Scynexis names kidney disease drug developer Steven Burke to board

Scynexis, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCYX) announced the appointment of Steven K. Burke, M.D., to its board of directors, effective September 18, 2026.

Dr. Burke has more than 30 years of experience in drug development, with a focus on chronic kidney disease. He has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Research and Development Officer and Chief Medical Officer at Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. since 2021, where he has had a leadership role in the development of Vafseo® (vadadustat) for anemia due to chronic kidney disease. Prior to Akebia, he founded Abfero Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was later acquired by Pharmacosmos A/S, and served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Proteon Therapeutics, Inc. from 2006 to 2019.

Guy Macdonald, Chairman of the Board of Scynexis, cited the company's acquisition of SCY-770, a drug candidate in development for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD), as context for the appointment. "As we continue to progress SCY-770, we are excited to add Steven's deep expertise in drug development for chronic kidney disease," Macdonald said.

SCY-770 is a selective AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator being developed as a disease-modifying therapy for ADPKD, which affects approximately 140,000 diagnosed patients in the United States. The drug has received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has been evaluated in Phase 1 trials. Scynexis has said it plans to advance the drug into Phase 2.

Dr. Burke received an A.B. from Harvard College and an M.D. from Cornell University Medical School, and completed a residency and fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

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