Alltrna Appoints David Hava, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer to Drive Strategic Pipeline Advancement of tRNA Medicines
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., September 3, 2025 – Alltrna, a Flagship Pioneering company unlocking transfer RNA (tRNA) biology and pioneering tRNA medicines to regulate the protein universe and resolve disease, today announced the appointment of David (Dave) Hava, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Dr. Hava steps into the role previously held by Chris Henderson, Ph.D., who will become chairperson of Alltrna’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). With nearly two decades of drug development experience, Dr. Hava has led multidisciplinary teams that advanced multiple first-in-class modalities from discovery to Phase 3 trials, forged strategic collaborations with global biopharma leaders, and secured substantial capital to fuel innovation.
“Dave combines deep scientific rigor with a proven ability to translate breakthrough science into transformative medicines,” said Michelle C. Werner, Chief Executive Officer of Alltrna. “His track record of building high-performing R&D organizations and scaling novel therapeutic modalities will be instrumental as we expand and prioritize our pipeline of tRNA medicines. We are also thrilled that Chris will continue to guide our science as SAB chairperson.”
“Throughout my career, I’ve focused on turning bold platform science into first-in-class therapies,” said Dr. Hava. “Alltrna’s first-in-class tRNA platform offers a once-in-a-generation chance to redefine genetic medicine, and I’m energized to guide this science into what could be the first disease-modifying medicines for millions of patients with rare and underserved diseases.”
“I am immensely proud of the scientific foundations we have built to advance our first tRNA therapeutics to the clinic,” added Dr. Henderson. “With Dave’s leadership and deep translational expertise, Alltrna is poised to unlock the full breadth of this modality for patients. I look forward to partnering with him and our SAB to guide the next wave of translational research to clinical programs.”
Dr. Hava is an accomplished biotech entrepreneur with nearly two decades of experience advancing innovative therapies across rare, inflammatory, metabolic, respiratory, and oncologic diseases. He brings deep expertise in drug delivery and complex product development, with a proven track record of translating novel science into clinical-stage programs. Dr. Hava most recently served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Mass General Brigham Ventures (MGBV), where he was a founding CEO of a stealth startup and provided scientific expertise and leadership for new company formation efforts and existing companies in the MGBV portfolio. Previously, he was CSO and Head of Research and Development at Synlogic, where he led the discovery and development of first-in-class engineered bacterial medicines and advanced a drug candidate for the treatment of phenylketonuria from nomination to Phase 2 and subsequently launched a global Phase 3 study. Earlier in his career, he held CSO roles at Pulmatrix Inc. and Metera Pharmaceuticals, companies advancing inhaled small molecule therapies for serious respiratory diseases.
Dr. Hava received his Ph.D. in molecular biology and microbiology from Tufts University and completed postdoctoral training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He is an inventor on multiple patents and author of more than 40 peer-reviewed publications.
About Alltrna
Alltrna unlocks tRNA biology to treat disease. The company’s platform incorporates AI/ML tools to develop and deliver diverse programmable molecules with broad therapeutic potential. Alltrna has an unprecedented opportunity to advance a single tRNA medicine to readthrough premature stop codons and unify treatment across a wide range of diseases with the same underlying genetic mutations. Alltrna was founded in 2018 by Flagship Pioneering. For more info, visit www.alltrna.com.
Media Contacts
Jessica Yingling, Ph.D., Little Dog Communications Inc., jessica@litldog.com
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