Translate Bio Names Barbier CMO

Rare Daily Staff

RNA therapeutics developer Translate Bio said it named Ann Barbier, a biopharmaceutical veteran with deep experience in rare disease drug development, as its chief medical officer.

Barbier joins Translate from Agios Pharmaceuticals, where she served as vice president of clinical development, rare genetic diseases. She brings nearly 20 years of drug discovery and development experience to Translate.

Translate CEO Ronald Renaud said Barbier’s “rare disease expertise and extensive experience engaging regulatory agencies make her an invaluable asset as we look ahead to initiating our first clinical study in cystic fibrosis in early 2018.”

Prior to Agios, Barbier spent seven years at Shire, most recently as global clinical development lead and senior medical director, where she worked on a variety of rare genetic diseases including lysosomal storage diseases and hereditary angioedema. Her prior experience includes positions at Envivo, Johnson & Johnson and Aventis.

During her career, Barbier was involved in work that led to several approved products such as Elaprase (Hunter syndrome), Aubagio (multiple sclerosis), and Firazyr (hereditary angioedema), and has led several investigational new drug applications for new chemical entities.

She received an M.D. and Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Gent, Belgium, and a Master of Science from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium. She pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Tennessee in Memphis.

November 6, 2017