Coave Therapeutics Expands Into The US With Strategic Appointment Of Romain Pettenaro As VP Of Business Development

Highly experienced in gene therapy dealmaking, Pettenaro will be driving Coave’s business development activities and establish its presence in the Boston biotech hub

Paris, France, and Cambridge, MA, USA - April 23, 2025 – Coave Therapeutics (‘Coave’), a company pioneering the future of genetic medicines, today announces the appointment of Mr. Romain Pettenaro as Vice President of Business Development. Based in Kendall Square, Cambridge MA, Romain will be responsible for leading Coave’s business development and partnering strategy, with a focus on strategic collaborations that accelerate the development of novel gene therapies based on its proprietary ALIGATER™ (Advanced Vectors-Ligand Conjugates) platform.

A highly experienced business development executive, Romain brings a strong track record in corporate strategy, business development, and operations, with particular expertise in AAV gene therapies. He joins Coave from Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, where he led or co-led major strategic transactions, including a $1 billion AAV gene therapy portfolio purchase and licensing agreement focused on rare cardiovascular and neurological diseases. His experience also includes M&A and corporate development at LogicBio Therapeutics, where he supported the company’s acquisition by Alexion and multiple licensing partnerships.

Romain holds dual Master’s degrees in Bioengineering and Business from AgroParisTech and HEC Paris, respectively.

“Romain brings a rare combination of business development expertise and scientific understanding in the genetic medicine space, along with the entrepreneurial drive that makes him an ideal fit for Coave,” said Rodolphe Clerval, CEO of Coave Therapeutics. “His appointment not only adds significant experience to our team but also marks an important step in establishing our presence in the US, with a base in Boston — a key hub for innovation and partnering in genetic medicine. As we advance our ALIGATER™ platform and pipeline, Romain will play a central role in shaping and executing our strategic growth through partnerships.”

Romain Pettenaro, VP of Business Development, added: “Coave’s ALIGATER™ platform and targeted AAV approach represent a differentiated and highly promising strategy for addressing unmet needs in CNS and ocular diseases. I’m excited to join the team and lead strategic partnering efforts that will help advance the platform and accelerate the development of transformative gene therapies for patients.”

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Photo of Romain Pettenaro available on request

About ALIGATER™
Coave’s proprietary ALIGATER™ (Advanced Vectors-Ligand Conjugates) platform is a breakthrough technology addressing key limitations in the delivery of genetic payloads to extra-hepatic tissues, including limited tissue specificity, delivery efficiency and safety. ALIGATER™ enables conjugation of targeting ligands, such as small molecules, peptides, or antibody fragments, on AAV or non-viral vectors, offering superior delivery efficiency, tissue specificity and safety profile for a broad range of diseases. Importantly, the platform streamlines the manufacturing process by avoiding prior AAV capsid modifications. These capabilities will enable Coave to develop best-in-class gene therapies designed for specific indications.

About Coave Therapeutics
Coave Therapeutics is a genetic medicine company pioneering the development of innovative solutions to enhance the precision, safety, efficacy and manufacturability of genetic medicines. With its proprietary ALIGATER™ platform, Coave is at the forefront of addressing challenges in gene therapy delivery to extra-hepatic tissues, creating a robust pipeline targeting CNS, neuromuscular and eye diseases.

Headquartered in Paris, France, Coave Therapeutics is backed by leading international life sciences investors. For more information about the science, pipeline, and people, please visit coavetx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

CONTACTS

Coave Therapeutics
Rodolphe Clerval, CEO
contact@coavetx.com

MEDiSTRAVA
Sylvie Berrebi, Mark Swallow
coavetx@medistrava.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Coave Therapeutics?

Coave Therapeutics is a genetic medicine company pioneering innovative solutions to enhance the precision, safety, efficacy, and manufacturability of genetic medicines, focusing on delivering gene therapies to extra-hepatic tissues.

What is the ALIGATER™ platform?

ALIGATER™ is Coave's proprietary platform addressing limitations in delivering genetic payloads. It enables conjugation of targeting ligands on vectors, offering superior delivery efficiency, tissue specificity, and safety.

What is Romain Pettenaro's role at Coave?

Romain Pettenaro is the new Vice President of Business Development, responsible for leading Coave's business development and partnering strategy, focusing on strategic collaborations to accelerate the development of novel gene therapies.

First published on Wed, Apr 23, 2025

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