Silence hires chief operating officer

UK novel RNA therapeutics specialist Silence Therapeutics (AIM: SLN) has recruited Torsten Hoffmann as chief operating officer, reporting directly to Ali Mortazavi, chief executive. This is not a plc board appointment.

Dr Hoffmann is joining Silence from Proteros biostructures where he served as chief scientific officer and managing director from July 2015, and before then as CSO and executive vice president at Zealand Pharma from July 2013. Prior to that, he spent 16 years at Roche in roles of increasing responsibility. He is the lead inventor of netupitant, discovered at Roche and approved by the FDA as Akynzeo in 2014.

“I am delighted that Torsten has joined Silence at this pivotal time for the company. As we continue to make progress with our new GalNAc-based platform, Torsten brings an experienced rigour to our operations with his knowledge from target selection through to clinical trials. I have been impressed with his energy and the way that he has quickly formed a close working relationship with our chief scientific officer, Dmitry Samarsky. As a consultant, he has already enabled us to drive efficiency through outsourcing certain activities and he will add further immediate benefits in the field of gene target selection and novel RNA therapeutics, helping to further differentiate Silence in delivering high quality medicines for better patients’ lives,” commented Mr Mortazavi.