SAN MATEO, Calif. & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kronos Bio, Inc., a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel cancer therapeutics designed to transform patient outcomes through a precision medicine strategy by targeting dysregulated transcription, today announced the appointment of Yasir Al-Wakeel, BM BCh, as the company’s Chief Financial Officer and Head of Corporate Development.

“Yasir brings a diverse set of capabilities that will be invaluable to us going forward. His strategic finance experience, gleaned from both the corporate finance and research analyst side of Wall Street, operational experience in prior chief financial officer roles, and experience as a practicing clinician, make him an outstanding biopharma executive,” said Norbert Bischofberger, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Kronos. “We are thrilled to have him join the leadership team.”

Dr. Al-Wakeel began his career as a practicing physician, holding both clinical and academic medical posts in the United Kingdom before his roles in finance and early-stage biotechnology. Prior to Kronos, Dr. Al-Wakeel was Chief Financial and Strategy Officer at Neon Therapeutics, where he played a key role in the company’s public and private financings as well as its eventual sale to BioNTech. Prior to that, he was Chief Financial Officer and Head of Corporate Development at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, where he helped shape and execute the company’s refocused business strategy, culminating in a $1 billion asset sale to Ipsen. Before joining Merrimack, Dr. Al-Wakeel served in senior roles in equity research and corporate finance at Credit Suisse focused on the biotechnology sector. During his tenure in corporate finance, he was involved in more than $30 billion in strategic and financial transactions for the firm. Dr. Al-Wakeel received a BM BCh (Doctor of Medicine and Surgery) from Oxford University and an M.A. in theology from Cambridge University.

“Since Kronos’ inception, Norbert and the team have made substantial progress in not only establishing an exciting platform that seeks to unlock historically undruggable oncology targets, but also in establishing a late-stage pipeline with the potential to begin a first registrational trial in 2021,” said Dr. Al-Wakeel. “I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with a leadership team that has been involved in the approval of over 25 novel therapies for the benefit of patients.”

About Kronos Bio

Kronos Bio, Inc. is a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel cancer therapeutics designed to transform patient outcomes through a precision medicine strategy by targeting dysregulated transcription.

For more information, please visit www.kronosbio.com or follow the company on LinkedIn.