About us

At Coave Therapeutics, we are leading the transition of genetic medicine from (ultra) rare to prevalent conditions, with an initial focus on neurodegenerative and ocular diseases.
*Co·av·e
(noun) from Conjugated Advanced Vectors
(pronounced ‘cove’)
Our proprietary ALIGATER™ (Advanced Vectors-Ligand Conjugates) platform introduces chemical modifications to AAV capsids or Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs), overcoming the limitations of current vectors on efficacy, safety, and manufacturability. With low doses and optimized routes of administration, our conjugated vectors have demonstrated markedly improved transduction and biodistribution in the central nervous system and the eye across different species.
Our diversified pipeline of novel genetic medicines can potentially transform the lives of people afflicted by rare and prevalent neurodegenerative and ocular diseases – including genetically and non-genetically defined indications.
Headquartered in Paris, France, Coave Therapeutics is backed by leading international life sciences investors.
We are backed by leading international life science investors:

Our team

Coave Therapeutics has an experienced leadership team with years of successful company building and gene therapy experience, as well as strong relationships with gene therapy academic and research centers of excellence to execute on its strategy.
The Coave Leadership Team

RODOLPHE CLERVAL, MSc CEFA
Chief Executive Officer

Rodolphe has over 20 years’ experience in the pharma and biotech industry. Rodolphe joined Coave Therapeutics in 2020 from Enterome, which he co-founded. During his tenure at Enterome, Rodolphe executed over 15 transactions, including major industrial partnerships with Takeda, J&J, BMS, Abbvie and Nestle Health Sciences, generating over €100 million in upfront, R&D payments, and equity investments. He was also actively involved in multiple fundraising rounds. Rodolphe has previously worked in business development at TcLand Expression and Genzyme, and as a sell-side equity analyst at Natixis Bank.
Rodolphe graduated with a M.Sc. degree in Biochemical Engineering from Polytech Marseille and is a Certified European Financial Analyst from EFFAS-SFAF.

PATRICIA FRANÇON, PhD
Chief Operating Officer

Patricia has over 20 years’ experience in the biotech industry leading R&D, preclinical and clinical operations as well as manufacturing for the accelerated development of innovative biologics, including advanced cell & gene therapies. Patricia joined Coave from Skinosive where she served as Chief Operating/Technology Officer until November 2021. At Skinosive she managed all operational aspects of the business, proactively driving the company towards achieving its development goals.
Patricia obtained her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Paris VI University and completed her postdoctoral research at McGill University.

LOLITA PETIT, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer

Lolita is a genetic medicine expert with over a decade of pharmaceutical and biotech experience in gene therapy. Her expertise ranges from the development of novel target concepts to the clinical advancement of candidates. She joined Coave Therapeutics from Janssen Pharmaceuticals (J&J), where she managed the Translational Gene Therapy Research Team responsible for the characterization and selection of gene therapy candidates in multiple therapeutic areas. Alongside this, Lolita led the development and strategic implementation of novel delivery and immunomodulation platforms for ocular gene therapy applications. Prior to J&J, she worked at Spark Therapeutics (part of the Roche Group) where she managed the Ocular Platform Team and oversaw the continuous optimization of innovative gene therapy vectors and novel gene therapy strategies.

Lolita holds a PhD in Biotechnologies and Therapeutics from the University of Nantes (France).

GAELLE LEFEVRE, PhD
VP Discovery Sciences

Gaelle joined Coave Therapeutics in 2019 as a project manager. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Oncology from Paris University and spent over 20 years as a research scientist in renowned academic institutions in France (Institut Pasteur), Canada (McGill University) and the US (NIH, University of Michigan). In 2014, she transitioned to project management and coordinated several large, collaborative translational research studies on rare genetic sensory disorders of the eye and ear and the development of AAV-mediated gene therapies for these indications. She brings her unique expertise to the global management of all the non-clinical projects at Coave Therapeutics.

JULIEN BERGER
VP Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary

Julien has almost 20 years of global, regional and local healthcare legal affairs experience among corporate, commercial, medical, R&D, clinical operations and M&A activities. Julien joined Coave in May 2022 from Galapagos where he served as Senior Legal Counsel Director providing legal support and advice to its global teams.

Prior to Galapagos, Julien spent over 15 years in the legal team at Genzyme, most recently as Legal Director at Sanofi Genzyme following its acquisition. Julien developed and led the legal department for Genzyme’s French entity, supporting the growing business in five therapeutic areas, managing the launch of products in addition to supporting Genzyme’s acquisition by Sanofi.

Julien is a Business Law graduate from the universities of Lyon and Strasbourg.

ROMAIN PETTENARO
VP Business Development

Romain is a seasoned business development executive with a strong track record in corporate strategy, partnering, and operations, with particular expertise in AAV gene therapies. He joined Coave Therapeutics from Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, where he led or co-led several high-value strategic transactions, including a $1 billion AAV gene therapy portfolio acquisition and licensing deals in rare cardiovascular and neurological diseases.

Prior to Alexion, Romain held senior roles at LogicBio Therapeutics, where he contributed to the company’s acquisition and supported multiple licensing and collaboration agreements. He also brings entrepreneurial experience, having co-founded and led a health-focused start-up through to acquisition.

Romain holds dual Master’s degrees in Bioengineering from AgroParisTech and in Business from HEC Paris.

ALEXANDRE SIMON
VP Head of Intellectual Property and Competitive intelligence

Alexandre has almost 20 years’ experience in Intellectual Property (IP) matters. Alexandre is European & French Patent Attorney. Alexandre joined Coave Therapeutics in early 2025 from Enterome, where he served as Head of IP.

Prior to Enterome, he worked as IP Manager at Onxeo (a listed company, now Valerio Therapeutics) and Inserm Transfert (a French Technology Transfer Office dedicated to medical research), where he drafted and prosecuted patent applications in biotechnology including in the gene therapy field.

Alexandre graduated with dual M.Sc. degrees in Molecular Biology & Pharmacology from Polytech Nice and Intellectual Property Law (CEIPI) from the University of Strasbourg

CEDRIC COUSTEIX, MSc
VP Finance

Cédric brings 15 years of experience in financial auditing, management, and transaction consulting. Prior to joining Coave Therapeutics, he was at EY in Paris, where he specialized in private equity and growth companies and acquired deep expertise in financial auditing and transaction consulting. Cédric is an engineer who graduated from the Grande École d’Ingénieurs (Institut supérieur d’électronique de Paris – ISEP) in Paris and holds a degree in corporate finance from the EM Lyon Business School.

Our Board of Directors

FREDERIC CHEREAU, MBA
Chairman

Frederic currently serves as SVP Strategy & Business Development at Alexion. Prior to joining Alexion, he served as President and CEO of LogicBio. Previously, Frederic served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of aTyr Pharma Inc. He also served as President and CEO of Pervasis Therapeutics until its acquisition by Shire Pharmaceuticals where he had a critical impact on the development of the hereditary angioedema (HAE) franchise. Earlier in his career, for nearly a decade, Frederic served in various roles at Genzyme including Vice President and General Manager of the Cardiovascular Business Unit and held sales and marketing roles with a medical device company in France. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for Coave Therapeutics. Fred holds a B.S. in Physics from Paris University, a M.S. from ESC La Rochelle and an MBA from INSEAD.

OLIVIER DANOS, PhD

Dr. Danos has over 30 years’ experience in gene therapy, as a scientist pioneering gene transfer technologies and as a leader in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. He currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of RegenxBio (Nasdaq: RGNX), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing a proprietary adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene delivery platform for the treatment of retinal, neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases.
Prior to RegenxBio, Olivier has undertaken a number of clinical research and executive leadership roles including Senior Vice President at Biogen and Kadmon Pharmaceuticals, Director of the Gene Therapy Consortium at UCL, CSO at Genethon, as well as Director of Research at the CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique – The French National Centre for Scientific Research) and Principal Investigator at Institut Pasteur. Olivier completed his PhD at the University Paris Diderot.

CLAUDIA MITCHELL, PhD MBA

Claudia is a scientist and entrepreneur with over 20 years’ research and industry experience. She most recently served as Senior Vice President of Portfolio Strategy at Astellas Pharma in Tokyo, Japan. Prior to this, Claudia co-founded Universal Cells, where she served as CEO until it was acquired by Astellas for over $100 million. Claudia also co-founded Halo-Bio RNAi Therapeutics and served as its Chief Scientific Officer.
Claudia holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Paris and an MBA in International Management from Ecole des Ponts Business School, Paris, France. She was awarded the 2018 EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in Life Sciences for the Pacific Northwest Region, USA.

BRUNO MONTANARI, PharmD MSc
Seroba Life Sciences

Bruno is a Partner at Seroba Life Sciences. He has a background in venture capital and investment banking, with a focus on the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries.
Bruno graduated in 1998 with a PharmD, from the Université René Descartes, Paris V and in the same year completed a master’s degree in Strategic Management at HEC.
Prior to joining the firm in 2017, Bruno was a Partner at Omnes Capital (Paris), in charge of life sciences investments for the venture capital team. His previous venture capital experience was at Atlas Venture (Paris/London) and CDP Capital (Paris/Montreal). He started his career in 1999 in London, in the healthcare teams of the investment banking divisions of Deutsche Bank and later Merrill Lynch. Bruno brings a wealth of experience and strong networks, particularly in continental Europe, where he is based.

RODOLPHE CLERVAL, MSc CEFA
Chief Executive Officer

Rodolphe has over 20 years’ experience in the pharma and biotech industry. Rodolphe joined Coave Therapeutics in 2020 from Enterome which he co-founded. During his tenure at Enterome, Rodolphe executed over 15 transactions, including major industrial partnerships with Takeda, J&J, BMS, Abbvie and Nestle Health Sciences, generating over €100 million in upfront, R&D payments, and equity investments. He was also actively involved in multiple fundraising rounds. Rodolphe has previously worked in business development at TcLand Expression and Genzyme, and as a sell-side equity analyst at Natixis Bank.
Rodolphe graduated with a degree in Biochemical Engineering from Polytech Marseille and is a Certified European Financial Analyst from EFFAS-SFAF.

EMMANUELLE COUTANCEAU
Novo Holdings – Seed Investments

Emmanuelle is Partner in the Seed Investment team at Novo Holdings, with over 16 years’ experience as a life science venture investor. Prior to Novo Holdings, Emmanuelle was Partner at Auriga Partners and oversaw the Seed Stage Investment Programme at Omnes Capital (formerly Crédit Agricole Private Equity). Emmanuelle has a PhD in Microbiology from the Universite Paris Cite and an MSM, Medical management from ESCP Business School.
Current positions: Member of the Board of Directors of Minervax, Draupnir, Corwave, Heparegenix, and BiOrigin.

JEAN-FRANÇOIS MORIN
BPI – Innobio

Jean-François Morin is an Investment Director at Bpifrance with over a decade of experience in investment and finance. He specializes in life sciences, driving strategic investments in biotech and medtech companies. With a strong background in finance and venture capital, he has successfully managed and structured numerous investment deals. Jean-François currently serves on the Boards of ONA Therapeutics, Egle therapeutics, Orphalan, May Health and Pixee Medical. He began his carreer at MAZARS as a Financial Auditor, followed by a role at CDC Enterprises. He hold a Master’s degree in Finance from EDHEC Business School.

Our Scientific Advisory Board

Our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is a group of world-leading experts in neurodegenerative diseases, neurosurgery, autophagy and gene therapy.

OLIVIER DANOS, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer at REGENXBIO Inc (Rockville, MD, USA)

Dr. Danos is a pioneer in gene therapy with over 30 years of academic and industrial leadership experience. He is currently CSO at REGENXBIO, where he leads REGENXBIO’s scientific strategy. Prior to joining REGENXBIO, Dr. Danos was SVP, Cell and Gene Therapy at Biogen, where he led company efforts dedicated to identifying and developing new technologies for gene transfer and genome engineering. Dr. Danos also co-founded gene therapy company Lysogene and has undertaken clinical research and executive leadership roles including SVP, Molecular Medicine, Synthetic Biology and Gene Regulation at Kadmon Pharmaceuticals, Director of the Gene Therapy Consortium of the University College of London, Scientific Director at Genethon and Senior Director of Research at Somatix Therapy Corporation. Dr. Danos has directed research focused on gene therapy at the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris, the French National Centre for Scientific Research and the Pasteur Institute in Paris.

ROBIN ALI, PhD
Professor of Human Molecular Genetics at King's College London (London, UK) and Founder of MeiraGTx

Dr. Ali is a world-leading expert in gene therapy for retinal diseases and a pioneer in vision restoration therapies. He is Professor of Human Molecular Genetics and Director of the Centre for Cell and Gene Therapy at King’s College London. Dr. Ali led the world’s first clinical trial for retinopathy and has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers. His work has delivered proof-of-concept for gene and cell therapies for inherited retinal degeneration, including photoreceptor transplantation. He is also the founder of MeiraGTx, a Nasdaq-listed gene therapy company, and has held leadership roles at UCL and on major funding and industry advisory boards. His research has earned international recognition, including the Champalimaud Vision Award and the ARVO Translational Award.

ARAVIND ASOKAN, PhD
Professor and Director at the Duke University School of Medicine, and Director of Danaher Beacon for Gene Therapy Innovation (Durham, NC, USA)

Dr. Asokan is a leading expert in AAV vector biology and synthetic virology, with a focus on developing engineered AAVs to enable next-generation gene therapies. He serves as Professor and Director of Gene Therapy at Duke University School of Medicine, with appointments in the departments of Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. His research group has pioneered several viral and RNA platform technologies to enable the translation of gene therapies. He is Director of the Danaher-Duke Beacon for Gene Therapy Innovation, a Novartis Global Scholar and has co-founded multiple biotech start-ups, including StrideBio (now part of Ginkgo Bioworks), Torque Bio and Lucidigm Therapeutics.

JULIETTE HORDEAUX, DVM, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer at GEMMA Biotherapeutics (Philadelphia, PA, USA)

Dr. Hordeaux is a recognized leader in the development of AAV-based CNS-targeted gene therapies, focused on translating preclinical innovations to clinical-stage programs. She is currently CSO at GEMMA Biotherapeutics. Prior to this, Dr. Hordeaux was Executive Director of Translational Research at the Gene Therapy Program, University of Pennsylvania. In this role, she led a team of scientists investigating AAV therapies for rare monogenic disorders, with specific interest in AAV-mediated toxicity and ways to develop safer gene therapy modalities. She has successfully guided five AAV-programs through Investigational New Drug (IND) applications and is regularly invited to speak at events discussing AAV-mediated toxicity.

FEDERICO MINGOZZI, PhD
Chief Executive Officer of Nava Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA, USA)

Dr. Mingozzi brings extensive expertise in gene therapy R&D and clinical translation, with a focus on developing gene therapies targeting the eye, liver and central nervous system. He has held key scientific roles at Spark Therapeutics, Genethon, INSERM and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. His academic research advanced the understanding of immune responses to AAV vectors and strategies to improve the safety and efficacy of in vivo gene transfer. Dr. Mingozzi has contributed to pioneering gene therapy trials for bleeding disorders, inherited blindness (LUXTURNA®), and metabolic and neuromuscular diseases. His work spans delivery technologies, manufacturing, regulatory strategy and clinical development. Passionate about innovation and mentorship, he is dedicated to translating science into transformative therapies for patients.

AMY POOLER, PhD
Senior Vice President, Research and Development at Life Edit Therapeutics (Durham, NC, USA)

Dr. Pooler is a leading expert in translational neuroscience and genetic medicine, with leadership roles in developing CNS-targeted therapies at Life Edit. Prior to joining Life Edit, Dr. Pooler held various leadership roles at Sangamo Therapeutics. She most recently served as Vice President, Head of Research where she helped establish multiple global licensing and R&D collaborations. She also built the neuroscience team and established an internal neurology pipeline, in addition to supporting multiple programs partnered with pharma companies.

Our Collaborations

At Coave, we welcome the opportunity to partner with leaders in genetic medicine, leveraging our proprietary next-generation ALIGATER™ platform to enable targeted delivery and enhanced gene transduction to improve the effectiveness of advanced genetic medicines for neurodegenerative and ocular diseases.

ABL is a pure play contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specialized in the development and manufacturing of viral vectors for vaccine candidates, gene and cancer therapies.
We are collaborating with ABL to develop gene therapy manufacturing processes that enable us to control the development and manufacture of our pipeline products in an end-to-end manner.
Initially we will co-develop manufacturing technologies for AAV-based gene therapy products, after which we have an exclusive option to secure process development capacity and laboratory space within ABL’s facility. This will enable us to further develop and scale-up manufacturing technologies for our next generation AAV vectors and AAV-based products, including our ALIGATER platform.
ABL and Coave’s process development teams are working jointly in ABL’s state-of-the-art GMP facility in Lyon (France).
For more information see the press release announcing the collaboration here.

The Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases (IMN) is a joint research unit associating the University of Bordeaux and the French National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS). The IMN, established in January 2011, was founded by Dr Erwan Bézard to develop new therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases by facilitating translational research from the laboratory to the patient bed.
We are collaborating with IMN to identify new targets and pathways associated with neurodegeneration and leverage our expertise in gene therapy, including our ALIGATER™ platform to develop novel genetic medicines for neurodegenerative diseases. Our collaboration with IMN will initially focus on developing coAAV based gene therapy products for the targeted delivery of TFEB to deep brain structures for the treatment of various neurodegenerative disorders, focusing initially on Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) (a-synucleinopathies).
IMN will be responsible for carrying out in vivo studies to validate the concept of gene therapy for TFEB delivery in models of MSA and PD. The collaboration aims to generate further in vivo proof of concept data and enable the selection of therapeutic candidates to enter Investigational New Drug (IND) enabling studies.
For more information see the press release announcing the collaboration here.

Technology

Our ALIGATER™ (Advanced Vectors-Ligand Conjugates) platform leverages the wealth of knowledge around commonly used and well-characterized AAV vectors and non-viral Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) vectors with a proprietary chemical conjugation technology to produce novel genetic medicines for neurodegenerative and ocular diseases.

Meet ALIGATER™

Our proprietary platform for a novel class of gene therapies that are effective, safe, and applicable to rare as well as prevalent diseases.
Our core technology is based on functionalizing AAV or LNP, by conjugation of rationally designed ligands onto vectors surface, improving tissue targeting and efficient payload delivery.
Conjugation of chemical ligands to specific amino acids of the AAV capsid
50+ coAAV variants generated
One-step process downstream of AAV manufacturing; applicable to clinical candidates
In vivo cross-species superiority validated (rodent & NHP)
AAV-Ligand conjugation technology is altering the biology of AAV capsids through several potential mechanisms:
BIODISTRIBUTION

Site-specific conjugation onto capsid proteins enables altering of extracellular capsid sequestration, by blocking the binding of the AAV capsid to extracellular motifs.

CELL AND TISSUE TARGETING

Ligands are rationally designed to improve cell and tissue targeting, based on defined ligand-receptor interactions.

INTRACELLULAR

Site-specific conjugation of capsid proteins leads to improvement of intracellular AAV capsid trafficking and payload delivery to the nucleus.

EVADE IMMUNE RESPONSES

Ligand conjugation reduces coAAV exposure to immune reaction and neutralizing antibodies.

Preclinical experiments have demonstrated superiority of coAAVs over best-in-class AAV serotypes in terms of transduction efficiency and tissue distribution.
As a result, our ALIGATER technology offers the potential to generate coAAV based gene therapies with improved delivery to target tissue, at lower doses, thus limiting systemic and local toxicity.

Manufacturing

A key element of our strategy is to develop a robust manufacturing process for our next-generation gene therapies.
We have a growing team of in-house experts who have made significant advances in process and product development for our ALIGATER™ platform. Core elements of these processes are protected by patents and proprietary know-how.
We are collaborating with ABL, a CDMO with proven expertise in developing and executing GMP manufacturing of viral vectors for gene therapy products, to co-develop manufacturing technologies for AAV-based products, including those deriving from our ALIGATER platform.
Coave and ABL’s process development teams are working together in ABL’s state-of-the-art GMP facility in Lyon (France), which will give us the flexibility and capacity to manufacture high-quality gene therapy products at large scale.

Pipeline

We are developing a diversified pipeline of novel genetic medicines for neurodegenerative diseases and ocular diseases, by harnessing our ALIGATER™ technology to enable precise and safe delivery of low dose gene therapy. We are targeting genetically and non-genetically defined diseases by correcting, activating or regulating key functions and pathways involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases.

Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative disorders are a group of conditions characterized by progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, often leading to cognitive or motor impairment. These diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS, can arise from mutations that cause either a loss or gain of function in critical genes. Gene therapy offers a promising approach to target these underlying genetic causes. By delivering functional gene copies or silencing harmful ones, gene therapy can potentially restore normal cellular function.

Ocular diseases

Inherited Retinal Dystrophies

Inherited retinal dystrophies are rare ophthalmic pathologies that can be divided into two groups:

  1. Pigmentary retinopathies, which include retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and Leber congenital amaurosis
  2. Macular dystrophies

Retinitis pigmentosa is the most common form of inherited retinal dystrophy representing 50% of all retinal dystrophies.

While multiple genes are implicated in each of these groups, within each patient or family, only one causative gene is involved.

Press Releases

May, 9 – 2025

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Careers

JOB OPENINGS

We are a talented, passionate group of colleagues with a desire to translate innovative science into novel gene therapies for patients with neurodegenerative and ocular diseases and beyond.

We are committed to building a vibrant team combining deep expertise in AAV vector engineering and genetic construct design, innovative and advanced therapeutic product development, and manufacturing.

We are looking for more talented individuals to join our team.

Contact us

We welcome enquiries regarding our pipeline programs, ALIGATER technology, partnerships, and career openings.

Headquarters
63bis avenue Ledru Rolin
75012 Paris – France

Labs

INSTITUT DU CERVEAU ET DE LA MOELLE EPINIÈRE – ICM
Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière
47 bd de l’Hôpital
75013 Paris 

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