Ex-BioMarin CEO Bienaimé re-emerges at Owkin

Just four months after ending an 18-year stint as chief executive of BioMarin, Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, has been named chairman of Owkin, a specialist in applying artificial intelligence to the discovery and development of drugs and diagnostics.

Owkin said Bienaimé will help to grow the company, including taking it through its next fundraising round and expanding its drug discovery, drug development, and diagnostics capabilities.

According to Bienaimé, a “convergence of information technology and biotechnology” is happening at the moment and Owkin is “well positioned to become a leader in the application of artificial intelligence to accelerate the development of diagnostics and precision medicine.”

He said that AI will have a fundamental impact on health in the next five years, facilitating earlier diagnosis, better targeting of therapies, and an improved understanding of diseases based on their biology, rather than symptomatology.

Owkin’s AI platform – which allows AI models to be developed based on thousands of patient samples without the need to pool data – is the “right approach”, according to the new chairman.

The company says its data can improve the design of clinical trials in the hope of shortening the development time of new therapies, increasing the chances of a successful outcome, and assisting in the development of new diagnostics – a promise that has attracted a string of partnerships with biopharma companies, including alliances Servier, Sanofi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and MSD.

Just last week, the French-American company expanded its work with Sanofi, originally set up in 2021 to use predictive biomedical AI models to find new biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer, adding a new programme in immunology. The new phase will be focused on drug positioning within Sanofi’s immunology therapeutic pipeline, matching drugs to individuals’ unique biology.

During his tenure at BioMarin, Bienaimé steered BioMarin from a company with a single product and annual revenues of $26 million to a company with eight brands on the market, and revenues predicted to approach $3 billion in 2024. He also holds board positions at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), Incyte, and Immunome.

“With nearly three decades experience as CEO, Mr Bienaimé’s proven track record and visionary leadership will inspire innovation and drive sustainable growth for the benefit of all stakeholders,” said Owkin’s co-founder and CEO, Thomas Clozel.

“Together, we will pioneer groundbreaking solutions, shaping the future of biotechnology.”