Augustine Therapeutics appoints Sylvain Celanire as CEO to accelerate development of innovative medicines for rare neuromuscular diseases

Leuven, Belgium, 18th March 2021 - Augustine Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on the development of innovative medicines for rare peripheral neuropathies and neurodegenerative diseases, announces the appointment of Dr. Sylvain Celanire, PhD as its Chief Executive Officer and the opening of drug discovery laboratories at the Leuven Bio-Incubator in Belgium.

Augustine Therapeutics’ Board of Directors announces the appointment of Dr. Sylvain Celanire as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Celanire brings extensive biopharmaceutical expertise to the company with over 20 years of experience in drug discovery and development of novel therapeutic agents in the field of central and peripheral nervous system disorders. 

“Sylvain Celanire is a seasoned professional with a track record as entrepreneur and strategic thinker. In addition, his experience in neurosciences is perfect to lead Augustine Therapeutics into the next development phase,” stated Alain Huriez, MD, PhD, chairman at Advent France Biotechnology and chairman of the compensation committee.

Prior joining Augustine Therapeutics, Sylvain Celanire supported private and listed biotech companies as a consultant, managing preclinical discovery projects to first-in-man entry. He is also co-founder of Pragma Therapeutics, a French biotech company specializing in the discovery and development of innovative medicines for sensory-neural hearing loss and neuropsychiatric disorders. He started his career in 2002 at UCB New Medicines in Belgium before joining Addex Pharmaceuticals (Switzerland) in 2007, where he held various positions of increasing responsibility. He holds a PhD in medicinal chemistry from the University of Rouen (France) with postdoctoral fellowships at the Universities of Orleans (France) and Oxford (UK), collaborating with pharmaceutical industries. Sylvain Celanire co-authored over 25 original research and review articles and book chapters, serving as co-editor for Springer Drug Discovery series and Frontiers in Cellular Neurosciences. He is a co-inventor of over 20 patents and patent applications.

Sylvain Celanire, CEO: “I am very much looking forward to guiding Augustine Therapeutics towards approved therapies for patients in need. The new facilities at the Leuven Bio-Incubator are suited to accomplishing this mission, ideally situated adjacent to the VIB-KU Leuven Centre for Brain & Disease Research and the Leuven University Hospitals at Gasthuisberg.”