Renovacor Announces the Appointment of Kumar Dhanasekharan, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations

Dr. Dhanasekharan joins Renovacor with extensive experience overseeing development, manufacturing and supply operations for biologics including AAV gene therapies

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Renovacor, Inc. (NYSE: RCOR), a biotechnology company developing adeno-associated virus (AAV)‑based gene therapies for devastating cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases resulting from BAG3 gene variants, today announced the appointment of Kumar Dhanasekharan, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations.

“With Kumar’s appointment, we’ve added yet another innovative industry expert to Renovacor’s diverse and growing leadership team,” said Magdalene Cook, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Renovacor. “Kumar is an ideal fit for the company, as he has extensive experience building technical operations functions and overseeing CMC strategy for early-stage AAV gene therapy programs. His experience will be an invaluable asset as we advance towards REN-001’s anticipated IND filing in the middle of next year.”

Dr. Dhanasekharan added, “Renovacor is an exciting company with seasoned industry leaders and strong foundational science that demonstrates REN-001’s ability to improve cardiac function in multiple preclinical heart failure models. I look forward to joining my new colleagues as we work to advance REN-001 and the rest of the pipeline. Our complementary skill sets will serve us well in pursuit of our mission to address the unmet needs of patients with BAG3 associated diseases.”

Prior to joining Renovacor, Dr. Dhanasekharan served as Vice President of Technical Operations at SwanBio Therapeutics. While at SwanBio Therapeutics, Dr. Dhanasekharan oversaw process development, analytical and formulation development, external manufacturing, and supply operations for the company’s AAV gene therapy programs. In this role, Dr. Dhanasekharan devised and implemented a chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) strategy that led to the development of a scalable serum-free manufacturing platform and successful manufacturing to support an IND. Prior to SwanBio, Dr. Dhanasekharan was Executive Director and Head of Technical Development and Tech Transfer at Amicus Therapeutics, where he contributed to the design of an AAV gene therapy manufacturing facility and built a development organization and laboratory operations team of over 30 scientists, as well as a Director-level leadership team to advance the company’s biologics to Phase III and process validation and AAV gene therapy programs to Phase I/II. Dr. Dhanasekharan also previously served as Director and Head of Process and Analytical Development at Cook Pharmica (which has since been acquired by Catelant); Director/Principal, Process and Technology Development at Lonza (formerly Bend Research Inc.); and in roles of increasing responsibility at Sanofi Genzyme.

Dr. Dhanasekharan has a Ph.D. in food science (process engineering focus) from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai (Madras), India.

About Renovacor

Renovacor is a preclinical stage gene therapy company developing a pipeline of innovative and proprietary AAV-based gene therapies for BAG3 gene mutation-associated diseases in areas of high unmet medical need. Renovacor’s therapeutic focus is initially on cardiovascular disease, with a lead program in BAG3 mutation-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). For more information, please visit www.renovacor.com. No part of Renovacor’s website is incorporated by reference into or otherwise deemed to be a part of this press release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including statements regarding the anticipated development of Renovacor’s product candidates. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of Renovacor’s definitive proxy statement/information statement dated August 4, 2021 and other documents filed by Renovacor from time to time with the Securities Exchange Commission. These filings identify and address important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Renovacor assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Renovacor gives no assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

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