May 8 - Sanofi's chief scientific officer and head of research, Dr. Frank Nestle, is leaving the company, according to Fierce Biotech. Dr. Nestle made the announcement to employees in a May 8 statement, confirmed to Fierce Biotech by a Sanofi spokesperson.
Frank Nestle's departure is the highest-level departure announced by Sanofi since it began a global research and development (R&D) reorganisation last month.
Sanofi has been hinting at a shift from oncology to immunology research since November 2023. CEO Paul Hudson teased at the time that the company would be stepping up its immunology research.
Sanofi's strategic shift has led the company to drastically cut back on its early-stage oncology research efforts and cancel a number of collaborations. Recently, Sanofi cut its collaboration agreement with IGM Biosciences, preferring to focus on three antibodies targeting immunological and inflammatory (I&I) targets and dropping three antibodies for oncology.
Sanofi previously disclosed the sale of the Bay Area facilities of Amunix, which it acquired for $1bn in December 2021, as well as the end of immuno-oncology research that began with the acquisition of cell therapy biotech Kiadis.
Sanofi also cut research staff associated with the acquisition of Belgian biotech Ablynx, which was bought for €3.9bn in 2018.
Dr Nestle joined Sanofi in September 2016 as Global Head of Immunotherapy Research and Chief Scientific Officer for North America. Four years later, he was promoted to Global Head of Research and Chief Scientific Officer for the entire company. From April 2021 until October 2022, Nestle served as chairman of the board of directors of the now-defunct Kiadis. With the 'disappearance' of Kiadis, Nestle also left the company.
In a statement, Houman Ashrafian, head of R&D, said, 'Over the past eight years, Frank has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a strong commitment to advancing new drug discovery. He has built a best-in-class research organisation at Sanofi and played a key role in driving our 'Play to Win' culture shift. We are extremely grateful for Frank's contributions to the R&D organisation.'
