DiogenX appoints Dr. Klara Owen as Chief Medical Officer

Experienced diabetologist and medical director, Dr. Owen brings to DiogenX over two decades of expertise in diabetes clinical management and drug development, as lead candidate progresses towards clinic

Marseille, France, November 12, 2024 – DiogenX, a biotech company focused on regenerating insulin-producing beta cells for the treatment of diabetes, today announces the appointment of Dr. Klara Owen as Chief Medical Officer.

“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Owen to DiogenX. Her experience in T1D and metabolic diseases in general, from clinical translation to Phase 3, will be fundamental for the development of DGX-01, our lead candidate, through the clinical and regulatory processes,” said Benjamin Charles, CEO of DiogenX. “Furthermore, Dr. Owen’s career spans from clinical practice to medical director for pharma and biotech companies. She is a great addition to our team, to support DiogenX’s growth and our ambition to change the treatment paradigm in diabetes.”

The company’s lead candidate, DGX-01, is a first-in-class recombinant protein that aims at replicating insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. This novel approach has the potential to offer a disease-modifying therapy for T1D, a chronic and life-threatening condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It is currently undergoing IND-enabling studies and is expected to enter clinical trials in 2026.

Dr. Klara Owen, MD, Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Owen brings to DiogenX a wealth of experience in the field of diabetes and metabolic disorders from both clinical and corporate perspectives. Notably, she has spent the last decade in senior positions in leading international pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Klara joins DiogenX from Novo Nordisk, where she was Senior International Medical Director of Cell Therapy R&D. Before that, she spent almost four years as Medical Director at Zealand Pharma. Prior to this, she was also at Novo Nordisk, spending five years as International Medical Director in various indications for insulins and incretins, from FHD to Phase 3b. During her career, she led complex projects from rare pediatric diseases to multi-track T1D, which involved clinical trial design, leadership of clinical development teams, and shaping research and regulatory processes.

Dr. Owen gained her medical degree and PhD from Charles University, in Prague (Czech Republic). At the beginning of her career, she spent over a decade in clinical practice and education. While teaching at the 1st Medical Faculty, Charles University (Czech Republic) for seven years, she also obtained her board-certification in diabetology. Dr. Owen furthered her education with an MSc in Drug Development Science at King’s College London (UK).

“I am excited to begin my new role at DiogenX,” said Dr. Owen. “The company has achieved remarkable preclinical work. I am honored to share my expertise in both clinical diabetes practice and clinical drug development. It is inspiring to be part of a company aiming at preventing and reversing T1D to positively impact the quality of life of millions of diabetes patients.”

About DiogenX

DiogenX is a biotech company focused on regenerating insulin-producing beta cells for the treatment of diabetes.

Founded in 2020, its work is based on the pancreatic beta cell regeneration research of leading Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) scientist Patrick Collombat. The company is developing first-in-class recombinant proteins designed for the treatment of T1D. DiogenX’s lead program DGX-01 modulates the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway to regenerate insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells to offer a disease-modifying therapy for T1D. This program is currently undergoing IND-enabling studies.

DiogenX is supported by a network of world-leading experts in diabetes and a consortium of investors including diabetes and biopharma leaders Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, Roche Venture Fund, Eli Lilly and Company, Omnes, Sunstone Capital, T1D Fund and AdBio partners.

The company, co-founded by Patrick Collombat, Jean-Pascal Tranié and Benjamin Charles, is based in Marseille, France, with research labs in Nice, France.

www.diogenx.com