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BPGbio Welcomes Back NAi Interrogative Biology® Platform Co-Inventor Slava Akmaev, Ph.D., as Chief Operating Officer and Chief AI Officer

By: BPGbio via GlobeNewswire

September 23, 2025 at 07:00 AM EDT

Seasoned AI-Biotech veteran strengthens the company’s leadership in AI and mitochondrial medicine

Co-Inventor of AI platform boosts company’s momentum in advancing late-stage assets to commercialization

BOSTON, Sept. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BPGbio Inc., a leading biology-first, AI-powered, clinical stage biopharma focused on mitochondrial biology and protein homeostasis, today announced that Slava Akmaev, Ph.D., a seasoned AI-biotech leader and the co-inventor of BPGbio’s proprietary NAi® (Interrogative Biology®) platform has rejoined the company as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief AI Officer. Akmaev and BPGbio CEO, Dr. Niven R. Narain developed the first fully integrated AI-based drug discovery platform in the industry dating back to 2012 which has fueled the current advanced stage pipeline.

Building on BPGbio’s momentum, Dr. Akmaev’s return will expand and strengthen the company’s leadership in AI and the emerging field of mitochondrial medicine; drive operational excellence in advancing the company’s late-stage clinical pipeline toward potential FDA approvals; cultivate and execute strategic biopharma partnerships and transactions. Dr. Akmaev will play a central role in continuing to advance the development of Bayesian causal AI models that power BPGbio’s NAi platform for next generation of targets across oncology, central nervous system disorders, and rare inflammatory diseases.

“I’m honored and excited to return to BPGbio, an organization whose leadership, mission and way of working I know firsthand and have deep admiration for,” said Slava. “I’m impressed by the significant progress the BPGbio team has made in the last few years on the company’s lead drug candidate BPM31510, particularly in Primary CoQ10 Deficiency (PCQD) and Glioblastoma (GBM). Those milestones are a testament to the power of BPGbio’s biology-first causal AI and I’m thrilled to work with commercial partners in NAi applications to make discovery and development faster, more precise, and more cost-effective.”

Slava first joined BPGbio (then BERG) in 2011 as one of the company’s earliest employees, where he led development of AI analytics that became the cornerstone of NAi. Most recently, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Scipher Medicine, where he developed and launched PrismRA®, a first precision-medicine diagnostic test for rheumatoid arthritis. Slava is a trained mathematician. He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics in 2000. He has co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on 17 issued U.S. patents.

“I am thrilled to welcome back both a friend and colleague. Slava and I pioneered a new era of medical science and technology that produced a promising pipeline and now to have him come back to help us cross the finish line is an honor and privilege,” said Niven R. Narain, Ph.D., President and CEO, BPGbio. “As we advance toward late-stage development and commercialization of our PCQD and GBM programs it is perfect timing to welcome Slava back to BPGbio. Slava is uniquely positioned to unlock more of NAi’s potential while strengthening day-to-day operations as COO, accelerating our pipeline, partnerships, and path to market.”

Media contact: media@bpgbio.com

About BPGbio

BPGbio is a leading biology-first AI-powered clinical stage biopharma focused on mitochondrial biology and protein homeostasis. The company has a deep pipeline of AI-developed therapeutics spanning oncology, rare disease and neurology, including several in late-stage clinical trials. BPGbio’s novel approach is underpinned by NAi, its proprietary Interrogative Biology Platform, protected by over 500 US and international patents; one of the world’s largest clinically annotated non-governmental biobanks with longitudinal samples; and exclusive access to the most powerful supercomputer in the world. With these tools, BPGbio is redefining how patient biology can be modeled using bespoke Bayesian AI specifically designed for solving large-scale biology challenges. Headquartered in greater Boston, the company is at the forefront of a new era in medicine, combining biology, multi-modal data, and AI to transform the way we understand, diagnose, and treat disease. For more information, visit www.bpgbio.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8f16a099-2268-42e5-9e62-839b04e06884