PinCell Appoints Veteran Biotech and Biopharma Executives to Management Team and Board of Directors
PinCell, a biotechnology company developing novel therapies for rare dermatological diseases, announced today the appointment of Gabriella Camboni, M.D., as Chief Executive Officer of PinCell and Member of the Board of Directors, and Luigi Costa as Chairman of the Board. Paola Pozzi, Partner at Sofinnova Partners, also joins PinCell’s Board following a successful seed financing of €1.65 million led by Sofinnova Partners, a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London and Milan. The financing was part of a series of investments recently made through The Sofinnova Telethon Fund, the largest fund in Italy dedicated to early-stage biotech startups targeting cures for rare and genetic diseases.
Dr. Camboni is a clinical pharmacologist with 18 years of experience in oncology drug development. She is Chief Executive Officer of BiovelocITA, Italy’s first biotech accelerator, co-founded by Sofinnova Partners in 2015. Dr. Camboni is also co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Ethical Oncology Science (EOS), an Italian startup dedicated to translational medicine in oncology. Previously, Dr. Camboni co-founded and acted as Head of Development at Novuspharma, a biopharma developing innovative treatments for cancer. Both EOS and Novuspharma are part of Sofinnova Partners’ portfolio alumni.
“I am happy to have the opportunity to help develop a game-changing treatment together with an outstanding scientific team and my long-term associates of Sofinnova Partners,” commented Dr. Camboni.
PinCell also bolstered its Board of Directors with the appointment of Luigi Costa as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Costa has over 25 years of international pharmaceutical and biotech experience. He is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Sofinnova Partners and was the CEO of Nordic Nanovector, a biopharma developing novel targeted therapies for cancer. He also served as Board Member of Oncopeptides AS, a clinical stage biotech company developing a new treatment for Multiple Mieloma. Previously Mr. Costa was Regional Head International at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, acquired by Amgen in 2014, and held several leadership positions with Amgen including Head of International Oncology Franchise, General Manager of Italy and President of France, Amgen’s largest market outside the US. He also held various leadership positions of increasing responsibility with Eli Lilly both in Europe and in the US.
“I am very pleased to have the opportunity to support PinCell in the development of its innovative treatment for a severe autoimmune disease. I am confident that PinCell’s outstanding scientific team, together with my colleagues at Sofinnova Partners, will be able to bring a new therapeutic option to patients," said Mr. Costa.
PinCell’s lead program targets a rare autoimmune bullous disease called Pemphigus, which is characterized by blistering and erosions of the skin and mucous membranes. The condition is chronic, debilitating and potentially life-threatening. PinCell’s unique solution uses an innovative mechanism that inhibits the development of the typical skin blisters, without suppressing the immune system. This is a central factor that makes the treatment less prone to immune-related side effects, enabling patients to have a better quality of life.
Ms. Pozzi commented: “We are pleased to invest in this exceptional team of serial entrepreneurs who have significant clinical expertise in dermatological disorders. They have built strong relationships with US pharma-experienced consultants and international patients’ associations.”
The financing secured last month will advance the company’s development of first-in-class anti-inflammatory therapies for the treatment of rare and severe skin diseases with limited therapeutic options.
Carlo Pincelli, M.D., Professor of Dermatology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and Co-founder of PinCell, said: “We are delighted to have secured financing from Sofinnova Partners, an investor with unparalleled authority and expertise in the biotech domain, as well as the support of experienced biotech executives. Together we are confident we will progress towards clinical studies for the benefit of patients suffering from these debilitating skin conditions.”
About PinCell
PinCell is a biotechnology company targeting a novel pathological pathway to develop first-in-class anti-inflammatory therapies for the treatment of rare, severe skin diseases with high unmet medical need. Based in Milan, Italy, PinCell was founded in October 2008 as an academic spin-off of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia by the world-class dermatology experts Prof. Carlo Pincelli and Dr. Alessandra Marconi. PinCell received seed funding from Sofinnova Partners.
For more information, please visit: www.pincell.it
About Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm specialized in Life Sciences. Based in Paris, France, with offices in London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of 40 professionals from all over Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The firm focuses on paradigm-shifting technologies alongside visionary entrepreneurs. Sofinnova Partners invests across the Life Sciences value chain as a lead or cornerstone investor, from very early-stage opportunities to late-stage/public companies. It has backed nearly 500 companies over more than 48 years, creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2 billion under management.
For more information, please visit: www.sofinnovapartners.com
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200506005517/en/
Contact information
Media
Gabriella Camboni, CEO
+39 0283991300
info@pincell.it
Bommy Lee
Head of Communications, Sofinnova Partners
blee@sofinnovapartners.com
+33 (0) 6 47 71 38 11
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Eventbrite Enters into Definitive Agreement to Be Acquired by Bending Spoons for Roughly $500 Million to Accelerate Eventbrite’s Next Phase of Growth2.12.2025 14:30:00 EET | Press release
Eventbrite, Inc. (NYSE: EB), the leading global marketplace for shared experiences, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Bending Spoons, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $500 million. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals, including regulatory approvals and approval by Eventbrite’s stockholders. “For two decades, Eventbrite has stood at the forefront of the experience economy, helping tens of millions to create, discover, and attend unforgettable events,” said Luca Ferrari, Bending Spoons CEO and Co-Founder. “Joining forces with Bending Spoons will accelerate innovation and strengthen Eventbrite’s tools and resources to bring even more people together through shared live experiences for many years to come. As longstanding fans, we’ve identified a few opportunities that we’re excited about exploring with the Eventbrite team after closing the transaction. These include building a dedicated m
Armis Recognized for Innovation; Named to Inc. Best in Business List for the Second Consecutive Year2.12.2025 14:00:00 EET | Press release
Armis, the cyber exposure management & security company, today announced that it has once again been named to Inc.’s Best in Business list, specifically highlighted in the Best in Innovation category for 2025. Inc.’s annual Best in Business Awards celebrate the exceptional achievements and contributions of companies that have made a profound impact on their industries and on society at large. “Armis rapidly innovates and continuously enhances our comprehensive Cyber Exposure Management Platform so that global organizations can proactively protect against cyber threats before there’s any impact,” said Yevgeny Dibrov, CEO and Co-Founder of Armis. “Unlike other solutions on the market, Armis addresses the entire lifecycle of managing cyber threats so that security teams no longer reactively respond to breaches. This is a strategic and monumental shift for the industry to stay a step ahead of threat actors and hugely beneficial to keeping society as we know it safe from disruptions.” Since
Egle Therapeutics Initiates Phase 1 Healthy Volunteer Study of EGL-003, a Next Generation Treg IL-2 Agonist for Atopic Dermatitis2.12.2025 13:32:00 EET | Press release
Egle Therapeutics SAS (Egle), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision medicines that modulate regulatory T cells (Tregs) to restore immune balance, today announced dosing of the first healthy volunteer in the Phase 1 clinical study of EGL-003, an IL‑2⍺-biased mutein designed to selectively activate Tregs while limiting effector T cell stimulation, as a potential treatment for atopic dermatitis. The open-label, multi-center Phase 1 trial begins with a single ascending dose portion in healthy volunteers to rapidly generate foundational safety, pharmacokinetic (PK), and pharmacodynamic (PD) data. These findings will inform dose selection and scheduling for the subsequent multiple ascending dose portion in approximately 40 adults with atopic dermatitis (AD), which will evaluate safety, PK/PD, and early clinical activity versus placebo. Data from both study segments are expected to guide dose selection for a planned Phase 2a trial in AD aimed at establishing clinical pro
AI Takes Center Stage as the Major Threat to Cybersecurity in 20262.12.2025 13:00:00 EET | Press release
Experian® today released its 2026 Data Breach Industry Forecast, offering a look at the evolving cyber threat landscape. The predictions address how the coming year could usher in a new wave of sophisticated attacks driven by artificial intelligence along with other threats and vulnerabilities including quantum computing. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251202474758/en/ Experian's 2026 Data Breach Industry Forecast Now in its 13th year, the forecast offers six insights into how cybercriminals are leveraging emerging technologies to create more convincing identities, evade detection, and exploit new digital frontiers. From synthetic profiles and autonomous AI agents to shape-shifting malware and even brain-computer interface vulnerabilities, the 2026 predictions point to a future where cyberattacks are more personalized, persistent, and technologically advanced than ever before. To download the complimentary pa
Buro Happold Signs Landmark Agreement with Expo 2030 Riyadh Company to Deliver Detailed Master Plan and Infrastructure and Public Realm Design for Expo 2030 Riyadh2.12.2025 12:00:00 EET | Press release
Buro Happold, a leading global engineering, design and advisory consultancy, has signed a major contract with Expo 2030 Riyadh Company to serve as the lead design consultant for the detailed master plan and detailed design of public realm, landscape, infrastructure and utilities for Expo 2030 Riyadh and its legacy. This partnership represents a significant step toward delivering an event billed as “An Unprecedented World Expo”. Expo 2030 Riyadh is expected to feature nearly 197 participating countries and attract over 42 million visits to Pavilions covering approximately 6 million sqm. The event will offer a unique opportunity for participants to address shared challenges and showcase pioneering solutions for a sustainable future. Under the agreement, Buro Happold will provide comprehensive design and technical services, including, development of the detailed master plan, including a focus on event requirements and legacy phase elements, detailed design of the infrastructure works, uti
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom