Jens Eckstein, president at SR One, UK-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline’s independent corporate venturing fund, has joined the board of BioHealth Innovation, a public-private partnership focused on commercialising biotech innovations and increasing access to early stage companies in Central Maryland, US. Eckstein took over as president last year.
Eckstei joined SR One having worked at venture firm TVM Capital as a general partner since 2007. Eckstein joined TVM as a principal in 2004. At TVM he became chief executive of SelectX Pharmaceuticals, as he also worked as an entrepreneur-in-residence at the company. Eckstein is also the founder of Akikoa Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology start-up company focusing on hearing loss, and North Haven Systems, a life science IT company. Prior to joining TVM Capital, Dr. Eckstein led drug discovery programs at Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Mitotix, Inc.
Eckstein said: “I would like to thank BHI for my appointment to the BHI board and believe this supports SR One’s goal of pursuing innovative science to significantly impact medical care. I look forward to the opportunity,”
BioHealth Innovation is a US-based regional private-public partnership focusing on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding. BHI has also appointed Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, chief executive of Emergent BioSolutions to the board.
Abdun-Nabi has served as general counsel for IGEN International, a biotechnology company, and its successor BioVeris Corporation and as senior vice president, legal affairs, general counsel and secretary of North American Vaccine.
Richard Bendis BioHealth Innovation’s chief executive, said:”It is an honor to welcome two additional life science industry leaders to the BHI Board of Directors, Dan brings a unique perspective from his role at the helm of one of the leading specialty pharmaceutical companies while Jens will provide important insight as the head of the corporate venture capital arm of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). I’m also incredibly pleased that GSK, after having acquired Human Genome Sciences (one of the original investors in BHI), will continue to support BHI and has expressed an understanding of the importance of the mission of our organization.”