Tavo Biotherapeutics announces two new senior leaders

(Image credit: ©Rustam Kholov/AdobeStock)

Lukas Scheibler, PhD, has been appointed as chief research and development officer and Graham Cooper as chief financial officer of Tavo Biotherapeutics, the company recently announced.¹

“I am thrilled to bring on [Scheibler] and [Cooper] to Tavo’s senior team,” said Gary Berman, chief executive officer for Tavo Biotherapeutics. “[Scheibler] has had an illustrious career in ophthalmology… He is recognized as a leader in the industry, and he will play a central role in driving our clinical and preclinical programs in treatments for glaucoma and retinal disease.”

“Likewise, [Cooper] has extensive experience in the biotech field… He is a recognized leader in the venture capital and public investor communities and brings a wealth of experience and strong relationships to Tavo,” he said.

Tavo Biotherapeutics is working to develop new treatments to address unmet needs in ophthalmology, including the development of TAV-001 for the treatment of glaucoma-related neurodegeneration and TAV-002, a potential treatment for retinal disease, including diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy, as well as both wet and dry age-related macular degeneration.¹

Scheibler comes to Tavo Biotherapeutics from Apellis, where he was most recently the company’s chief innovation officer, responsible for all research and development through human proof of concept. He also has experience overseeing the planning and execution of clinical trials as head of clinical development at Alcon. Holding a PhD from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and completing his postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, Scheibler began his ophthalmic career in research and development at Novartis.

Holding a BA in economics from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Cooper has an extensive background in the biotech field across multiple therapeutic indications. His past roles include chief financial officer for Receptors where he oversaw a dramatic growth phase – particularly its sale to Celgene for $7.8 billion. In his role as chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Assembly Biosciences, he was part of the development of anti-viral therapies for the treatment of HBV. Currently, Cooper serves as a member of the board of Beam Therapeutics and is the chairman of the board of Kezar Life Sciences.

“[Scheibler] and [Cooper] fill pivotal roles for Tavo, and they join us at a key time as we prepare to raise capital and advance our pipeline into the clinic,” Berman said. “Attracting these accomplished executives builds on our momentum in developing breakthrough therapies that address fundamental unmet needs in ophthalmology.”

Reference

1. Tavo Biotherapeutics. Tavo Biotherapeutics Announces Appointment of Seasoned Executives to Key Posts | Newswise. Newswise.com. Published April 29, 2025. Accessed April 30, 2025. https://www.newswise.com/articles/tavo-biotherapeutics-announces-appointment-of-seasoned-executives-to-key-posts/?ad2f=1&aid=827575