CureVac AG, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the field of mRNA-based therapies, has announced the appointment of Daniel Menichella as CEO of CureVac Inc., its Boston-based U.S. subsidiary. Menichella, an experienced executive in the biotech industry, will develop CureVac's U.S. organization with a clear focus on business and corporate development activities around CureVac's versatile mRNA technology platform.

Established in 2015, CureVac Inc. provides a U.S. base of operations for CureVac AG to capitalize on its numerous research and business initiatives as the company advances its pipeline of mRNA therapeutics targeting oncology and infectious diseases, as well as molecular therapies designed to trigger the body's own production of therapeutic proteins. In this regard, Menichella and his team will be responsible for maximizing the value of these technologies by enabling CureVac to more directly engage pharmaceutical communities, particularly those in the U.S.

"As CEO of CureVac Inc., my goal will be to expand CureVac's US business entity and to focus the corporate development efforts to grow our business globally," said Menichella. "CureVac has established the most diverse and advanced development platform in the mRNA industry. I am convinced that the company is in the best position to bring the first mRNA product to the market. There have been many exciting developments at CureVac and I look forward to playing an instrumental role in advancing the company further."

Ingmar Hoerr, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of CureVac AG, stated, "It is a great pleasure to welcome Dan on board. We look forward to benefiting from his vast expertise as we expand our operations in the US and strengthen our business development efforts."

Menichella has held a variety of corporate and business development roles for a number of leading companies during his career, including Bamboo Therapeutics, Applied Genetic Technologies, Zyngenia, Talecris Biotherapeutics and Merck KGaA. In these roles, Menichella led major M&A and licensing deals, corporate strategy and commercialization activities.