Prolynx, a biotechnology company developing ultra-long-acting medicines for obesity and metabolic diseases, has appointed Simon Harnest as Chief Financial Officer and Amer Mirza, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer, according to a company statement.

Harnest brings experience in life sciences finance, including involvement in three Nasdaq IPOs and more than $1 billion in capital raised. He most recently served as CFO of Totus Medicines and previously held senior roles at Metagenomi (Nasdaq: MGX) and Cellectis (Nasdaq: CLLS).

"Prolynx is building in one of the most important and dynamic areas of medicine, in a field still largely defined by weekly injectable therapies," Harnest said. "I look forward to working with the Prolynx team to support the disciplined execution needed to advance this portfolio toward the clinic."

Mirza brings nearly 25 years of drug discovery and development experience, with expertise in metabolic disease, translational science, and preclinical pharmacology. He most recently served as Vice President of Disease Biology and Translational Sciences at Septerna and previously held senior roles at Ascendis Pharma, Gilead Sciences, and XOMA.

Prolynx said the appointments come as the company advances multiple drug candidates targeting once-monthly and once-quarterly dosing toward IND-enabling studies. The company is backed by 5AM Ventures, OrbiMed, and Monograph Capital and is based in Emeryville, California.