お知らせ • Feb 05
Polaryx Therapeutics, Inc. Announces Board Changes, Effective January 29, 2026
Polaryx Therapeutics, Inc. announced the appointments of Mitchel Berger, M.D., Francis A. Braun III, CPA, and Charles Ryan, J.D., Ph.D. to Polaryx’s Board of Directors, effective January 29, 2026. In addition, Andrew O ceased serving as a member of the Board effective on the same date. Polaryx believes the addition of Dr. Berger, Mr. Braun, and Dr. Ryan brings valuable expertise across scientific research, clinical development, finance, and corporate strategy, strengthening the Board as Polaryx advances as a public company. These appointments come at a pivotal time for Polaryx, as its lead candidate, PLX-200, advances into an IND-approved SOTERIA Phase 2 basket trial, representing a key near-term milestone. The new Board members are as follows: Mitchel Berger, M.D. is the Director of the Brain Tumor Center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a position he has held since 1997, and serves as the Principal Investigator of the UCSF Brain Tumor Center’s Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in neuro-oncology, funded by the National Cancer Institute. From 1997 to 2020, Dr. Berger served as the Chair of UCSF’s Department of Neurological Surgery. During his career, Dr. Berger has served as President of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, President of the Society of Neuro-Oncology, and President of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery. He has also been a director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, a member of the board of directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, a member of the National Football League’s Head, Neck and Spine Committee, and a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel for the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Dr. Berger earned his M.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine. He completed his internship, residency, and advanced postdoctoral fellowship training at UCSF. He holds a B.A. from Harvard College. Francis A. Braun III, CPA has served as a consultant to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., a global investment firm, since July 2024, a senior advisor to Stout Risius Ross, LLC, a global advisory firm, since April 2024, and a member of the advisory council of CrossCountry Consulting LLC, an advisory firm, since February 2024. Mr. Braun serves as a director of SHF Holdings, Inc., a fintech company, since May 2025 and is the chairman of SHF Holdings’ audit committee. He is also a director of Crown Bank, a New Jersey full-service commercial bank, since October 2024 and is the chairman of Crown Bank’s audit committee. From December 2016 to July 2023, Mr. Braun served as a Partner at Grant Thorton LLP, a global audit, tax and advisory firm, where his experience included serving clients across the life science, technology, industrial manufacturing and service industries. Earlier in his career, Mr. Braun served as a Partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP from May 2002 to November 2016 and a Partner at Arthur Andersen LLP from 1983 to 2002. Mr. Braun holds a B.S. in Accounting from Rider University and is a Certified Public Accountant in New Jersey (CPA). Charles Ryan, J.D., Ph.D.currently serves as President of Quince Therapeutics, Inc., a late-stage biotechnology company, and Chief Executive Officer of their subsidiary company, Quince Therapeutics S.p.A, positions he has held since September 2023. Prior to joining Quince, Dr. Ryan served as a life sciences consultant from November 2022 to September 2023 working with a start-up company to identify a regulatory path for a novel device. Dr. Ryan served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Travecta Therapeutics, Pte Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company, from May 2021 to October 2022, and Chief Executive Officer and Director of Neurotrope, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from December 2017 to December 2020 and President and Chief Executive Officer of Orthobond Corporation from October 2016 to February 2018. Earlier in his career, Dr. Ryan served as Senior Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel at Forest Laboratories (now AbbVie) for more than ten years. Mr. Ryan previously served on the board of directors of Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. from August 2011 to November 2019 and BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. from April 2015 to January 2020. Dr. Ryan holds a J.D. from Western New England University, a Ph.D. in Oral Biology and Pathology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a B.A. in Chemistry from The College of Wooster. He is a member of the New York State Bar and is a patent practitioner of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.