Timothy Kieffer Named Chief Scientific Officer at Fractyl Health

Fractyl Health has appointed Dr. Timothy Kieffer as its chief scientific officer. Kieffer’s expertise in gut and pancreas biology and the development of gene and cell therapies for diabetes is expected to further bolster Fractyl Health’s intention to reshape diabetes care and metabolic health.
 
Previously, as chief scientific officer at ViaCyte Inc., a company at the forefront of stem cell-derived treatments for diabetes, Kieffer played a pivotal role in advancing the firm’s scientific strategy. His leadership and mindset were instrumental in guiding ViaCyte towards its successful acquisition by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in 2022.
 
“I’m thrilled to be able to work with Dr. Kieffer to advance our scientific programs at Fractyl Health. He is a globally recognized academic leader in gut biology and pancreatic gene therapy, and has been a trusted advisor for several years,” Fractyl Health CEO Harith Rajagopalan, M.D., Ph.D., said. “Tim’s experience as a scientific visionary and his passion for translational medicine will be invaluable as we push T2D and obesity from management toward prevention and remission.”
 
Kieffer has dedicated his career to advancing therapies that can change the lives of people with diabetes. As a leader of the Life Sciences Institute’s Diabetes Research Group and a professor at the University of British Columbia, his commitment to translating scientific discoveries to patient benefits has led to groundbreaking research and the development of novel modalities of treatment in diabetes. Taking his experience from academia to industry and now to Fractyl Health, Kieffer embodies a holistic understanding of the journey from research to real-world application.
 
“The opportunity to work with the team at Fractyl Health is an exciting chapter in my mission to deliver transformative solutions to patients with metabolic diseases,” Kieffer stated. “Fractyl’s approach to addressing root causes of metabolic diseases is important and necessary, and I am thrilled to contribute to a vision that seeks not just treatment but potentially disease eradication.”

Fractyl Health’s Rejuva platform focuses on developing next-generation adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based, locally delivered gene therapies for the treatment of T2D and obesity. The Rejuva platform is in preclinical development and has not yet been evaluated by regulatory agencies for investigational or commercial use. Rejuva leverages advanced delivery systems and proprietary screening methods to identify and develop metabolically active gene therapy candidates targeting the pancreas. The program aims to transform the management of metabolic diseases by offering novel, disease-modifying therapies that address the underlying root causes of disease.
 
Fractyl Health’s lead product candidate, Revita, is based on the company’s insights surrounding the potential role of the gut in metabolic diseases. Revita is designed to remodel the duodenal lining via hydrothermal ablation (i.e., duodenal mucosal resurfacing) to edit abnormal intestinal nutrient sensing and signaling mechanisms that are a potential root cause of metabolic diseases. Revita has received a CE mark in Europe and, in January 2022, received reimbursement authorization through NUB in Germany. In the United States, Revita is for investigational use only. A pivotal study of Revita in patients with inadequately controlled Type 2 Diabetes despite multiple medicines and insulin, called Revitalize 1, is currently enrolling in the United States and Europe.
 
Fractyl Health is a metabolic therapeutics company focused on pioneering new approaches to the treatment of metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and obesity. Despite advances in treatment over the last 50 years, T2D and obesity continue to be rapidly growing drivers of morbidity and mortality in the 21st century. Fractyl Health’s goal is to transform metabolic disease treatment from chronic symptomatic management to durable disease-modifying therapies that target the organ-level root causes of disease. Fractyl Health is based in Lexington, Mass.