Orikine Bio strengthens board with appointment of seasoned pharma executive as chairman
Orikine Bio, the Barcelona-based biotechnology company developing next-generation immunotherapies, has appointed Larry Edwards as Chairman of its Board of Directors, effective 1 January 2026.
Background and scientific focus
Founded in 2022 as a spin-off of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Orikine Bio is focused on bispecific and bifunctional cytokine engineering. Its proprietary Foldikine™ platform is designed to precisely reprogram immune responses, targeting autoimmune and inflammatory diseases with the aim of improving therapeutic efficacy whilst reducing systemic toxicity — a persistent challenge in cytokine-based therapeutics.
The company secured a €5.5 million seed financing round in July 2023, alongside €2.8 million in non-dilutive government grant funding, which has supported preclinical development of its immunotherapy programmes.
Edwards brings deep M&A and commercial expertise
Edwards brings over 20 years of executive experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology leadership, encompassing M&A, financing, and commercial operations. He previously serves as CEO of AiCuris and previously led La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (LJPC) to profitability, culminating in its acquisition by Innoviva at an 84% premium. He also served as CEO of Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, where he oversaw the global launch of XERAVA® and steered the company’s subsequent acquisition by La Jolla. Earlier roles include global commercialisation leadership for ZERBAXA® at Cubist Pharmaceuticals and senior positions at Merck.
Strategic intent
Christian Pangratz, CEO of Orikine Bio, commented: “Larry brings a rare combination of deep operational leadership, value-creating M&A experience, and a strong track record of building and scaling biotech companies through critical inflection points.”
Edwards said: “I look forward to working with the seasoned executive team and leading experts in immunology at Orikine with the goal of bringing their novel Foldikine platform to patients in the near future.”
Larry Edwards, the new Chairman of its Board of Directors at Orikine Bio
