Realizing the promise.
We are at the cusp of a revolution in medicine. Synthetic biology is an entirely new strategy in drug development, affording us the opportunity to design selective and potent living medicines to treat disease. With a team of experienced scientists and executives at the helm, Synlogic is forging new ground to advance this approach and design novel therapeutics to treat unmet medical needs.
Aoife M. Brennan, MB, ChB
President and Chief Executive Officer
Aoife M. Brennan, MB, ChB
Dr. Aoife Brennan has served as Synlogic’s president and chief executive officer since October 2018 after serving as interim president and CEO from May 2018. She joined Synlogic in September 2016 as chief medical officer. Aoife previously spent six years at Biogen, where she was in roles of increasing responsibility and most recently served as vice president and head of the Rare Disease Innovation Unit, which included programs ranging from pre-clinical to commercial. She also led programs across multiple therapeutic areas including the late phase development of nusinersen for spinal muscular atrophy and ALPROLIX® and ELOCTATE®, treatments for Hemophilia B and Hemophilia A. Prior to joining Biogen, she was director of clinical development at Tolerx, a start-up biotech company focusing on immunotherapy for Type 1 diabetes. Aoife holds a medical degree from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and has completed post-graduate training in internal medicine, endocrinology and metabolism. She has completed post-doctoral training in clinical research and metabolism at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and is a graduate of the Harvard Medical School Scholars in Clinical Science Program.
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Caroline B. Kurtz, PhD
Head of Translational Sciences and Product Development
Caroline B. Kurtz, PhD
Dr. Caroline Kurtz joined Synlogic in October 2016 and is responsible for all aspects of nonclinical development for Synlogic’s therapeutic programs. Previously, Caroline was vice president and GC-C platform lead at Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, where she drove the development of linaclotide (LINZESS®) from pre-IND through NDA approval and life-cycle management. In this role, she managed the linaclotide development collaborations with U.S. partner Forest (now Allergan), European partner Almirall and Japanese partner Astellas. Through the study of linaclotide’s pharmacology, her team identified a novel mechanism for the relief of visceral pain mediated by the release of cGMP from intestinal epithelial cells. She also served as the portfolio lead for the discovery and development of new GC-C agonists, including identification of two additional clinical candidates. Prior to her role at Ironwood, Caroline served as director of infectious diseases at GelTex/Genzyme, where she led discovery of novel polymeric compounds as anti-infectives for intestinal and pulmonary infections. This work led to the discovery and clinical development of a toxin-binding polymer, tolevamer, for the treatment of C. difficile colitis. Caroline received her Ph.D. in immunology from Harvard University in the laboratory of Dr. John Weis, and post-doctoral training in viral immunology and central nervous system demylelinating diseases in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Fujinami at the University of Utah. She was recently recognized by PharmaVoice magazine as one of 2016’s 100 most inspiring people.
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Adam Thomas
Chief Human Resources Officer
Adam Thomas
Adam Thomas joined Synlogic in July 2017 and is responsible for all human resource functions including staffing and recruitment, leadership development and learning, and compensation and talent engagement approaches. Adam has spent more than 20 years in human resources helping leading companies recruit and retain top talent. Prior to joining Synlogic, he served as Vice President and Head of Human Resources for Research and Development at Shire during a period when the company underwent major expansion, doubling the size of its research and development workforce in Massachusetts. Before joining Shire, Adam served as Head of Human Resources for Research, Development, and Engineering for S.C. Johnson and Company. Earlier in his career he served as director in various human resources functions at Pfizer. Adam holds an M.B.A. from Boston University, a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B.) from the University of Edinburgh and an M.A. from the University of the West of England.
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Maiken Keson-Brookes
General Counsel
Maiken Keson-Brookes
Maiken Keson-Brookes joined Synlogic in December 2017 as the company’s general counsel and is responsible for all corporate legal and intellectual property functions. Prior to joining Synlogic, she served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at uniQure, a gene-therapy company, and prior to that as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, heading the legal department that she established at Forum Pharmaceuticals in Waltham, Mass. Before joining Forum, she served as Associate General Counsel at Biogen Idec, first in Switzerland and subsequently in the United States. Earlier in her career, Maiken worked in the financial and public sectors. Maiken has extensive international legal experience and is admitted as an attorney in New York and as a solicitor in England and Wales. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from King’s College London.
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Antoine Awad
Head of Technical Operations
Antoine Awad
Antoine (Tony) Awad joined Synlogic in December 2018 as Head of Technical Operations and is responsible for process sciences and manufacturing functions for the Company. Tony has over 15 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry with substantial experience in the development and manufacturing of novel therapeutics from pre-IND studies through global commercialization. Prior to joining Synlogic, Tony was most recently at Abpro Therapeutics and served as Senior Vice President of CMC and Operations where he was responsible for the development of bi-specific antibodies for oncology and leading corporate operational functions. Prior to that he served as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations and Manufacturing at L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals focused on developing small molecules for oncology. Previously, Tony held positions of increasing responsibilities over a ten-year period at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals. As Head of Process Sciences & Manufacturing, Tony led CMC development, manufacturing and approval of ONIVYDE® for treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer and transitioned to Ipsen Bioscience to integrate and lead commercial manufacturing of ONIVYDE®. Tony has broad experience in partnerships, collaboration and M&A, most notably with Sanofi, Baxalta/Shire plc, Actavis Pharma/Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Ipsen Bioscience. He is a graduate of Boston University and holds degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, and conducted graduate research at Boston University School of Dental Medicine.
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SCOTT PLEVY, MD
CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER
SCOTT PLEVY, MD
Dr. Plevy has served as Synlogic’s chief scientific officer since April 2019 and has responsibility for Synlogic’s research organization. Dr. Plevy most recently served as Vice President, Gastroenterology Disease Area Leader and IL-23 Pathway Leader at Janssen Research & Development, LLC, after a successful career in academia. He has served as the lead investigator on multiple early-phase clinical trials, published over 100 referenced papers and articles on a breadth of topics from disease-specific targets to basic immunology and molecular biology, and performed translational research to advance the understanding of novel immunologic interventions in inflammatory bowel disease, other inflammatory conditions, and microbiome-related diseases. He earned an M.D. and an A.B. in mathematics from Columbia University and carried out his residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
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Richard Riese, MD, PhD
CHIEF Medical OFFICER
Richard Riese, MD, PhD
Dr. Richard Riese has served as Synlogic’s chief medical officer since September 2019 and is responsible for the oversight and direction of the company’s clinical development strategy and operations. Richard is a physician scientist with over 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Synlogic, he served as vice president, clinical development at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals where he led clinical development projects in several areas across Alnylam’s rare disease portfolio. Previously, he served as head of translational clinical sciences in the Research Unit at Alexion, where he was responsible for the clinical development strategy of all compounds from discovery to proof-of-concept. He earned a Ph.D. in biophysics and an M.D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Riese carried out his residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and achieved certification by the American Boards of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and Internal Medicine.
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