Longtime Pharmaceutical Executive to Lead C-Path’s Sickle Cell Disease Consortium
TUCSON, Ariz., April 14, 2022 – Critical Path Institute (C-Path) has named Sergey Rakhilin, Ph.D., as Executive Director of its Critical Path for Sickle Cell Disease (CP-SCD) Consortium.
Dr. Rakhilin joined C-Path after working in the pharmaceutical industry for 15 years. His work focused on various aspects of drug development, from target identification to clinical studies and biomarker analysis. He has contributed to the development of several treatments for muscle atrophy, hematological, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Established in 2020, CP-SCD aims to accelerate drug development for sickle cell disease through collaborative action and regulatory endorsement of new medical product development tools. CP-SCD works with the sickle cell community to identify and prioritize tools needed to optimize drug development, such as outcome assessments and disease progression models.
“We are delighted to have Sergey lead our sickle cell disease collaboration to advance the consortium’s work in this disease of high unmet need,” said C-Path Chief Science Officer Klaus Romero, M.D., M.S., F.C.P. “Sergey is passionate about accelerating the development of therapies that tackle rare diseases, particularly utilizing small molecules and gene modifying approaches. Sickle cell disease treatments are at the forefront of such developments, making it one of the top nominations for gene therapy.”
After receiving his M.Sc. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Moscow State University, Russia, Sergey completed postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University in New York. He has published several papers in top journals, including Science, Neuron, PNAS and is listed as an inventor on multiple patents.
Sergey believes that his knowledge of various aspects of the drug development process, building collaborative teams, and interacting with various regulatory agencies will be beneficial in leading the consortium.
“I am honored to have an opportunity to lead CP-SCD to help remove potential hurdles in sickle cell drug development and the approval process,” said Rakhilin. “Developing new approaches in regulatory science is vital in developing life-saving treatments for individuals affected by this disease as quickly as possible.”
For more information on C-Path’s CP-CD Consortium, visit https://c-path.org/programs/cp-scd/
Critical Path Institute is supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is 54.2% funded by the FDA/HHS, totaling $13,239,950, and 45.8% funded by non-government source(s), totaling $11,196,634. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, FDA/HHS or the U.S. Government.
About C-Path
Critical Path Institute (C-Path) is an independent, nonprofit organization established in 2005 as a public and private partnership. C-Path’s mission is to catalyze the development of new approaches that advance medical innovation and regulatory science, accelerating the path to a healthier world. An international leader in forming collaborations, C-Path has established numerous global consortia that currently include more than 1,600 scientists from government and regulatory agencies, academia, patient organizations, disease foundations, and hundreds of pharmaceutical and biotech companies. C-Path U.S. is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, C-Path in Europe is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands and C-Path Ltd. operates from Dublin, Ireland with additional staff in multiple other locations. For more information, visit c-path.org.
Contact:
Kissy Black
C-Path
615.310.1894
kblack@c-path.org
