On January, 19, 2021 miRagen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGEN), a development-stage biotechnology company, reported its name change to Viridian Therapeutics, Inc. ("Viridian") (Press release, Viridian Therapeutics, JAN 19, 2021, View Source [SID1234639899]). Beginning tomorrow, Viridian will trade on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "VRDN" and its common stock will trade under a new CUSIP number, 92790C104.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The Company also announced today the appointment of Jonathan Violin, Ph.D., M.B.A. as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Violin, who previously served as Viridian’s President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), succeeds Lee Rauch as CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Rauch will remain as strategic advisor for the Company.

In addition, Viridian appointed internationally recognized neuro-ophthalmologist, Barrett Katz M.D ., M.B.A., as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Katz comes to Viridian from BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. where he developed therapeutics to treat orphan eye diseases.

"The leadership team changes and Viridian Therapeutics name reflect the continuing evolution of the company and our patient-centric model of innovation," said Dr. Violin. "We’re leveraging proven biology and technology to efficiently allocate research and development resources, while addressing strategic gaps related to access, delivery, quality of life, and efficacy. We are thrilled to attract someone with Dr. Katz’s depth of expertise in serving patients and leading scientific and clinical programs."

During his tenure at BridgeBio, Dr. Katz held leadership positions in two subsidiaries, as President and CMO of Retinagenix and CEO of Fortify Therapeutics. Prior to BridgeBio, he was CMO at GenSight Biologics where he oversaw early- and late-stage clinical programs. He held the Francis DeJur Chair of Ophthalmology at the Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York , where he also served as Professor of Ophthalmology, Neurology and Neurosurgery, as well as the Executive Director of the Office of Clinical Trials . He previously served as CEO of Danube Pharmaceuticals , CMO of Fovea Pharmaceuticals and VP for Medical Affairs and Strategy at Eyetech. Dr. Katz received an M.D. from Case-Western Reserve University School of Medicine , an M.B.A. from the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business , and an A.B. from Colgate University .

Prior to co-founding privately held Viridian Therapeutics, Dr. Violin had founded and served as CEO of two virtual drug discovery companies, Quellis Biosciences and Dianthus Therapeutics, and co-founded and held several executive positions at Trevena, Inc. He holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine , an M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University , and a B.S. from Duke University .

Viridian is developing multiple product candidates to treat patients who suffer from thyroid eye disease (TED), a debilitating orphan disease that can cause bulging eyes, or proptosis, as well as double vision and potential blindness. TED significantly impacts quality of life, imposing a high physical and mental burden on patients. There is currently one Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for TED, an intravenously administered monoclonal antibody that targets the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R).

"Patients with TED have limited treatment options," said Dr. Katz . "Viridian has a clear and compelling strategy to better serve these patients. I am delighted to help build upon the Company’s recent momentum and eager to design and implement robust clinical programs for our lead product candidates."

Viridian’s most advanced product candidate is VRDN-001, an intravenously administered anti-IGF-1R monoclonal antibody which, the Company expects to proceed directly to a phase 2 trial, pending feedback from the FDA. In October, the Company obtained exclusive worldwide rights from ImmunoGen, Inc. to develop and commercialize VRDN-001 for all non-oncology indications that do not use radiopharmaceuticals, including the treatment of TED.

VRDN-002 is the Company’s second-generation product candidate, incorporating half-life extension technology, and is intended for subcutaneous administration. Viridian holds exclusive rights to develop and commercialize antibody therapeutics targeting IGF-1R using the Xtend TM half-life extension technology developed and owned by Xencor, Inc.

In the second half of 2021, Viridian expects to file Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for both VRDN-001 and VRDN-002.