Model Medicines Announces Appointment of Tushar Menon, Ph.D. to its Advisory Board
Model Medicinesi is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Tushar Menon to its Advisory Board. Dr Menon brings critical expertise in infectious disease, lung biology, the development of innovative therapeutics and the creation of biopharma strategic partnerships to Model Medicines.
Dr. Tushar Menon has over 15 years of experience in pioneering and developing novel, innovative therapies in multiple disease areas and across diverse modalities including small molecules, gene editing, mRNA and cell and gene therapy. He is currently the Senior Program Manager at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which pioneered the creation of Cystic Fibrosis therapies and has grown to become a global biopharma company. Vertex currently has more than a dozen ongoing research programs focused on the underlying mechanisms of CF and other serious diseases and 2019 revenues in excess of $4B.
Dr. Menon is responsible for Vertex’s portfolio of genetic therapies, based out of their San Diego site. In this role, he manages multiple internal cross-functional drug discovery projects, as well as several key external strategic collaborations and partnerships with major biotech companies like Moderna and CRISPR Therapeutics. Dr. Menon also leads the coordination of business development opportunities and evaluations. He has a deep understanding of the science of drug discovery, an exemplary track record of cross-functional management and leadership across Vertex’s drug development pipeline and key expertise in managing external strategic partnerships and business development opportunities.
Model Medicines Executive Chairman, Dr. Daniel J. Haders II, commented, “Dr. Menon brings a unique perspective to our team, combining knowledge of the business and science of developing sector changing therapies at a world leading biopharma corporation. His experience creating and managing strategic relationships with business partners in the biopharmaceutical industry will make him a key asset to Model Medicines as we build our portfolio of partnerships.”
Dr. Menon earned a B.S. with a dual major in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics from Michigan State University and earned a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Michigan. Dr. Menon’s thesis work focused on the novel role of chromatin remodeling enzymes in the transcriptional regulation of cancer. After graduating from U of M, Dr. Menon then held a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship at the world renown Salk Institute of Biological Studies. At the Salk Institute, Dr. Menon was one of the earliest adopters and experts in advanced genome engineering technologies like CRISPR and pioneered its application in studying a variety of genetic disorders through stem cell based modeling and therapeutic approaches.
