Arun Swaminathan Takes Over as CEO of Coya Therapeutics

Dr Swaminathan, who has a strong background in business development and deal-making, has played a critical role in Coya’s recent strategic initiatives.

Coya Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced the appointment of Arun Swaminathan, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer effective November 1, 2024.

Dr Swaminathan, who has a strong background in business development and deal-making, has played a critical role in Coya’s recent strategic initiatives.

This includes a licensing transaction with Dr Reddy’s Laboratory in December 2023, which could yield up to $700 million if all milestones are achieved.

Sharing thoughts, the newly appointed CEO said, “I would like to again thank our board of directors and executive chairman Howard Berman for the opportunity to lead Coya. Our pipeline targets severe neurodegenerative diseases facing millions of people across the globe, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. We believe our combination therapeutic approach targeting neuroinflammation can unlock a new paradigm in neurodegenerative treatment.’’

He highlighted recent results from Coya's Phase 2 trial for Alzheimer’s disease, in which patients treated with low-dose interleukin-2 (LD IL-2) demonstrated cognitive stability and significant improvement in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers.

These findings reinforce the role of Coya’s Treg platform, which leverages IL-2 to enhance regulatory T cell (Treg) function, a mechanism believed to support the immune system’s anti-inflammatory response in the brain.

Coya Therapeutics’ lead investigational therapies, COYA 301 and COYA 302, target conditions including Alzheimer’s and ALS. COYA 301, designed to boost Treg function via low-dose IL-2, is in the early stages of clinical development. Meanwhile, COYA 302 combines LD IL-2 and CTLA4-Ig for a dual approach to modulate both Treg and monocyte-macrophage activity.

In February 2023, Coya reported promising findings from a proof-of-concept study on COYA 302 for ALS, conducted at the Houston Methodist Research Institute. Patients in this study demonstrated stable ALS progression over a 48-week treatment period, as measured by the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R).

Reportedly, safety results from the trial were positive, with only mild injection-site reactions reported, and no patients discontinuing due to adverse events.

Additionally, the study showed a statistically significant enhancement in Treg function, supporting COYA 302’s potential for durable Treg modulation.

The therapeutic impact of COYA 302 was further suggested by reductions in inflammatory and oxidative biomarkers, which Coya is currently investigating further. Both COYA 301 and COYA 302 remain investigational and are not yet approved by the FDA or other regulatory agencies.

Dr Swaminathan’s leadership comes at a pivotal time as Coya Therapeutics pursues multiple strategic partnerships to advance its neuroinflammation-focused platform, potentially opening doors to new therapies for debilitating neurodegenerative diseases.

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