Prolynx Names Simon Harnest as Chief Financial Officer and Amer Mirza, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer as It Advances Multi-Program Obesity and Metabolic Disease Portfolio
EMERYVILLE, Calif., July 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prolynx, a biotechnology company developing a next-generation portfolio of ultra-long-acting medicines for obesity and related metabolic conditions, today announced two additions to its executive leadership team: Simon Harnest as Chief Financial Officer and Amer Mirza, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer. The appointments deepen the company’s leadership bench as Prolynx advances multiple ultra-long-acting candidates for obesity and related metabolic diseases toward IND-enabling studies.
"We believe long-acting agents with the potential to be dosed on a monthly or quarterly basis represent one of the most important next frontiers for the long-term management of people living with obesity and related conditions," said Chris Boulton, Chief Executive Officer of Prolynx. "The opportunity for Prolynx is to turn its proprietary half-life-extension platform into a pipeline of medicines that can meaningfully change long-term treatment for patients. With our expanded leadership team and the proven track records they bring across R&D, development and company-building, we have the expertise needed to advance multiple programs toward the clinic and deliver on our ambition to bring transformative medicines to patients in need."
Mr. Harnest will lead Prolynx’s financial strategy as the company advances its portfolio toward clinical development. He brings deep experience helping life sciences companies scale through key financing and growth milestones, including three Nasdaq IPOs and more than $1 billion in capital raised. His experience spans capital strategy, investor engagement, corporate development, and public-market execution. He most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Totus Medicines and previously held senior finance and strategy roles at Metagenomi (NASDAQ:MGX) and Cellectis (NASDAQ:CLLS).
"Prolynx is building in one of the most important and dynamic areas of medicine, in a field still largely defined by weekly injectable therapies," said Simon Harnest, newly appointed Chief Financial Officer of Prolynx. "The company has a significant opportunity to build a leading portfolio of extended-duration medicines designed for once-monthly and once-quarterly dosing, and I look forward to working with the Prolynx team to support the disciplined execution needed to advance this portfolio toward the clinic."
Dr. Mirza will help drive R&D execution as Prolynx advances its ultra-long-acting portfolio for obesity and related metabolic diseases. He brings nearly 25 years of drug discovery and development experience, with particular expertise in metabolic disease, translational science and preclinical pharmacology, and a track record of moving programs through IND-enabling studies. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Disease Biology and Translational Sciences at Septerna and previously held senior R&D and translational leadership roles at Ascendis Pharma, Gilead Sciences and XOMA.
"With its proprietary modular platform, Prolynx has built a compelling scientific foundation for ultra-long-acting medicines engineered to overcome the challenges around chronic treatment," said Amer Mirza, PhD, newly appointed Chief Scientific Officer of Prolynx. "By aiming to improve tolerability, reduce treatment burden and support more durable care, this portfolio has the potential to address limitations that continue to shape current treatments for obesity and related metabolic diseases. I look forward to accelerating these programs toward clinical milestones to deliver transformative therapies for patients who may benefit from new long-term treatment options."
About Prolynx
Prolynx is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing ultra-long-acting medicines for obesity and other metabolic diseases. The Company is advancing a proprietary portfolio of extended-duration therapeutic candidates, targeting once-monthly and once-quarterly dosing, optimized to smooth the peaks and troughs that can contribute to tolerability issues and to support more consistent, long-term treatment. Backed by 5AM Ventures, OrbiMed, and Monograph Capital, Prolynx is based in Emeryville, CA. For more information, visit prolynxinc.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X or Bluesky.
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