Manifold Bio Expands Leadership Team to Drive its AI + In Vivo Targeted Biologics Platform

- Appoints Paula Cobb as Chief Operating Officer -

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Manifold Bio, a platform therapeutics company pioneering AI-guided drug discovery coupled with massively multiplexed in vivo measurement, today announced the expansion of its executive leadership team with the appointment of Paula Cobb as Chief Operating Officer.

Ms. Cobb is the most recent seasoned addition to the company’s leadership, anchored by Co-founders Gleb Kuznetsov (CEO), Pierce Ogden (CTO), and Shane Lofgren (Head of Strategy). Earlier this year Kimberly Scearce-Levie joined as CSO, alongside industry leaders Steve Holtzman as Executive Chair and Doug Williams as Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board.

This deepening of the executive bench comes at a pivotal moment as Manifold Bio scales its proprietary drug discovery engine - a deeply integrated platform that combines massive-scale in vivo data generation with cutting-edge AI-guided protein design to create tissue-targeted biologics. Built to overcome the limitations of traditional discovery approaches, Manifold’s platform enables precision protein engineering across diverse therapeutic areas with the potential for transformative impact.

“We have built a first-of-its-kind engine that combines the power of AI-guided antibody design with the physiological relevance of in vivo data, and we’re expanding the team to drive our internal programs and advance a platform poised to address multiple therapeutic areas,” said Gleb Kuznetsov, Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO of Manifold Bio. “Paula’s operational expertise further catalyzes our evolution into an industry-leading platform therapeutics company.”

“I’m thrilled to join Manifold Bio at a moment when the industry is just beginning to realize what it means to truly unlock the full potential of AI with translationally relevant data generation,” said Ms. Cobb. “The team has already built a powerful engine for discovering tissue-targeted protein therapeutics and secured a fantastic first deal with Roche; my focus will be on further scaling that engine into a durable, high-impact business – developing our internal pipeline, advancing partnerships, and building the operational foundation to translate this powerful platform into medicines for patients across multiple disease areas.”

Scaling the AI x Bio Platform

The expanded leadership team brings specific expertise to different facets of Manifold’s growth strategy, ensuring the company maximizes the surface area of its platform beyond any single therapeutic vertical.

• Paula Cobb, Chief Operating Officer: Ms. Cobb joins Manifold Bio from the Board of Directors at Prothena Corporation, a role she is stepping down from to focus on Manifold’s operations. At Prothena, she contributed significant global development and business strategy expertise. She has also held senior strategy and operations roles at Affinia Therapeutics, Decibel Therapeutics and Biogen. At Manifold, she will lead operational scaling and business strategy, translating the platform’s technical success into corporate growth.

• Steve Holtzman, Executive Chair: A veteran company builder, Mr. Holtzman’s role is central to Manifold’s platform-first strategy. With a track record of shaping industry-defining companies, he is focused on guiding corporate strategy leveraging Manifold’s leading “AI x Bio” platform. He works closely with the leadership team to maximize the platform’s full potential, ensuring it serves as a prolific engine for generating diverse therapeutic candidates and enabling both robust internal pipeline expansion and strategic partnerships.

• Kimberly Scearce-Levie, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer: Dr. Scearce-Levie leads the translational application of the platform. Bringing deep experience in drug discovery and development for neuroscience, she joined Manifold to apply the platform’s high-throughput engineering capabilities to solve complex delivery and targeting challenges that have historically plagued drug development across multiple indications.

• Doug Williams, Ph.D., Chair of Strategic Advisory: Dr. Williams brings decades of R&D leadership experience to the advisory board, helping steer the company’s long-term scientific roadmap and partnership strategies.

About Manifold Bio

Manifold Bio is a platform therapeutics company building the first AI-guided direct-to-vivo discovery platform to accelerate the development of tissue-targeted medicines. By testing thousands of molecules simultaneously in vivo, Manifold uncovers delivery strategies that unlock new therapeutic possibilities across neurodegenerative, metabolic, and other major diseases. Its mDesign engine integrates AI-guided protein design with multiplexed in vivo data, creating a virtuous cycle of design and translation. In addition to developing its internal pipeline of novel medicines, Manifold collaborates with leading pharmaceutical partners worldwide.

Learn more at www.manifold.bio.

Media:
Cynthia Clayton
cynthia@claytonbiocomms.com