BOSTON, June 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skyhawk Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel small molecule therapies designed to modulate critical RNA targets, today announced the promotion of Clint Musil, former Chief Financial Officer of Skyhawk Therapeutics, to Chief Executive Officer and the appointment of Bill Haney, former Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Skyhawk Therapeutics, to Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors.
“It’s been a privilege building Skyhawk for the past six years, and I am delighted to promote Clint to the CEO position to lead us going forward,” said Bill Haney, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Skyhawk Therapeutics. “Clint is an exceptional leader with considerable public biopharma company experience. With Skyhawk’s first program for Huntington’s disease progressing in the clinic and our second program on track to enter the clinic, Clint’s talent, energy and focus are ideally suited to drive Skyhawk as we work towards continued growth. With new additions to our team, including both our Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, Skyhawk is well positioned to responsibly manage a set of potentially promising INDs. As Executive Chair, I will continue to work with our board to support our gifted senior leadership team as we work together to revolutionize disease treatment and develop therapies for some of the world’s most intractable diseases.”
“This is an exciting time to lead Skyhawk as we continue to make meaningful progress advancing our platform to discover critical novel disease-relevant biology, advance our current product candidates into and through clinical studies, and generate additional product candidates for multiple indications for ourselves and our pharma partners,” said Clint Musil, Chief Executive Officer of Skyhawk Therapeutics. “SKY-0515, our HTT-targeted RNA-splicing modulator for the treatment of Huntington’s disease, is advancing through a Phase 1 clinical trial. We expect to report additional data from this trial this summer. Huntington’s disease is a genetically identifiable, progressive disease, usually diagnosed in the third to fifth decade of life with a median of 15 to 18 year predicted survival after symptom onset. There are currently estimated to be more that 40,000 Huntington’s patients in the US, and no drugs have been approved to reverse or slow the progression of the disease.”
About Clint Musil
Mr. Musil brings decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with significant expertise in strategic planning, financial management, and a background across a broad range of transactions including financings, pharmaceutical partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions. Previously, he served as Skyhawk’s Chief Financial Officer from December 2021 to February 2024. Mr. Musil has completed multiple IPOs and served in several public biotech company executive roles including ARMO Biosciences, which was sold to Eli Lilly for $1.6 billion. Earlier in his career, Mr. Musil served in business roles within pharma, as an investment banker, and as an investor. He earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and his B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona.
About Bill Haney
Mr. Haney co-founded Skyhawk Therapeutics after decades of entrepreneurial experience and founding more than a dozen technology companies. Mr. Haney also serves as the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Dragonfly Therapeutics, a biotech company devoted to developing therapies that harness the body’s immune system to bring breakthrough treatments to patients. Mr. Haney was a founding member of the National Environmental Advisory Board for the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the President's Circle for the National Academy of Sciences, has won a Humanitarian Award from Harvard Medical School, The Gabriel Prize, a Pare Lorentz Award and an Achievement Award from the ACLU. He serves or has served on boards for Harvard, MIT, and the World Resources Institute. Mr. Haney was a Kennedy School Fellow from 1997-2001 and he holds an A.B. from Harvard College.
About Skyhawk Therapeutics
Skyhawk Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapies designed to modulate critical RNA targets and revolutionize patient treatment for some of the world’s most intractable diseases. Skyhawk’s discovery expertise is rooted in its proprietary drug discovery platform, which is designed to assess, identify, and test RNA splicing targets and small molecules across a broad range of therapeutic areas and disease states. Skyhawk has built collaborations with BMS, Biogen, Genentech, Merck, Sanofi, Takeda, Vertex, and Ipsen that leverage Skyhawk’s novel platform across disease areas including neurodegenerative disease, autoimmune disease, and oncology. For more information visit www.skyhawktx.com.
About the Skyhawk Platform
Skyhawk’s platform integrates four distinct and complementary data sets in rapidly growing, machine learning models, with the goal of accelerating the discovery and development of RNA targeting small molecule drug candidates across a range of targets. The platform consists of: SKYSTAR®, a target assessment system that integrates data from both public and proprietary bioinformatic, structural and computational biology data sets to prioritize high-value RNA targets; SKYLIBRARY™, a unique, custom built and expanding library of RNA targeting compounds; SKYSEQ™, a proprietary multiplex screening system designed to simultaneously test dozens of high-value targets across a range of RNA structural motifs in an effort to identify compounds selective for a specific disease target; and SKYAI™, a machine learning toolset, integrating data from SKYSTAR, medicinal chemistry, animal studies, toxicology data and clinical studies to drive the next generation of novel RNA splicing modulators.
Skyhawk Contacts
Maura McCarthy
maura@skyhawktx.com
Investor Contact
Anne Marie Fields
Precision AQ (formerly Stern IR)
annemarie.fields@precisionaq.com
332-213-1956
