#USA #Seattle #Genomics #Variant Bio #Craig Basson

Variant Bio Welcomes Dr. Craig T. Basson as Chief Medical Officer

In a strategic move poised to advance genomics-driven clinical research, Variant Bio has announced the appointment of Dr. Craig T. Basson as its Chief Medical Officer and President of Research and Development. With over 25 years of experience in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Basson is expected to play a crucial role in steering the company toward innovative breakthroughs in therapeutic development.

Experience and Expertise

Dr. Basson's career is distinguished by his extensive leadership spans in academia and biopharmaceuticals. Before joining Variant Bio, he was Chief Medical Officer at Bitterroot Bio, a firm specializing in cardio-immunology, where he successfully established the clinical development strategy and led the company's key programs from early stages through to Phase 2 trials. His prior role as Co-Chief Medical Officer at Boston Pharmaceuticals saw him help scale the organization, managing various programs in general medicine and oncology while liaising with key regulatory agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Basson's tenure at Novartis further solidified his reputation. As Global Head of Cardiovascular Translational Medicine, he led major developmental programs that successfully brought numerous therapies to market, including significant contributions to the CANTOS trial and other proof-of-concept studies that saw the advancement of multiple new medications.

Academic Credentials

An alum of Yale University, Dr. Basson earned his MD and PhD before completing his medical training at prestigious institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He also has an impressive research background at Weill Cornell Medicine, where he focused on the genetic links to cardiovascular disease. His acknowledgment as an Established Investigator by the American Heart Association further accentuates his influence in the field.

Vision for Variant Bio

At Variant Bio, Dr. Basson will oversee clinical strategy and development, particularly as the company leverages its Inference AI discovery platform and the insights gained from collaborating with diverse global populations. As the CEO Andrew Farnum remarked, Dr. Basson’s unique blend of genetic understanding and clinical expertise will prove invaluable as the company aims to transition genetic insights into tangible medical solutions.

Dr. Basson himself expressed enthusiasm for this new chapter, emphasizing the potential for Variant Bio to deliver improved therapies through modern genomics. He highlighted the company's commitment to ethical practices, including a notable benefit-sharing initiative aimed at delivering direct advantages to communities involved in their research.

About Variant Bio

Variant Bio is at the forefront of developing transformative therapies by exploring the genetic make-up of populations exhibiting exceptional health traits. Through its comprehensive Inference platform, the company fuses deep phenotyping with multi-omic data and cutting-edge AI techniques to pinpoint and validate therapeutic targets. This pioneering approach not only endeavors to revolutionize drug discovery but also embodies an ethical vision in promoting fairness and shared benefits from research outcomes.

As Variant Bio continues to expand its impact on the health landscape, the addition of Dr. Basson signals a dynamic step towards harnessing the power of human genomics and integrating clinical insights into a more effective medical sphere.