HepaRegeniX appoints Dr. Andreas Busch as Senior Advisor 

Tübingen (Germany), November 23, 2022 – HepaRegeniX GmbH, a clinical stage company developing novel regenerative therapy approaches for the treatment of acute and chronic liver diseases, announced today the appointment of Dr. Andreas Busch as Senior Advisor. Dr. Busch will help the Company to further advance the development of MKK4 inhibition, a first-in-class treatment paradigm for liver resection and transplant.

“We are thrilled to welcome Andreas Busch to our team. His long-standing and unrivaled track record in pharmaceutical innovation will help us drive forward the development of our MKK4 inhibitors. Shaping early pipelines, unlocking innovative potential, and enhancing R&D efficiency are among his key competencies. This will support HepaRegeniX to define a path towards providing much needed options for liver regeneration after transplantation or resection, plus other severe conditions with high unmet medical need,” said Dr. Wolfgang Albrecht, Managing Director, COO and co-founder of HepaRegeniX.

Dr. Andreas Busch added: “There is an enormous lack of organs for transplantation including of livers despite their unique inherent regenerative capabilities. Boosting this capacity could tip the balance towards survival for patients requiring partial hepatectomies and for patients receiving living donor liver transplants. I am very pleased to support HepaRegeniX on their way to bringing their exciting first-in-class MKK4 inhibition approach to patients and address this enormous medical need.”

Dr. Andreas Busch has an extensive track record in facilitating innovation both in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in academic research. Currently, he serves as a Chief Innovation Officer for Absci. For over 20 years, he has held different C level and executive positions for a range of companies including Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., Shire PLC, and Bayer Pharma. During his 13 years at Bayer Pharma, most recently as Executive Vice President and Head of Global Drug Discovery, Dr. Busch oversaw the early drug development pipeline, from target identification to proof of concept in patients. In this time, he shaped Bayer’s overall R&D strategy, oversaw the integration of Schering’s drug discovery R&D, and found ways to improve Bayer's research productivity. Before joining Bayer, Dr. Busch was Global Head of Cardiovascular Research at Hoechst and Sanofi-Aventis. He has served on Supervisory and Scientific Boards of numerous research institutions and companies, including the German Cancer Research Center, the University of Tübingen, the Max Delbrück Center, and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics, as well as Takeda and several start-up companies. Dr. Busch is an Extraordinary Professor of Pharmacology at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University in Frankfurt, Germany. He received both his license to practice Pharmacy and his PhD in Pharmacology from the Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University. His scientific track record comprises more than 400 publications and abstracts. For his work on renal and cardiac ion channels and transporters, he received the prestigious Sir Bernard Katz and Franz Volhard Awards.

For further information please contact:

HepaRegeniX GmbH
Dr. Wolfgang Albrecht
Managing Director, COO

For media inquiries:
MC Services AG
Katja Arnold, Dr. Brigitte Keller
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UK: Shaun Brown
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About HepaRegeniX GmbH –

Since 2017, HepaRegeniX has successfully discovered and developed several drug candidates for the treatment of acute and chronic liver diseases based on a novel proprietary molecular target Mitogen-Activated Protein (MAP) Kinase Kinase 4 (MKK4). The first MKK4 inhibitor HRX-0215 recently completed Phase 1 clinical testing. MKK4 is a key regulator of liver regeneration and suppression of MKK4 unlocks the regenerative capacity of hepatocytes even in severely diseased livers. This new and unique therapeutic concept was discovered by Prof. Lars Zender and his research group at the University Hospital Tubingen, Germany. Investors in HepaRegeniX include the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF), Novo Holdings A/S, Coparion, High-Tech Gruenderfonds and Ascenion GmbH.