Biotech vet Harvey Berger to helm Kojin Therapeutics startup journey.

Veteran biotech entrepreneur Harvey Berger has been appointed as the CEO of Boston startup Kojin Therapeutics. The company, founded in 2019, is developing classes of pills that utilize ferroptosis biology to target various diseases. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of cell death that has been found to play a role in several illnesses. Kojin is working on developing a class of pills that induce ferroptosis to kill cancer cells as well as another class that can block ferroptosis to prevent neurodegenerative diseases. Berger, the founder and former CEO of Ariad Pharmaceuticals, hopes to develop the first ferroptosis-modulating drugs on the market, which could have applications for multiple disease states. The company, which is backed by a syndicate of investors, plans to expand its workforce in the coming year as it continues to identify potential drug targets.