Perth, Australia – Black Swan Biotech (BSB) is pleased to announce that as part of FundWA’s investment in BSB, Prof Michael Nguyen, General Partner & Director at FundWA has been appointed as non-executive director to BSB's Board.
Prof Nguyen is a Perth-based cardiologist who has dedicated his career to patient care, medical research, and teaching and mentoring. He is currently General Partner & Director at FundWA, where he brings core life sciences experience to the Fund's investment team, and Director of Clinical Trials and Research in the Department of Cardiology at Fiona Stanley Hospital. He has been a leader in cardiovascular research, including medical technology and cardiovascular device assessment and commercial implementation, and has served on advisory boards for several cardiovascular device and pharmaceutical companies, including Boston Scientific, Medtronic and Abbott Vascular. Prof Nguyen is a recognised key opinion leader in the Asia-Pacific region and has served on the organising committee and faculty for numerous international and national conferences. He is passionate about supporting start-ups in the medical technology space and transitioning technology from bench to clinical practice and commercialisation.
He has been a significant supporter of local start-ups, investing at seed stage in a number of companies, including as lead investor in VitalTrace. He has also founded and directed several of his own businesses, including one of the busiest cardiology practices in Western Australia, Access Cardiology Pty Ltd, and a thriving distribution company, Tyreline Australia Pty Ltd, for which he remains a Director.
Mr Rob McKenzie, Chair of the Board of BSB, said: “We are delighted to have Michael on our Board. Beyond the capital from FundWA, Michael's combination of clinical leadership, device and pharma advisory experience, and hands-on track record backing medtech start-ups makes him a natural fit for BSB. His perspective as both a treating clinician and a life sciences investor will be invaluable as we advance BSP 0001 and build out our CNS pipeline.”
Commenting on the investment and his appointment, Prof Nguyen said: “FundWA is excited to back BSB. The unmet need in ALS and other CNS diseases is significant, and BSB’s precision RNA approach is compelling. I look forward to joining the Board and supporting the team as they advance BSP 0001 toward the clinic and build long-term value for patients and investors.”
BSB is an Australian biotechnology company focused on developing precision antisense oligonucleotide therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, with an initial focus on Motor Neurone Disease (MND), including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
The company is developing a pipeline of genetically targeted, RNA-directed medicines designed to address underlying molecular mechanisms implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. BSB was spun out of the Perron Institute and Murdoch University and is headquartered in Perth, Western Australia.
Julian Arbuckle (CBO)
Julian.arbuckle@blackswanbio.com
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