Scenic Biotech, a pioneer in the field of modifier therapies for severe diseases, has announced the appointment of Roland W. Bürli, PhD, as chief scientific officer (CSO).
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New hire concept.
Dr. Bürli brings more than 25 years of experience in drug development and has held senior leadership roles across pharma and biotech companies. He has an extensive track record of advancing preclinical programs from early discovery stages through preclinical development into clinical evaluation. His leadership and scientific expertise span across multiple therapeutic areas, including neurodegenerative diseases, and was instrumental in building R&D organisations as well as securing fundraising in his recent biotech positions. At Scenic, Dr. Bürli will oversee the company’s scientific strategy and guide the advancement of the pipeline of first-in-class modifier therapies addressing neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases.
“Roland has amassed a wealth of leadership experience in drug discovery, spanning various biotech environments, with deep expertise in developing small-molecule therapeutics that address a range of therapeutic areas,” said Oscar Izeboud, CEO of Scenic Biotech. “His appointment further strengthens our ability to accelerate the expansion and maturation of our pipeline and drive our lead program toward clinical evaluation. Roland’s contributions will play a pivotal role in maximizing the potential of our modifier therapies to make a meaningful impact in how we treat severe disorders.”
“I’m truly excited to join Scenic Biotech at this exciting growth phase. The company’s pioneering work in uncovering modifier genes and translating these insights into novel therapeutics represents a bold and innovative approach, which has recently achieved broad scientific validation by two high-impact publications in Nature,” commented Dr. Roland W. Bürli, CSO of Scenic Biotech. “I’m very impressed by Scenic’s scientific rigor and its commitment to transforming patients’ lives, and I look forward to working with the talented team to advance its pipeline and fully realize the potential of the Cell-Seq platform.”
Dr. Roland W. Bürli brings over 25 years of experience as an R&D leader, with a proven track record of advancing novel therapeutics toward clinical trials and building and managing scientific teams. Dr. Bürli joins Scenic Biotech after establishing the discovery platform at Codify Therapeutics following its inception in 2022. Prior to Codify, he was VP of Drug Discovery at Cerevance, where he built and led a multidisciplinary team, helped secure Series B financing, and advanced multiple small-molecule programs, including CVN293, which completed Phase 1 clinical trials. Earlier in his career, he held senior scientific roles at AstraZeneca, BioFocus, Amgen, and GeneSoft, contributing to the discovery and development of candidates in CNS, inflammation, hematology, and anti-infectives. Dr. Bürli is a co-author/co-inventor of more than 135 peer-reviewed publications and patents/patent applications. He holds a doctorate in Organic Chemistry from ETH Zürich and completed postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology.