Elevara Medicines appoints new chief executive
Elevara Medicines, a clinical-stage company developing therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other chronic inflammatory conditions, has announced the appointment of Mai-Britt Zocca, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 July 2026. Dr Zocca succeeds founder Emma Tinsley, who will remain with the company as a Non-Executive Director on the Board.
Leadership background
Dr Zocca was previously founder and Chief Executive Officer of IO Biotech, a Nasdaq-listed clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on cancer vaccines, a role she held from January 2015. During her tenure, the company progressed its pipeline from Phase 1 through several Phase 2 studies and into a pivotal global Phase 3 trial. She has held further chief executive positions across the life sciences sector and has served on the boards of industry bodies including Danish Biotech and the Danish Chamber of Commerce. Dr Zocca holds an MSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Medicine from the University of Copenhagen and the National Cancer Institute, NIH, in the United States.
Commenting on the appointment, Tinsley said: “Mai-Britt is an exceptional biotechnology leader. She combines deep scientific understanding with extensive operational and public company experience, and has successfully built organisations through exactly the stage Elevara is now entering.”
Pipeline and funding context
Elevara’s lead candidate, ELV001, is a first-in-class oral CDK4/6 inhibitor that selectively targets fibroblast-like synoviocytes without affecting the immune system, a mechanism intended to complement existing immune-modulating standards of care. The compound is currently in the Phase 2b START-SYNERGY trial, which began recruitment in March 2026 and will enrol 180 patients with an inadequate response to methotrexate and TNF inhibitors. The primary endpoint is change in DAS28-CRP at week 12.
The company raised a $70 million Series A in October 2025, led by Forbion and Sofinnova Partners, with participation from founding investor Monograph Capital and Weatherden. Proceeds are supporting continued development of ELV001 alongside exploratory programmes in chronic inflammatory disease and women’s health.
For more information, visit: www.elevara.com
Mai-Britt Zocca, PhD, the new Chief Executive Officer at Elevara Medicines
