Seasoned drug discovery leader will join Valo to further advance human-centric, AI-enabled drug discovery

LEXINGTON, Mass.: #DrugDiscovery--Valo Health, Inc. (“Valo”), a company pioneering the use of human data and AI to accelerate drug discovery and development, today announced the appointment of Karin Conde-Knape, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Dr. Conde-Knape brings more than two decades of expertise in drug development and translational science and a passion for patient-centric innovation.

Dr. Conde-Knape will join Valo following an extensive career at Novo Nordisk, where she had multiple roles including Senior Vice President of Early Development and Global Drug Discovery. She led research and early development across multiple therapeutic areas through internal and external innovation approaches. At Valo, she will oversee scientific strategy and execution, advancing a diverse portfolio of internal programs and global collaborations aimed at delivering transformative therapies for patients.

“Dr. Conde-Knape’s scientific leadership, passion for patient-centric innovation, and proven track record in drug discovery will be invaluable as we continue to scale our platform and deliver on our mission to transform drug discovery through AI-enabled human causal biology and predictive chemistry,” said Brian Alexander, MD, MPH, CEO of Valo. “We are thrilled to welcome her to the team during such an exciting time for the company and our industry.”

Dr. Conde-Knape’s appointment follows the planned retirement of Mike Graziano, Ph.D., Valo’s current CSO, who will transition to the role of Scientific Advisor. Dr. Graziano has been instrumental in advancing Valo’s science, platform and partnerships, leading the development and advancement of several internal and partnered programs.

“I have long admired Valo’s vision, ways of working, and bold approach to reimagining drug discovery,” said Dr. Conde-Knape. “By starting with human data and applying advanced analytical tools and techniques, we can better understand disease causality and design new drugs based on those learnings. I look forward to building on Valo’s momentum and partnering with the team to deliver more therapeutic breakthroughs for patients.”

Dr. Conde-Knape holds a Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of Connecticut and has authored numerous publications in different areas of cardiometabolic disease biology and translational research. Prior to her role at Novo Nordisk, she spent several years at Hoffmann-La Roche in the Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery and early development areas, responsible for pharmacology teams as well as discovery and biomarker teams. She also led external innovation in Europe and Asia Pacific in Cardiovascular and Metabolism at Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Conde-Knape has been named one of the “Fiercest Women in Life Sciences” by Fierce Pharma, and one of the top 20 women breaking new ground in biopharma R&D by Endpoints News.

About Valo Health:

Valo is redefining drug discovery and development through its AI-enabled human causal biology and closed loop chemistry platforms. Valo uses AI to understand disease causality, identify patient subtypes across heterogeneous diseases, and pinpoint novel drug targets. The company validates targets using proprietary 3D engineered human tissue models that mimic mature human physiology and structure. The Company’s closed loop chemistry platform enables rapid development of potential molecules from trillions of starting points. Valo’s approach aims to identify more impactful drug targets and small molecule therapeutics, faster, and with greater precision than traditional R&D methods. Valo was founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2019. Follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Fonte: Business Wire