NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Renovacor,
Inc. ("Renovacor"), an early–stage biotechnology company developing
adeno-associated virus (AAV)–based gene therapies for devastating
cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases resulting from
BAG3 gene variants, today announced the appointment of
Matt Killeen, Ph.D., as chief
scientific officer (CSO), effective as of September 1, 2021. Chardan Healthcare Acquisition
2 Corp. (CHAQ) previously announced on March
23, 2021 that it entered into a definitive merger agreement
with Renovacor, Inc. The closing of the merger is expected to occur
in the third quarter of 2021.
"Matt's extensive experience discovering, researching and
developing AAV-based gene therapies for cardiovascular diseases
makes him an ideal fit as Renovacor's CSO," said Magdalene Cook, M.D., chief executive officer of
Renovacor. "He has an impressive track record of successfully
establishing R&D capabilities, advancing therapeutic
candidates, and building an early-stage pipeline, which positions
him well for success in his new role. We are thrilled to welcome
him to the team and look forward to working together to advance
REN-001 into the clinic and further develop our broader pipeline of
innovative gene therapies."
Dr. Killeen added, "Leading the early development of Renovacor's
pipeline presents a transformative opportunity to positively impact
the lives of patients living with BAG-3 associated dilated
cardiomyopathy and broader patient populations. I believe the
company's unique therapeutic approach has broad applicability and
the potential to yield the first FDA-approved therapeutic
intervention addressing the underlying genetic cause of
BAG3-associated familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Its
impressive preclinical data sets strongly support this belief and
highlight how REN-001's validated capsid, one-time payload and
monogenic target indication position it for success. I am looking
forward to working with the Renovacor team and its respected
scientific and clinical advisors to build on these data as we seek
to deliver transformative treatments to patients living with
devastating diseases."
Dr. Killeen is joining Renovacor from BioMarin Pharmaceutical
Inc. where, as head of cardiovascular research, he led the
discovery and early development of novel AAV-based gene therapies
for a range of inherited heart diseases. At BioMarin, Dr. Killeen
founded the Cardiovascular Therapeutic Area and scaled it into a
dedicated R&D unit, built a pipeline of potential precision
therapies for genetic heart diseases, and forged multiple R&D
partnerships across industry and academia. In earlier roles at
BioMarin, he led R&D portfolio strategy initiatives for the
company's early pipeline and spearheaded the development of its
R&D strategy. Prior to his time at BioMarin, Dr. Killeen led
efforts to support the commercialization and launch of new
therapies for multiple sclerosis at Biogen. He also advised
pharmaceutical companies on R&D and commercialization
strategies for multiple pipeline therapies for cardiovascular
diseases at Decision Resources Group, now Clarivate.
Dr. Killeen holds a Ph.D. in cardiac electrophysiology from the
University of Cambridge, where he
specialized in genetic heart rhythm abnormalities and identified
potential novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases. He was
subsequently a research fellow at Harvard
Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in the
laboratory of Calum MacRae,
researching the disease biology of rare and common heart diseases.
He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed papers on topics
spanning genetic cardiac diseases, cardiac electrophysiology,
arrhythmias and drug safety, and is the sole author of a textbook
on the role of cardiac electrophysiology in pharmaceutical R&D.
Dr. Killeen is a member of the Board of Directors for the Sudden
Cardiac Arrest Foundation and has been elected as a fellow of the
Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) and a fellow of the American
College of Cardiology (FACC).
About Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp.
CHAQ is a
special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of
effecting a merger, acquisition, or similar business combination.
CHAQ raised approximately $86.0
million in April 2020 for the
purpose of combining with a public or privately-held operating
business. CHAQ was founded and sponsored by affiliates of Chardan
Capital Markets LLC. CHAQ is Chardan's sixth publicly traded
acquisition vehicle.
About Renovacor
Renovacor is a preclinical stage gene
therapy company developing a pipeline of innovative and proprietary
AAV-based gene therapies for BAG3 gene
mutation-associated diseases in areas of high unmet medical need.
Renovacor's therapeutic focus is initially on cardiovascular
disease, with a lead program in BAG3 mutation-associated
dilated cardiomyopathy. For more information, please visit
www.renovacor.com. No part of Renovacor's website is incorporated
by reference into or otherwise deemed to be a part of this press
release.
Renovacor previously announced that it had entered into a merger
agreement with Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp. (NYSE: CHAQ)
("CHAQ"), a special purposes acquisition company. Completion of the
proposed merger is subject to approval by the stockholders of CHAQ
and certain other conditions. The proposed merger is expected to
close in the third quarter of 2021.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
This
communication is being made in respect of a proposed transaction
between Renovacor and CHAQ. This document does not constitute an
offer to sell or exchange, or the solicitation of an offer to buy
or exchange, any securities, nor shall there be any sale of
securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or
exchange would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification
under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. CHAQ intends to
file a proxy statement, which will be sent to all CHAQ and
Renovacor stockholders. CHAQ also will file other documents
regarding the proposed transaction with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC"). BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION,
INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF CHAQ AND RENOVACOR ARE URGED TO
READ THE PROXY STATEMENT, AS MAY BE AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED FROM
TIME TO TIME, AND ALL OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR THAT WILL
BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION
AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES
THERETO.
Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free
copies of the proxy statement and all other relevant documents
filed or that will be filed with the SEC by CHAQ through the
website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, the
documents filed by CHAQ may be obtained free of charge from CHAQ's
website at https://www.chardanhealthcarespac.com/ or by written
request to CHAQ at Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp., 17 State
Street, 21st Floor, New York, NY
10004.
Participants in Solicitation
CHAQ and Renovacor and
their respective directors and officers may be deemed to be
participants in the solicitation of proxies from CHAQ's
stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction.
Information about CHAQ's directors and executive officers and their
ownership of CHAQ's securities is set forth in CHAQ's filings with
the SEC, including CHAQ's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2020, which
was filed with the SEC on March 4,
2021. To the extent that holdings of CHAQ's securities have
changed since the amounts printed in CHAQ's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2020, which was filed with the SEC on March 4, 2021, such changes have been or will be
reflected on Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with
the SEC. Additional information regarding the interests of those
persons and other persons who may be deemed participants in the
proposed transaction may be obtained by reading the proxy statement
regarding the proposed transaction when it becomes available. You
may obtain free copies of these documents as described in the above
paragraph.
Forward-Looking Statements Legend
This communication
contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including
statements regarding the anticipated timing of the transaction and
Renovacor's products under development. These forward-looking
statements generally are identified by the words "believe,"
"project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend,"
"strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should,"
"will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result,"
and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are
predictions, projections and other statements about future events
that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a
result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could
cause actual future events to differ materially from the
forward-looking statements in this communication. You should
carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the
"Risk Factors" section of CHAQ's Annual Reports on Form 10-K,
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and proxy statement discussed above
and other documents filed by CHAQ from time to time with the SEC.
These filings identify and address important risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ
materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made.
Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking
statements, and Renovacor and CHAQ assume no obligation and do not
intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events, or
otherwise. Neither Renovacor nor CHAQ gives any assurance that
either Renovacor or CHAQ will achieve its expectations.
Contact:
Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp.
Jonas Grossman
President and CEO
17 State Street, 21st Floor, New York,
NY 10004
(646) 465-9000
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SOURCE Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp.
