Hélène Sicard joins DiogenX as chief development officer

French biotech DiogenX, which is focused on regenerating insulin-producing beta cells for the treatment of diabetes, today announced the appointment of Hélène Sicard as chief development officer.

The appointment of Dr Sicard comes at a time when the company has selected its lead candidate, DGX-01, a first-in-class recombinant protein that aims to replicate insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. DGX-01 is now entering investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies. The company’s novel approach has the potential to become a disease-modifying therapy for type 1 diabetes (T1D), a chronic auto-immune condition that affects millions of people worldwide.

“Dr Sicard has extensive experience in leading teams and projects through progressive phases of development in the biotechnology space. I look forward to the exciting path ahead in fulfilling our vision of regenerating functional pancreatic beta cells, with the ultimate aim of restoring patients’ insulin independence,” said Benjamin Charles, chief executive of DiogenX.