Pathway to Cures Announces First Entrepreneur in Residence

Pathway to Cures (P2C) announced today its first Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), Leonard Valentino, M.D. Dr. Valentino most recently served as President and CEO of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF) and was instrumental in bringing Pathway to Cures into reality. Pathway to Cures is the venture philanthropy fund of the NBDF focused on early-stage companies developing cures, therapies, or enabling technologies in support of the inheritable blood and bleeding disorders community.

In the role of Entrepreneur in Residence, Dr. Valentino will provide his medical, scientific, and industry knowledge to offer insight and advice into the best and highest-impact investment opportunities to advance the health outcomes and overall wellness of people living with inheritable blood and bleeding disorders.

“The treatment of Hemophilia has come a long way over the past 40 years, but there is still tremendous opportunity to enhance the health and well-being for people living with inheritable blood and bleeding disorders,” says Len Valentino. “My role as Entrepreneur in Residence for Pathway to Cures will be to provide guidance into the consideration and support of new opportunities for catalyzing transformative therapies and cures. I am particularly excited about bringing improvements in diagnostic approaches leading to earlier treatment and reduced morbidity and mortality for people living with inheritable blood and bleeding disorders here in the U.S. and across the globe.”

Prior to leading NBDF, Dr. Valentino served as a senior leader at Spark Therapeutics, Shire, and Baxalta. He founded and directed the Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and has led numerous clinical trials and published more than 150 papers on hemophilia and other bleeding disorders.

“Len’s continued engagement with Pathway to Cures will be important in bringing investment dollars, knowledge, scientific, and community relationships together to facilitate development of new solutions to address unmet needs in the blood and bleeding disorders community,” said Teri Willey who leads Pathway to Cures as the Managing Director.

As the EIR, Dr. Valentino will also continue as a member of the Pathway to Cures Scientific Advisory Group which makes recommendations regarding promising opportunities.

“It is imperative that we have the highest standards of scientific review of biotech companies we are considering for investment,” said Michael Recht, MD, PhD, MBA, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Pathway to Cures, “and we are privileged to have Len supporting us as our first EIR with his dedicated years of service as a hematologist as well as his work in industry and advocacy for the community we serve.”

Inheritable blood and bleeding disorders include rare and ultra-rare blood disorders, hemophilia A and B, von Willebrand disease, sickle cell disease, anemia, clotting disorders, and other hematological disorders, affecting more than 20 million people worldwide.

For more information, visit www.pathwaytocures.org or contact Renee Peck at rpeck@pathwaytocures.org.

About Pathway to Cures

Pathway to Cures (P2C) is a venture philanthropy fund created to accelerate development of cures across all inheritable blood and bleeding disorders. In collaboration with other organizations, P2C invests in innovative therapies and technologies, leveraging the deep resources and scientific community relationships of its parent organization, the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation. By reinvesting proceeds from investments back into the Fund, P2C will amplify investment impact, support promising companies, and build a portfolio of investments that further the mission of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation.

About National Bleeding Disorders Foundation

The National Bleeding Disorders Foundation is dedicated to finding better treatments and cures for inheritable bleeding disorders and to preventing complications through research, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit hemophilia.org.

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