Corzo brings a 25+ year successful track record in biopharma, excelling in oncology drug development with Takeda, Sanofi Genzyme, and Eli Lilly
Appointment will support bit.bio’s continued scaling and broadening cell therapy portfolio

November 17, 2021 CAMBRIDGE, England --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cell coding company bit.bio today announces the key appointment of Kathryn Corzo as Chief Operating Officer. She started in the role on 1 November 2021.

“Kathryn brings a wealth of relevant experience and expertise as well as leadership. I welcome her into our company and look forward to working with her to deliver on the promise of our technology for patients.”

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Corzo is a highly regarded biotechnology executive with extensive experience in early and late drug development across multiple indications and platforms. Most recently she was partner at Takeda Ventures, Inc. and previously Head of Oncology Cell Therapy Development at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where she built capabilities and oversaw a cutting edge oncology cell therapy portfolio including CAR-T, CAR-NK, iPSC and gamma-delta platforms. She also served on Takeda’s R&D Management Committee, was a member of Takeda’s Oncology Leadership Team and served on the board of directors for Maverick Therapeutics which was acquired by Takeda in March 2021.

Previously, Corzo was Sanofi Genzyme’s Vice President R&D Myeloma Head where she led global registration programs to drug approvals in the US, EU and Japan. In addition, she held various R&D leadership roles at Hoffmann-La-Roche, Roche Molecular Systems, Eli Lilly and Syndax, contributing to the initial approval of 6 innovative cancer medicines and multiple indication expansions across the globe.

As COO, Corzo will sit on bit.bio’s executive team and oversee all global operations. The appointment is key for bit.bio as they develop their human cells for therapeutic applications. She will also oversee all operations for the continued expansion of the ioCell portfolio which provides human cells and disease models for research and drug discovery.

Kathryn Corzo, COO at bit.bio said:

“My passion and life work is to deliver transformative therapies for patients in need. Cell therapies hold significant promise yet R&D is extremely expensive and complex. bit.bio has a unique platform technology to address many challenges of cell therapy development by providing consistency, speed and scale with its novel approach to cell coding and reprogramming. As an emerging biotech company bit.bio has profound growth possibilities. It’s perfect timing for me to join and leverage my experience to build the company for success “

Mark Kotter, CEO at bit.bio said:

“Kathryn brings a wealth of relevant experience and expertise as well as leadership. I welcome her into our company and look forward to working with her to deliver on the promise of our technology for patients.”

Full biography - Kathryn Corzo

Accomplished biotechnology executive and drug developer who has served in senior leadership roles for several companies. While at Takeda Kathryn was  partner at Takeda Ventures, Inc and before that she was Head of Oncology Cell Therapy Development responsible for overseeing Takeda’s cutting edge oncology cell therapy programs, many of which leverage collaborations with academic and biotech innovation partners. Kathryn built and led cross-functional teams of direct reports accountable for program leadership, clinical sciences, clinical operations, biostats, regulatory, project management, strategic planning, as well as data strategy and integration for cell therapies. She served on Takeda’s R&D Management Committee, the MD Anderson/Takeda Joint Development Committee and Takeda’s Oncology Leadership Team.

Previously, Kathryn worked at Sanofi Genzyme (2010-2019) and held several roles. Most recently she was Vice President R&D Global Program Head for Myeloma leading multi-disciplinary teams advancing therapeutic candidates from early proof of concept through pivotal trials in US, EU, Japan and China resulting in worldwide regulatory approvals, indication expansion and product launches. She also launched an initiative to establish Sanofi’s US R&D innovation center and digital accelerator based in Cambridge, MA.

Prior to Sanofi Kathryn successfully built a two decades career (1989-2010) at Hoffman – La Roche, Roche Molecular Systems, Eli Lilly and Syndax during which time she held roles of increasing seniority in operations, global clinical development, medical affairs, portfolio management, business development, market access and brand management across multiple therapeutic products and indications. Kathryn is recognized for her ability to build successful alliance partnerships and manage high-performing globally dispersed cross functional teams.

Throughout her career Kathryn played an integral role in the development of 12 innovative investigational drugs and 6 branded products which address significant global unmet medical needs.

Kathryn holds an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy.

About bit.bio
Bit.bio combines the concepts of coding and biology to provide human cells for research, drug discovery and cell therapy, enabling a new generation of medicines for every patient, everywhere.

This is possible with our proprietary cell coding technology opti-ox^TM - a breakthrough gene engineering approach that enables unlimited batches of any human cell to be manufactured consistently at scale through direct reprogramming of stem cells.

For more information visit bit.bio

Image: Kathryn Corzo, COO bit.bio (Photo: Business Wire)