Boston, MA - June 10, 2025 - Tevard Biosciences, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company pioneering tRNA-based therapies to cure a broad range of genetic diseases, today announced the appointment of Elisabeth Gardiner, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer. With more than 25 years of leadership in drug discovery and development across the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors, Dr. Gardiner brings deep translational expertise that will accelerate Tevard’s mission to develop effective and durable tRNA-based therapies targeting the root cause of disease. As CSO, she will lead scientific strategy and R&D operations to expand Tevard’s novel platform of engineered suppressor tRNAs, which recently demonstrated the first sustained restoration of full-length dystrophin in a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) model.
“Elisabeth brings a unique blend of scientific rigor, biotech leadership, and a patient-centered approach that aligns perfectly with our goals at Tevard,” said Daniel Fischer, Co-Founder, President and CEO of Tevard Biosciences. “Her experience scaling discovery and translational programs will be critical as we advance our lead program toward the clinic and expand our pipeline across additional indications.”
Dr. Gardiner most recently served as Chief Scientific Officer at Tactile Therapeutics and as an Executive in Residence at the venture studio General Inception, where she advised early-stage neuroscience and oncology companies. She previously held senior roles at Alterome Therapeutics, Aravive, Kinnate Biopharma, and aTyr Pharma where she built and led high-functioning R&D teams responsible for multiple INDs, Phase I/II clinical programs, and successful financing milestones. Over her career, she has contributed to 11 IND filings and helped advance five therapies into clinical trials, including one in Phase III.
“As someone deeply experienced in and committed to addressing rare diseases, I recognize the strength of Tevard’s recent preclinical data and the strategy behind its suppressor tRNA platform,” said Dr. Gardiner. “Unlike conventional gene therapy and editing approaches, which often struggle with large genes, the risk of overexpression, or the need to correct many different mutations, Tevard’s tRNAs enable precise and durable protein restoration. Because of their compact size and ability to target all nonsense mutations, these engineered tRNAs are ideally suited for diseases that are not amenable to conventional gene therapy and can treat many indications with a limited number of suppressor tRNAs."
Tevard’s engineered suppressor tRNAs are designed to restore full-length, functional proteins by precisely correcting nonsense mutations. The company recently reported preclinical data showing that its tRNA-based therapeutic restored dystrophin protein expression and motor function for at least 12 weeks in a DMD mouse model, with no observed adverse effects. The approach represents a transformative advance for patients with diseases previously limited by the delivery and durability constraints of traditional gene therapy methods. Building on this momentum, Tevard’s lead program targeting TTN-related dilated cardiomyopathy is advancing rapidly, with new data expected in the near future, and preclinical work continues in Dravet syndrome and other developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs).
