PK MED Strengthens Leadership and Scientific Governance to Advance ARTHRELIS and ENGRAFTIS Development Programs
PK MED, a French biotechnology company established by healthcare investment firm Truffle Capital, has announced a significant expansion of its corporate governance with the appointment of several internationally recognized leaders to its Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board. The move comes as the company prepares to advance its lead therapeutic candidate, ARTHRELIS, into Phase 2 clinical development while accelerating the preclinical progress of ENGRAFTIS, an innovative regenerative therapy designed to improve outcomes following bone marrow transplantation.
The strengthened governance structure reflects PK MED’s ambitions to advance its proprietary therapeutic micro-implant platform, expand strategic partnerships, and position its pipeline for future commercialization opportunities. By bringing together experts in biotechnology, drug development, gene therapy, pharmaceutical innovation, and healthcare policy, the company aims to enhance both its scientific capabilities and corporate strategy as it enters an important stage of growth.
Building Leadership for the Next Stage of Development
The appointments represent a strategic effort to reinforce PK MED’s leadership team as its two flagship development programs approach major regulatory and clinical milestones.
The company specializes in therapeutic micro-implant technologies that deliver localized treatments directly to disease sites. This targeted drug delivery approach is intended to maximize therapeutic effectiveness while minimizing systemic exposure and reducing unwanted side effects.
With ARTHRELIS approaching Phase 2 clinical evaluation and ENGRAFTIS continuing to generate encouraging preclinical data, PK MED believes expanding its governance with globally recognized experts will strengthen decision-making across scientific, regulatory, financial, and commercial activities.
François Romaneix Named Chairman of the Board
Leading the new appointments is François Romaneix, who has been named Chairman of PK MED’s Board of Directors.
Romaneix is a Senior Partner at Truffle Capital and brings extensive leadership experience across healthcare policy, biomedical research, and corporate governance.
During his distinguished career, he previously served as Chief Executive Officer of France’s National Authority for Health (HAS), where he played a central role in evaluating healthcare technologies and shaping reimbursement policies. He also served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Institut Pasteur, one of the world’s leading biomedical research institutions.
His expertise in healthcare systems, market access, regulatory strategy, and innovation is expected to support PK MED as it advances its clinical programs toward commercialization.
According to the company, Romaneix’s appointment will strengthen the board’s ability to navigate increasingly complex regulatory and reimbursement environments while supporting long-term corporate growth.
Isabelle Buckle Brings Global Life Sciences Experience
Joining the Board of Directors is Dr. Isabelle Buckle, a biotechnology executive with more than thirty years of international leadership experience.
Throughout her career, Dr. Buckle has held senior executive positions at global life sciences companies including Bruker and Life Technologies.
Since 2014, she has served as Executive Vice President for Technology Transfer and Industrial Partnerships at the Institut Pasteur, where she led initiatives focused on scientific innovation, commercialization, and partnerships between academic research and industry.
Her extensive experience in technology transfer and industrial collaboration is expected to strengthen PK MED’s ability to translate scientific discoveries into commercially viable therapeutic products.
Gene Therapy Pioneer Joins the Board
Another significant addition to the Board of Directors is Professor Philippe Leboulch, MD, a globally recognized physician-scientist and one of the pioneers of gene therapy.
Professor Leboulch serves on the faculty of Harvard Medical School while also holding a professorship at Université Paris-Saclay.
He is widely known as a co-founder of bluebird bio, originally established as Genetix Biotherapeutics, which became one of the biotechnology industry’s leading gene therapy companies and achieved a market valuation approaching $10 billion during its peak growth period.
Throughout his career, Professor Leboulch has contributed to the development and clinical validation of several groundbreaking gene therapy technologies.
His expertise in advanced therapeutic development, translational medicine, and regulatory strategy is expected to provide valuable guidance as PK MED advances its innovative treatment programs.
In addition to joining the Board of Directors, Professor Leboulch will also serve on the company’s Scientific Advisory Board.
Drug Delivery Expert Strengthens Development Strategy
Completing the new Board appointments is Dr. Tom Tice, an internationally recognized authority in advanced drug delivery technologies.
Currently serving as Senior Director of Global Strategic and Technical Marketing at Evonik Corporation, Dr. Tice has extensive experience developing sustained-release pharmaceutical formulations using biodegradable polymer technologies.
His expertise closely aligns with PK MED’s proprietary micro-implant platform, which utilizes localized drug delivery systems designed to provide prolonged therapeutic activity while reducing systemic exposure.
The company expects his technical knowledge to support further optimization of its implant technologies as development progresses.
Expanded Board of Directors
Following the appointments, PK MED’s Board of Directors now consists of an experienced multidisciplinary team combining expertise in medicine, biotechnology, healthcare regulation, pharmaceutical development, and investment.
The Board now includes:
- François Romaneix (Chairman)
- Isabelle Buckle, PhD
- Professor Daniel Hayoz, MD
- Professor Karine Lacombe, MD
- Professor Philippe Leboulch, MD
- Dr. Philippe Pouletty, MD
- Tom Tice, PhD
Dr. Philippe Pouletty, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Truffle Capital, also serves as founder of PK MED as well as biotechnology companies including Abivax and Carvolix.
Scientific Advisory Board Welcomes International Experts
Alongside the Board expansion, PK MED has strengthened its Scientific Advisory Board by appointing internationally respected medical researchers.
Professor Alain Fischer, MD, PhD, has been named Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board.
Professor Fischer is internationally recognized as one of the pioneers of modern immunology and gene therapy. He serves as Professor at the Collège de France and previously served as President of the French Academy of Sciences.
His scientific expertise will be particularly valuable in supporting the continued development of ENGRAFTIS, PK MED’s regenerative therapy program focused on improving bone marrow transplantation outcomes.
Professor Philippe Leboulch has also joined the Scientific Advisory Board, further strengthening scientific oversight across the company’s research programs.
The Scientific Advisory Board now includes experts in immunology, rheumatology, transplantation medicine, genetics, and inflammatory diseases, providing broad scientific guidance for PK MED’s expanding pipeline.
ARTHRELIS Advances Toward Phase 2
One of the company’s highest priorities is ARTHRELIS, an investigational therapy being developed for patients experiencing refractory gout flares.
Gout is a painful inflammatory disease caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals within joints. Although several treatment options exist, many patients continue to experience severe attacks despite available therapies.
PK MED has developed ARTHRELIS using its localized micro-implant technology, with the goal of delivering sustained treatment directly to affected tissues.
Recent regulatory discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have produced encouraging outcomes.
According to the company, FDA interactions have supported a direct transition into Phase 2 clinical development while also validating the proposed clinical trial design.
PK MED is now actively preparing its Investigational New Drug (IND) application and expects to initiate Phase 2 studies in the near future.
The company ultimately aims to generate Phase 2 clinical data capable of supporting strategic licensing opportunities or potential merger and acquisition discussions by 2028.
ENGRAFTIS Targets Bone Marrow Graft Dysfunction
The second major program in PK MED’s pipeline is ENGRAFTIS, a first-in-class regenerative medicine platform designed to improve graft function following bone marrow transplantation.
Poor graft function remains a serious complication following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, leaving patients vulnerable to prolonged immune suppression, infection, bleeding, and other life-threatening complications.
ENGRAFTIS is designed as an artificial bone marrow niche intended to enhance successful engraftment and support healthy blood cell production.
According to PK MED, the program has already demonstrated promising proof-of-concept results through both laboratory and animal studies.
The company is now focused on advancing ENGRAFTIS through preclinical development while seeking potential strategic partnerships capable of supporting future clinical evaluation.
PK MED expects to reach additional development milestones that could facilitate partnership opportunities as early as 2027.
Positioning for Long-Term Growth
Commenting on the governance expansion, Chairman François Romaneix said he was honored to lead the Board of Directors during what he described as a transformative period for the company.
He noted that the addition of internationally respected leaders from biotechnology, healthcare, pharmaceutical development, and medical research significantly strengthens PK MED’s governance.
According to Romaneix, the combined expertise of the Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board provides an exceptional foundation for advancing both ARTHRELIS into Phase 2 clinical trials and accelerating the development of ENGRAFTIS.
He emphasized that the diverse experience represented across the company’s leadership—including expertise in gene therapy, sustained drug delivery, clinical medicine, industrial development, and healthcare policy—will play an important role in supporting PK MED’s long-term strategy.
Preparing for Future Innovation
As PK MED continues advancing its therapeutic micro-implant platform, the company is positioning itself to address significant unmet medical needs through localized, sustained drug delivery technologies.
With strengthened governance, expanding scientific expertise, encouraging regulatory progress, and two promising development programs moving toward key milestones, PK MED believes it is well positioned to accelerate innovation and establish strategic collaborations that support the future commercialization of its novel therapies.
The leadership appointments represent more than a governance update—they mark an important step in preparing the company for the clinical, regulatory, and commercial challenges that accompany the transition from early-stage biotechnology innovation to later-stage drug development.
About PK MED
PK MED is a French biotechnology company founded in 2019 by Truffle Capital, Business Builder and European leader in BioMedTech (founder of Abivax and Carvolix). PK MED develops injectable micro-implants for local drug delivery and cell homing.
Through its proprietary expertise and technical know-how, PK MED transforms established active ingredients into patented local therapies designed to maximize efficacy and safety by concentrating drug release directly at the targeted tissue while minimizing systemic exposure. PK MED has built a preclinical pipeline addressing major unmet medical needs, starting with gout flares (ARTHRELIS) and bone marrow transplantation (ENGRAFTIS).