Scout Bio Appoints Life Sciences Executive Aaron Schacht to Board of Directors
- Brings experience in managing global innovation portfolios and business development to Scout Bio
- Executive leadership experience across both animal and human health
PHILADELPHIA, February 18, 2022 – Scout Bio, a biotechnology company developing therapeutic proteins and one-time AAV gene therapies for major chronic pet health conditions announced it had appointed Aaron Schacht to its Board of Directors. Mr. Schacht is a deeply experienced life sciences executive with management expertise across a wide range of functions and will work with Scout Bio to execute its strategic development as a veterinary biopharma pioneer.
“Scout Bio’s approach to the innovation and delivery of entirely new biologic therapies for animals is truly unique. Their science is highly validated and has remarkable potential to deliver breakthrough treatments for chronic conditions in pets,” said Mr. Schacht. “I look forward to working with the entire Scout Bio team to support the advancement of the company’s business and rich pipeline.”
“I am pleased to welcome Aaron to Scout Bio during an exciting period where his expertise will add significant value to our corporate strategy,” said Mark Heffernan, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Scout Bio. “We are nearing several inflection points in 2022, including a number of significant clinical milestones for multiple programs. Aaron’s global product development experience will be invaluable in shaping our portfolio and supporting our mission to transform the treatment of major conditions with biologic therapies that will integrate seamlessly into veterinary care.”
Mr. Schacht was until recently an Executive Vice President at Elanco (NYSE: ELAN), with a number of responsibilities over time including oversight of global research and development and innovation as well as regulatory affairs and business development. Elanco is the second largest animal health company in the world with over 10,000 employees and customers in over 90 countries. Mr. Schacht currently serves as President and CEO of MBRD, a new company created to transform Elanco’s microbiome R&D platform and pipeline into a standalone venture.
During his time at Elanco, Mr. Schacht transformed Elanco’s innovation model, building and integrating internal and external innovation strategies that position Elanco as a leading independent animal health company. Aaron led the strategic acquisitions of Bayer Animal Health, Aratana Therapeutics, and Kindred Biosciences. His R&D teams delivered more than a dozen new products to the market during his tenure, while integrating the R&D capabilities and pipelines of Novartis Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim pet vaccines, Bayer Animal Health, Aratana, Prevtec and Kindred. Aaron was a member of the founding executive team that completed the carve out from parent Eli Lilly and Company, taking Elanco public in 2018. Schacht began his career at Lilly in 1990 as a medicinal chemist. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Illinois.
About Scout Bio
Scout Bio is a biotechnology company revolutionizing pet medicine by delivering a pipeline of one-time gene therapies for major chronic pet health conditions. Scout Bio’s therapeutics are designed to induce long-term expression of therapeutic proteins in pet patients using AAV vector technology. Scout Bio has a research and development collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania’s Gene Therapy Program, a leader in the field of genetic medicine research. Scout Bio is a private company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more information, see www.scoutbio.co
For further information, please contact:
Fran Gaconnier
Scout Bio
214.417.4142
fran.gaconnier@scoutbio.co
