their cutting-edge technology CardioMEMS HF System in the study. Two initiatives performed during the ongoing Phase II study have shown positive findings suggesting the potential clinical benefit of CS1 in PAH patients. These initial findings are, however, not a guarantee of the final study results that are expected in Q2 2024. Since January 2024, CS1 has been available under FDA’s Expanded Access Program (“compassionate use”) for continued CS1 treatment in patients who have completed the Phase II study. Cereno also has two promising preclinical drug candidates in development through research collaborations with the University of Michigan. Investigational drug CS014 is a HDAC inhibitor in development as a treatment for arterial and venous thrombosis prevention. The innovative drug candidate represents a groundbreaking approach to antithrombotic treatment potentially without the associated increased risk of bleeding in humans. CS014 is a new chemical entity with a multi-fold mechanism of action as an epigenetic modulator – regulating platelet activity, fibrinolysis, and clot stability for the prevention of thrombosis without increased risk of bleeding as documented in preclinical studies. Drug candidate CS585 is a prostacyclin receptor agonist that has been documented in several preclinical studies to target the IP receptor for prevention of thrombosis without increased risk of bleeding, which also has been recognized in the medical community. CS585 was in-licensed from the University of Michigan in 2023. The company is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has a US subsidiary Cereno Scientific Inc. based in Kendall Square in Boston, Massachusetts, US. Cereno is listed on the Nasdaq First North (CRNO B). More information on www.cerenoscientific.com.
