Precision BioSearch supports Maxion to appoint Joel Edwards as CBO

Precision BioSearch is delighted to have supported Maxion Therapeutics, a pioneering biotechnology company developing antibody-based drugs for ion channel and GPCR-driven diseases, with the appointment of Joel Edwards as Chief Business Officer.

Joel brings over 25 years of global experience in corporate strategy, operations, business development and alliance management, having secured more than $3.5 billion in strategic partnering revenue from top 20 pharmaceutical companies. He has overseen multiple collaborations leading to FDA approvals and commercial launches, including Kynarmo®, Spinraza®, and Tegsedi®. His expertise in partnering novel platforms and assets in cardiometabolic, oncology, neurology, and rare disease areas will be instrumental as Maxion advances its KnotBody® technology targeting complex membrane proteins in multiple indications.

Prior to joining Maxion, Joel served as CBO at Abilita Therapeutics and Biosion, where he closed major discovery collaborations and licensing transactions with Orion, ImmunoGen, and Pyxis Oncology. He has acted as a Senior Strategic Advisor, providing business development guidance to multiple private startup biotech companies, including Creyon Bio, where he played a key role in negotiating terms for their discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company. He also held various leadership positions at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, where he most recently had an instrumental role in the commercial launch of Tegsedi® and led numerous strategic initiatives to enable Ionis’ current commercialisation capabilities. Earlier in his career, Joel completed formative business and R&D posts at Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Lexicon Pharmaceuticals. He holds an MBA from Colorado State University, an MS from New Mexico Highlands University, and a BS from Ball State University.

Commenting on the appointment, Arndt Schottelius, CEO of Maxion Therapeutics, said:

It has been an absolute delight to work with Malcolm on the search for our Chief Business Officer. This has been a complex search starting in Europe and then expanding to the US and Malcolm has engaged with me strongly from the beginning in clearly defining the desired profile of candidates based on our business needs. The quality of candidates we were able to interview in the process where of very high quality and all deliveries in this search were met on time. I have also really enjoyed the very frequent, intense and open exchange with Malcolm who was focused and authentic in his approach. I am thus happy to strongly recommend Precision BioSearch for any senior hiring campaign.

Welcoming Joel to the team, Arndt commented:

We are thrilled to welcome Joel to our executive team. Joel’s impressive global business development expertise and strong industry network will be key as we advance partnering discussions for our KnotBody® platform and programmes. He has an exceptional track record of securing and managing highly successful collaboration agreements, particularly in the US, and his addition to our team and being US-based will help in securing value-creating partnerships and extending Maxion’s global presence.