Arthur Suckow, former co-founder and chief executive officer of DTx Pharma, joins CMT Research Foundation board of directors
ATLANTA (October 3, 2023) CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF), a patient-led, non-profit focused on delivering treatments and cures for Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease*, today announced that Arthur Suckow, Ph.D. former Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of DTx Pharma, has joined the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
“I’m committed to supporting the CMTRF’s mission to direct more research toward the development of drugs for CMT,” says Dr. Suckow. “I will not stand down until we have approved treatments for CMT and I will continue to allocate significant amounts of time toward CMT R&D.”
One of the early programs CMTRF funded was DTx Pharma, co-founded in 2017 by Dr. Suckow, John Grundy and Adam Pavlicek, that had developed a platform for RNA therapeutics called Fatty Acid Ligand Conjugated Oligonucleotide. CMTRF executives suggested DTx’s platform, developed for another indication, could be relevant to the delivery challenge of drugs for CMT1A. CMTRF then funded an initial project to validate that in January 2020.
Dr. Suckow plans to work independently with investors to build new companies tackling diseases with significant unmet need. Prior to DTx, Dr. Suckow held positions at Janssen (J&J), MedImmune/AstraZeneca and Regulus Therapeutics, leading projects across multiple therapeutic areas and modalities (small molecules, peptides, antibody conjugates and oligonucleotide therapeutics). He received his Honors B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from University of Delaware and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, San Diego. During graduate school, he founded Synervate–a cell therapy company focused on a treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease.
“Adding Artie to the CMTRF Board is like getting the first pick in the draft. His depth of knowledge about drug development, CMT, and his dedication to eradicating the disease make him the absolute first choice to help CMTRF reach its mission to end all forms of CMT,” says Patrick Livney, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF) is a patient-led, non-profit focused on delivering treatments and cures for CMT. The foundation identifies significant obstacles or deficiencies impeding progress towards a cure and seeks out collaborators to address these issues. It’s their mission to raise funds to invest in promising science with high potential of leading to treatments and cures. Founded by two patients who are driven to expedite drug delivery to people who live with CMT, the 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt organization is supported by personal and corporate financial gifts.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth encompasses a group of inherited, chronic peripheral neuropathies that result in nerve degradation. CMT patients suffer from progressive muscle atrophy of legs and arms, causing walking, running and balance problems as well as abnormal functioning of hands and feet. CMT affects one in 2,500 people (about the same prevalence as cystic fibrosis), including nearly 100,000 Americans and over 3 million people worldwide. At the moment, there is no treatment or cure for CMT.
