Appointments

Move of the month

Following the stepping down of the previous chair, Gerd Zettlmeissl, MinervaX has appointed Veronica Gambillara Fonck to lead the board of directors.

MinervaX is a privately held Denmark-based biotech company that is focused on combatting Group B Streptococcus (GBS) through the development of a novel prophylactic vaccine. There is currently no approved vaccine for GBS, which is a significant cause of maternal and infant ill health. Global cases of GBS have been reported as rising to 410,000, with around 147,000 stillbirths and infant deaths being linked to the condition globally.

Veronica Fonck has served on the board since 2022, after Pureos Bioventures – where she was a partner – invested in MinervaX. She brings many years of experience to the role, having served in numerous operational roles across the pharma and biotech industries. She previously has co-founded and served as CEO of two other biotech companies – LimmaTech Biologics, which developed vaccines for diseases caused by antimicrobial resistant pathogens, and GlycoEra AG, which developed medicines for a variety of diseases using its proprietary platform.

CEO of MinervaX, Per Fischer, commented, “Veronica has been a key member of our board since October 2022 and her extensive vaccine development experience has been invaluable in the progress of our novel, prophylactic vaccine candidate against GBS. Veronica in her new role as chair will oversee the next important phase of company development as we prepare for phase 3 studies with our maternal GBS vaccine. I would like to thank Gerd for his valuable contributions to the success of MinervaX over the past four years, and we are pleased that we will continue to benefit from his vast experience in his new advisory role.”

Veronica Fonck added, “I am thrilled to be taking on this role at such a pivotal stage of development for MinervaX as we advance towards phase 3 studies with our GBS vaccine in pregnant people and advance our phase 1 studies in older adults. GBS remains a significant unmet medical need, and I look forward to working closely with the board and management team to achieve the full potential of our GBS vaccine to prevent these life-threatening infections.”