ReAlta Life Sciences Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to addressing rare and acute inflammatory diseases, has tapped two biopharmaceutical veterans to lead the company: David Marek as Chief Executive Officer and Paolo Martini, Ph.D., as Chief Research and Development Officer.
 
“As ReAlta evolves into a late-stage development company with multiple clinical programs spanning three distinct therapeutic areas with significant unmet need, I am confident that David and Paolo are the ideal leaders for these two pivotal roles,” said Edward A. Heidt, Jr., Chairperson of ReAlta’s Board of Directors. “David has a strong track record of success driving business transformation including leading an organization with one of the most successful buyouts in recent years, while Paolo’s deep expertise in leading-edge drug discovery and development across an array of therapeutic areas, including rare diseases, will position ReAlta well as we look ahead to delivering potentially life-saving medications for patients with rare and acute inflammatory diseases.”

About David Marek

David Marek is a veteran biopharmaceutical executive with more than 30 years of successful industry experience. Marek previously served as Chief Executive Officer and as a Board Director of Myovant Sciences, Inc., where he led the evolution from clinical-stage to commercial-stage with three commercial launches of therapeutics focused on hormone-sensitive oncology and women’s health prior to the company’s sale to Sumitovant Biopharma Ltd.
 
Prior to Myovant, Marek served as Chief Commercial Officer of Axsome Therapeutics, where he led the buildout of commercial capabilities in preparation for anticipated product launches. Before joining Axsome, he held the position of General Manager of the Neuroscience business unit at Amgen, where he led the U.S. launch of Aimovig for migraine prevention. Before Amgen, he served in a number of leadership roles including Executive Vice President, Consumer Services for WebMD Health Corp. and Managing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare Advertising.
 
Marek began his career at Eli Lilly and Company, followed by AstraZeneca, where he served in a variety of marketing and sales roles. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Washington State University.

About Paolo Martini

Paolo Martini, Ph.D., brings more than 25 years of experience in drug discovery and development. Formerly, he served as Chief Scientific Officer and founder of Moderna Rare Diseases at Moderna, Inc., leading a team focused on identifying novel therapies and applying translational approaches for drug development in rare diseases and hematological disorders.
 
Prior to Moderna, Martini was Senior Director of discovery biology and translational research at Shire Pharmaceutical. He played a key role in the launch of V-Priv (velaglucerase alpha) for Gaucher disease and Firazyr for hemoangioedema, and he supported Phase 1 and 2 clinical studies for lysosomal storage and chronic kidney diseases.
 
Martini is the author of more than 50 publications in high-impact peer-reviewed journals. He serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Certa Therapeutics (Melbourne, AUS), Gingko Bioworks (Boston, MA), and the Institute of Life Changing Medicines (USA), a non-profit organization focusing on CN1 (Crigler-Najjar disease type 1). He studied at the University of Milano in Italy and graduated with a Ph.D. in Molecular Endocrinology.