Tessera Therapeutics Appoints Joseph Romanelli as President and Chief Executive Officer
Rhea-AI Summary
Tessera Therapeutics appointed veteran pharmaceutical executive Joseph Romanelli as President and Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Michael Severino, and named him to its board and as a CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering. The transition occurs as Tessera advances its first in vivo gene editing program TSRA-196 into the clinic and builds a broader Gene Writing™ pipeline, including a sickle cell disease candidate and in vivo CAR-T efforts for oncology and autoimmune diseases.
TSRA-196 is being jointly developed and commercialized with Regeneron for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and Tessera has secured up to $50 million from the Gates Foundation to pursue a globally accessible in vivo gene editing therapy for sickle cell disease. Romanelli previously led Merck’s more than $25 billion international human health business and its fast-growing China business.
Positive
- New CEO with large-scale pharma experience: Joseph Romanelli led Merck’s >$25 billion international human health business across 75 markets.
- Clinical milestone: Tessera advanced its first in vivo gene editing program, TSRA-196, into the clinic.
- Strategic partnership: TSRA-196 is jointly developed and commercialized with Regeneron for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
- Non-dilutive funding: Gates Foundation committed up to $50 million to support an in vivo gene editing therapy for sickle cell disease.
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction – REGN
In the Jul 23 session, REGN gained 0.11%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25 | Earnings scheduling | Neutral | +2.1% | Regeneron scheduled its second-quarter financial results and conference call for July 30. |
| Jun 22 | Regulatory submissions | Positive | +0.4% | FDA and EMA accepted cemdisiran submissions, with FDA granting Priority Review. |
| Jun 04 | Pipeline data update | Positive | +1.6% | Regeneron highlighted clinical and preclinical pipeline data across three therapeutic areas. |
| May 28 | Regulatory recommendation | Positive | -1.1% | WHO recommended maftivimab for prioritized investigational evaluation during an Ebola outbreak. |
| May 22 | Regulatory filing | Positive | -0.6% | EMA accepted Otarmeni's marketing authorization application under Accelerated Assessment. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
REGN's recent positive news produced mixed outcomes, with three aligned gains and two divergences involving declines.
Key Terms
alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency medical
chimeric antigen receptor medical
car-t medical
gene editing technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Veteran pharmaceutical executive to lead Tessera's next phase of growth as the company advances Gene Writing from platform innovation toward a broad clinical pipeline of genetic medicines
The leadership transition comes as Tessera has advanced its first in vivo gene editing program, TSRA-196, into the clinic and is poised to progress a growing pipeline of Gene Writing medicines, including a development candidate for sickle cell disease and efforts towards in vivo chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T for oncology and autoimmune diseases. TSRA-196 is being jointly developed and commercialized with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). In addition, Tessera has received an investment of up to
"Over the past several years, Tessera has established the scientific and technological foundation for Gene Writing. The company's next chapter is translating that foundation into a broad portfolio of medicines and Joe is the right leader to guide that transition," said Geoff von Maltzahn, Ph.D., co-founder, founding CEO, and Chairman of Tessera and General Partner at Flagship Pioneering. "Joe has spent more than three decades building teams, forging partnerships, and commercializing innovative medicines across global markets. His experience scaling organizations, leading international businesses, and bringing breakthrough therapies to patients makes him exceptionally well suited to lead Tessera as it evolves from a company focused primarily on platform innovation and preclinical development into one capable of realizing the full potential of Gene Writing."
Von Maltzahn continued: "We are deeply grateful to Mike Severino for his leadership over the past four years and wish him every success in the future as he embarks on a new role leading a commercial stage biotech company."
Romanelli joins Tessera from Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) where he most recently served as President, Human Health International, and a member of the company's Executive Team. In that role, he was responsible for Merck's more than
"With its Gene Writing technologies and pipeline, Tessera has an exceptional opportunity to help shape the next era of medicine where it may be possible to not only alleviate symptoms, but to address the underlying genetic cause of disease," said Romanelli. "Tessera has built a remarkable scientific platform and assembled an outstanding team. I'm excited to work alongside them to advance a broad pipeline of Gene Writing medicines through clinical development with the goal of ultimately delivering these therapies to patients around the world."
About Tessera Therapeutics
Tessera Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering an innovative approach to genome engineering through the development of its Gene Writing™ and delivery platforms, with the goal of advancing in vivo genetic medicines. Our Gene Writing platform utilizes all-RNA constructs and is designed to write therapeutic messages into the genome by leveraging a process known as target-primed reverse transcription (TPRT) to efficiently change single or multiple DNA base pairs or add exon-length sequences or whole genes. Our proprietary lipid nanoparticle delivery platform is designed to enable the in vivo delivery of RNA to targeted cell types. We believe our Gene Writing and delivery platforms position us to advance differentiated in vivo genetic medicines designed to not only cure monogenic diseases but also create engineered cells to fight cancer and autoimmune disease and modify inherited risk factors to treat common diseases. Tessera Therapeutics was founded in 2018 by Flagship Pioneering, a life sciences innovation enterprise that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health, sustainability, and beyond.
For more information about Tessera, please visit www.tesseratherapeutics.com.
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SOURCE Tessera Therapeutics