News & Events

PHILADELPHIA, September 2, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Renovacor, Inc. (“Renovacor”), an early‑stage 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 closing of its previously announced business combination with Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp. (NYSE: CHAQ) (“CHAQ”), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by Chardan Capital Markets (“Chardan”). Renovacor, Inc., the resulting combined company, expects to commence trading its common stock and public warrants under the ticker symbols “RCOR” and “RCOR.WS”, respectively, on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on September 3, 2021. Renovacor will continue to operate under its existing management team led by Magdalene Cook, M.D., its chief executive officer.

PHILADELPHIA, August 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Renovacor, Inc. (“Renovacor”), an early‑stage 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 Matt Killeen, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer (CSO), effective as of September 1, 2021.

“Matt’s extensive experience discovering, researching and developing AAV-based gene therapies for cardiovascular diseases makes him an ideal fit as Renovacor’s CSO,” said Magdalene Cook, M.D., chief executive officer of Renovacor. “He has an impressive track record of successfully establishing R&D capabilities, advancing therapeutic candidates, and building an early-stage pipeline, which positions him well for success in his new role. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team and look forward to working together to advance REN-001 into the clinic and further develop our broader pipeline of innovative gene therapies.”

PHILADELPHIA, July 19, 2021— Renovacor, Inc. (“Renovacor”), an early‑stage 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 Elizabeth (Beth) White, Ph.D., as chief business officer and senior vice president of operations.

“Beth is a proven industry professional who possesses a unique blend of business, scientific and drug strategy experience from leadership roles in global pharma and biotech companies that will guide the development of our lead candidate, REN-001,” said Magdalene Cook, M.D., chief executive officer of Renovacor. “Her diverse background, with deep experience in the areas of rare diseases and gene therapies, perfectly aligns with our vision to deliver transformative therapies to patients. We look forward to working with her to meet critical business and regulatory milestones as we prepare for REN-001’s anticipated IND filing in mid-2022.”

Renovacor, Inc. (“Renovacor”), an early-stage 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 Jiwen Zhang, Ph.D., as senior vice president, regulatory affairs and quality assurance.

“Jiwen’s extensive regulatory expertise and experience advancing AAV-based gene therapies into the clinic will be invaluable assets for Renovacor,” said Magdalene Cook, M.D., chief executive officer of Renovacor. “She has successfully built regulatory affairs functions at companies of varying sizes, which leaves her well positioned for success as a member of our leadership team. It is my pleasure to welcome Jiwen to Renovacor and I look forward to working with her as we progress towards REN-001’s anticipated IND filing in mid-2022.”

PHILADELPHIA, June 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Renovacor, Inc. (“Renovacor”), an early‑stage 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 appointments of Joan Lau, Ph.D., and Gregory F. Covino to its Board of Directors, effective upon the closing of the previously announced merger (the “Merger”) between Renovacor and Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp. (NYSE: CHAQ) (“CHAQ”). The closing of the Merger is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2021. Upon the close of the Merger, Mr. Covino will also serve as the Chair of Renovacor’s Audit Committee.

“Joan and Greg are accomplished industry leaders with proven track records and we are thrilled to welcome them to our Board,” said Magdalene Cook, M.D., chief executive officer of Renovacor. “Joan’s extensive leadership experience in gene therapy and the broader biotech space, together with Greg’s wealth of expertise in finance, accounting and capital markets, will be invaluable as we begin operating as a publicly traded company. We look forward to benefiting from their strategic guidance as we work to advance REN-001 towards the clinic and execute on our corporate objectives.”

Renovacor, Inc. (“Renovacor”), an early‑stage biotechnology company developing adeno-associated virus (AAV)‑based gene therapies for devastating cardiovascular and central nervous system (“CNS”) diseases resulting from BAG3 gene variants, today announced the appointment of Marc Semigran, M.D., as chief medical officer of Renovacor. Dr. Semigran brings considerable clinical development and translational medicine experience to Renovacor, having previously served as chief medical officer and senior vice president of medical science at MyoKardia through its acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb (“BMS”) in 2020 for $13.1 billion. He will be responsible for the management and global development of Renovacor’s pipeline.

“Marc is an ideal fit for our management team, as his extensive clinical and regulatory expertise in the cardiovascular space is highly relevant to Renovacor’s vision of delivering transformative therapies for devastating cardiovascular diseases,” said Magdalene Cook, M.D., chief executive officer of Renovacor. “We have made considerable progress in advancing our lead candidate, REN-001, through research, preclinical, and now IND-enabling studies. As we advance toward an anticipated IND application for REN-001 in mid-2022, Marc’s cardiovascular drug development expertise will be an invaluable asset. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team and are eager to begin working together as we prepare to move the company into the next phase as a clinical-stage company.”

Renovacor, Inc. (“Renovacor” or the “Company”), an early‑stage biotechnology company developing AAV‑based gene therapies for devastating cardiovascular and central nervous system (CNS) diseases resulting from BAG3 gene dysfunction, and Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp. (NYSE: CHAQ) (“CHAQ”), a special purpose acquisition company or SPAC, sponsored by affiliates of Chardan Capital Markets (“Chardan”), announced today they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement. Upon closing of the transaction, CHAQ will be renamed Renovacor, Inc. and its common stock is expected to be listed on NYSE under the ticker symbol “RCOR” (the “Combined Company”).

The Combined Company is expected to receive gross proceeds of up to $116 million, funded by approximately $86 million held in CHAQ’s trust account (assuming no redemptions are effected) and a common stock PIPE of $30 million at $10.00 per share. A group of premier investors has committed to participate in the transaction through a common stock PIPE and sponsor support agreements, including Chardan Healthcare Investments (an affiliate of Chardan), RTW Investments LP, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), Affinity Asset Advisors, Altium Capital, Ikarian Capital, Sio Capital Management, South Ocean Capital Management, and certain existing Renovacor stockholders including Acorn Bioventures, Longview Ventures (an affiliate of Broadview Ventures) and Innogest Capital.

Renovacor, Inc, a preclinical‑stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative gene therapy‑based treatments for cardiovascular disease, today announced the addition of Dr. Anne Prener to both the company’s board of directors and scientific advisory board.

Dr. Prener has a proven track record of building and leading high‑performing global teams for both preclinical and clinical stage biotech companies. Her 25+ years of experience across several therapeutic areas has focused on rare diseases and gene therapy. Most recently, Dr. Prener served as CEO of Freeline Therapeutics, Ltd., where she scaled the company from the preclinical stage to a fully‑integrated biotechnology organization, which included a broad, internally developed pipeline, two programs in clinical development and a commercial‑scale, high‑quality CMC and manufacturing platform. Prior to that, Dr. Prener was CEO for Gyroscope, a gene therapy company focused on addressing important retinal diseases with novel approaches. She helped build the company from start, including hiring the clinical, regulatory and scientific teams, developed medical and commercial strategy and served as a leading board director of the company. Overall, Dr. Prener has been instrumental in bringing six biologics through development, approval and launch preparations, of which one new treatment for hemophilia took only 4.5 years from first human dose to approval.

Renovacor, Inc, a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative gene therapy‑based treatments for cardiovascular disease, today announced the successful completion of an $11 million Series A financing co‑led by Novartis Venture Fund, Broadview Ventures, and BioAdvance, and joined by New Leaf Venture Partners and Innogest Capital.

Renovacor’s lead program is a recombinant adeno‑associated virus (AAV)‑based gene therapy for patients suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) due to mutations in the BAG3 gene. The foundational understanding of BAG3 mutations and the Company’s gene therapy product are based on 10 years of research performed by Dr. Arthur Feldman, MD, PhD, the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine Temple University. Proceeds from the Series A financing will be used to advance the Company’s first-of-its-kind gene replacement therapy through filing of an IND in preparation to initiate human clinical trials in DCM patients who have mutations in their BAG3 gene.