About Skyhawk
We discover and develop small molecules that modify RNA expression
Our Mission
Our mission is to revolutionize disease treatment by developing
small molecule therapeutics that modify RNA expression.
RNA mis-expression has been found to cause a growing list of diseases, from orphan and neurological conditions to major cancers. Very few treatments are available for these challenging conditions, many of which have been considered “undruggable.”
Our founders and Scientific Advisory Board are major figures in disease biology and immunology, and launched Skyhawk to harness the power of the immune system to provide breakthrough treatments for patients.
Leadership Team
Bill Haney
Co-founder & Executive Chairman of the Board
An inventor and entrepreneur, Bill Haney started his first company as a college freshman, inventing and building air pollution control systems for power plants. Since then he has started or helped start more than a dozen technology companies. Bill was a founding member of the national environmental advisory board for the US Environmental Protection Agency, the President's Circle for the National Academy of Sciences, has won a Humanitarian Award from Harvard Medical School, an Achievement Award from the ACLU and serves or has served on boards for Harvard, MIT, State and Federal Government agencies, and the World Resources Institute. Bill holds a BA from Harvard College and was a Kennedy School Fellow from 1997-2001.
Clint Musil
Chief Executive Officer
Clint Musil, M.B.A, is the Chief Executive Officer and former Chief Financial Officer of Skyhawk and has served in multiple public company executive roles including ARMO BioSciences which sold to Eli Lilly for $1.6 billion. Earlier in his career he served in business roles within pharma, as an investment banker, and as an investor at Essex Woodlands.
Clint has a BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Sergey Paushkin, M.D., Ph.D.
Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer
Sergey Paushkin, M.D., Ph.D., is a scientific co-founder of Skyhawk. He has more than 20 years of experience in the discovery and development of small molecules targeting RNA including the first approved small molecule to modulate RNA splicing, Evrysdi (risdiplam), for treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Prior to Skyhawk, Sergey was Director of Research at the SMA Foundation, where he managed the Foundation’s drug discovery & development collaborations with pharma, biotech, academic, clinical, and CRO groups to bring first-in-class therapeutics including Evrysdi, Spinraza, Zolgensma to patients. Earlier, at PTC Therapeutics, Sergey started the SMA program; there he also discovered the human tRNA splicing endonuclease complex described in his Cell and Nature publications.
Dr. Paushkin holds a medical degree from Russian State Medical University and PhD in Biochemistry from the Cardiology Research Center, Moscow. His undergraduate research was focused on the molecular bases of prion diseases. Sergey received post-doctoral training from Dr. Gydeon Dreyfuss Laboratory at HHMI/ University of Pennsylvania where he studied the SMN complex, splicing machinery, and RNA binding proteins. He authored many publications in top-tier journals including a publication in Science covering his work on the discovery of risdiplam. He is also a co-editor of the first SMA textbook.
Douglas Faller, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Douglas Faller, M.D., Ph.D., joins Skyhawk after having served as the CMO of Oryzon Genomics. Prior to that, he was Executive Medical Director/Global Clinical Leader at Takeda Pharmaceuticals where he was the global clinical leader for multiple early- and late-stage drugs/therapeutic programs. Dr. Faller is the scientific founder of a number of biotech or biopharma companies, including Beacon Laboratories, Hemaquest Pharmaceuticals, Sapientia Pharmaceuticals (now Briacell Therapeutics), and several which he founded and also held CMO/CSO roles including, CMO/CSO of Viracta Therapeutics and CSO of Phoenicia Biosciences. He has served as Chairman or a member of numerous Scientific or Medical Advisory boards for biotech or pharma.
Dr. Faller was awarded a BS in biology from MIT, an MD from Harvard Medical School, and a Ph.D. in molecular oncology from MIT. His residency in Internal Medicine was carried out at UCSF and he trained in Hematology, Oncology and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology in the Harvard system. Dr. Faller joined the faculty at Harvard medical School and established two research laboratories, focused on the molecular biology of cancer, oncogenic viruses, cardiovascular disease, and the development of new targeted therapies in these disciplines. He served as Attending Physician at Brigham and Women’ Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute before moving to Boston University to establish a Cancer Center and serve as its first Director and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Medicine. He was appointed the first Grunebaum Chair Professor for Cancer Research, and served as Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pediatrics, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Dr. Faller has been awarded 15 patents to date, and has authored more than 340 peer-reviewed papers.
Scientific Advisory Board
Tyler Jacks, Ph.D.
Chair, Skyhawk Scientific Advisory Board | President of Break Through Cancer | Founding Director, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research | Professor of Biology at MIT | HHMI Investigator
Prof. Tyler Jacks is the founding Director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT – a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center. His lab uses cutting-edge technologies to study cancer genetics and cancer immunology, with discoveries that led to the founding of Dragonfly. Prof. Jacks has pioneered the use of gene targeting technology to study cancer-associated genes and to construct mouse models of many human cancer types, closely recapitulating human disease and yielding novel insights into tumor development as well as new strategies for cancer detection and treatment. Jacks was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the inaugural class of Fellows of the AACR Academy. Jacks served as Chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), was co-chair of the White House's Cancer "Moonshot" Blue Ribbon Panel. was a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Board of Directors, and was elected President of the AACR in 2009. He is the president of Break Through Cancer Foundation. Jacks has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Harvard, and a Ph.D. from UC San Francisco.
Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D.
Skyhawk Scientific Advisor | Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Professor of Biology and Member, Koch Institute
Prof. Phillip Sharp’s research interests have centered on the molecular biology of gene expression relevant to cancer and the mechanisms of RNA splicing. Sharp’s landmark work in 1977 provided the first indications of “discontinuous genes” in mammalian cells. The discovery fundamentally changed scientists’ understanding of gene structure and earned him the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Prof. Sharp is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Royal Society, UK. Among his many awards are the Gairdner Foundation International Award, the Lasker Basic Medical Research Award and the National Medal of Science. Prof. Sharp earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He is a co-founder of Biogen and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Frédéric Allain, Ph.D.
Skyhawk Scientific Advisory Board Professor, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics at ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
Prof. Frédéric Allain is an expert in the role of RNA in disease, using NMR technology to elucidate the structure of protein-RNA complexes. He and his research team use biophysical tools to study protein RNA interactions, with a focus on the notable segment of genetic diseases that originate from a post-transcriptional mis-regulation of gene expression often caused by splicing, RNA editing or translation defects. Prof. Allain is a specialist in investigating the molecular mechanism in drug development programs for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Myotonic Dystrophy (DM) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He received his Ph.D. from Cambridge University, U.K.
Steven Bell, Ph.D.
Skyhawk Scientific Advisory Board | Professor of Biology at MIT | HHMI Investigator
Prof. Steven Bell is a leading expert in the study of DNA replication, with an emphasis on how assembly of enzymes are regulated during the cell cycle to ensure genomic maintenance. He is Professor of Biology at MIT, an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Prof. Bell is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, and received his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley.
Ben Blencowe, Ph.D., FRS
Skyhawk Scientific Advisory Board | Donnelly Centre and Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto
Prof. Ben Blencowe is an internationally recognized RNA biologist who has made pioneering contributions to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling alternative splicing and their roles in evolution, development and disease. He holds the Banbury Chair of Medical Research and is Professor in the Donnelly Centre at the University of Toronto; he also serves as Director of the Donnelly Sequencing Centre. Prof. Ben Blencowe has received numerous awards and honours for his research excellence and was recently elected Fellow of the Royal Society (UK). He conducted his Ph.D. research at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg.
Ben Ebert, M.D., Ph.D.
Skyhawk Scientific Advisory Board | Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School | Chair of Medical Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | HHMI Investigator
Dr. Ben Ebert focuses on the genetics, biology, and therapy of myeloid malignancies. His work has led to the characterization of clonal hematopoiesis as a pre-malignant state for hematologic malignancies, and elucidation of the mechanism of action of lenalidomide and related molecules that induce degradation of specific proteins. Dr. Ebert has served as president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Association of American Physicians. Dr. Ebert has a Ph.D. from Oxford University (Rhodes Scholar), a M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and did his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Rob Hershberg, M.D., Ph.D.
Skyhawk Scientific Advisory Board | Venture Partner, Frazier Life Sciences Team
Dr. Rob Hershberg began his career as an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Later, Dr. Hershberg co-founded VentiRx Pharmaceuticals and, as President and Chief Executive Officer, led the company through its transformational partnership with Celgene. Dr. Hershberg joined Celgene in 2014 to lead their efforts in Immuno-Oncology, was promoted to Chief Scientific Officer in 2016, and was subsequently Executive Vice President and Head of Business Development & Global Alliances and served as a member of the Executive Committee until the acquisition of Celgene by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2019. Rob is currently a Venture Partner on the Frazier Life Sciences team. He completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of California, Los Angeles and received his Ph.D. at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
Adrian Krainer, Ph.D.
Skyhawk Scientific Advisory Board Professor, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Prof. Adrian Krainer is an expert on the role of RNA splicing proteins in cancer, neurological and rare diseases. His lab is a leader in understanding the mechanisms of RNA splicing, and the means by which faulty splicing can be corrected. Prof. Krainer has published widely on RNA splicing in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a neuromuscular disease that is the leading genetic cause of death in infants. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for his work in this field and serves as a board member and advisor for multiple companies and organizations. Professor Krainer received his PhD from Harvard University.
Jeannie T. Lee, M.D., Ph.D.
SSkyhawk Scientific Advisory Board | Professor of Genetics and Pathology at Harvard Medical School, the Blavatnik Institute, and the Massachusetts General Hospital | HHMI Investigator
Prof. Jeannie Lee specializes in the study of epigenetic regulation by long noncoding RNAs and uses X-chromosome inactivation as a model system. She also translates basic knowledge to find treatments for genetic disorders and co-founded two publicly traded companies — Translate Bio and Fulcrum Therapeutics. Prof. Lee is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, a 2018 Harrington Rare Disease Scholar, the 2016 recipient of the Lurie Prize, a 2016 recipient of the Centennial Award from the Genetics Society of America, the 2010 awardee of the Molecular Biology Prize from the National Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She received her A.B. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard University and obtained M.D.-Ph.D degrees from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Jacqueline A. Lees, Ph.D.
Skyhawk Scientific Advisory Board | Associate Director, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research | Professor of Biology at MIT
Prof. Jackie Lees’ research program focuses on proteins and pathways that control cellular proliferation, terminal differentiation and/or apoptosis, and are frequently deregulated in tumor cells – understanding the role of these proteins in normal cell biology and development will help establish how their deregulation contributes to tumor development and metastasis. Prof. Lees is Associate Director of the Koch Institute, Professor of Biology at MIT, and a Daniel K. Ludwig Scholar. She received her Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry from the University of London and was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Ed Harlow at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School.
Friedrich Metzger, Ph.D.
Skyhawk Scientific Advisory Board | Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Freiburg, Germany
Prof. Metzger is a leading scientist in RNA-based disease and neurological conditions. As project leader and Head of Discovery Rare Diseases at Roche for 15 years, he ran drug discovery programs for Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) & Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Prof. Metzger scientifically supervised Roche’s SMA splicing modifier program, currently in pivotal clinical trials, and championed two publications describing its molecular mechanism, in Nature in 2017 and Science, in 2014. He currently serves as Professor in Neurobiology at the University of Freiburg, Germany. He received a Ph.D. in Pharmacology at University of Tübingen, Germany.
Maurice Swanson, Ph.D.
Skyhawk Scientific Advisory Board Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Florida College of Medicine | Associate Director of the Center for NeuroGenetics
Prof. Maury Swanson is an expert on the regulation of RNA alternative processing during mammalian development and how this regulation is disrupted in neurological and neuromuscular diseases, including some types of muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Florida College of Medicine and Associate Director of the Center for NeuroGenetics. His lab focuses on the functions of repetitive DNA elements, particularly microsatellites or short tandem repeats (STRs), in RNA-mediated disorders. An important objective of these studies is to enhance tissue regeneration following treatment modalities designed to block the toxicity of STR RNAs. Prof. Swanson received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Board of Directors
Bill Haney
Skyhawk Co-founder & Executive Chairman of the Board
An inventor and entrepreneur, Bill Haney started his first company as a college freshman, inventing and building air pollution control systems for power plants. Since then he has started or helped start more than a dozen technology companies. Bill was a founding member of the national environmental advisory board for the US Environmental Protection Agency, the President's Circle for the National Academy of Sciences, has won a Humanitarian Award from Harvard Medical School, an Achievement Award from the ACLU and serves or has served on boards for Harvard, MIT, State and Federal Government agencies, and the World Resources Institute. Bill holds a BA from Harvard College and was a Kennedy School Fellow from 1997-2001.
Andrew Boyd
Skyhawk Board Member, Technology & Biotech Investor | Fidelity, Bramalea Partners
Andy Boyd has spent 20+ years as a world-leading technology investor including 15 years at Fidelity Management & Research Company, leading the company’s entry into private investing. As the Global Head of Equity Capital Markets at Fidelity, Mr. Boyd created and oversaw Fidelity’s private investing team which led investments totaling more than $14 billion between 2004 and 2019. These included investments in Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (“SpaceX”), Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UBER), Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP), Spotify Technology SA (NYSE: SPOT), Facebook (NYSE: FB), Airbnb, Inc., Moderna (Nasdaq: MRNA) and Groupon Inc. (Nasdaq: GRPN). Prior to his career at Fidelity Mr. Boyd was a corporate attorney in the Boston office of Goodwin Procter LLP, and the prominent Canadian law firm, Davies Ward Phillips Vineberg LLP in Toronto.
Most recently, Andy founded Bramalea Partners, a technology focused fund manager focusing on the internet, e-commerce, software, artificial intelligence/big data industries and technology-enabled consumer facing applications.
Mr. Boyd has a BA (Hons) in Economics from the University of Toronto, an LL.B from the University of Windsor and a JD from the University of Detroit, Mercy.
Sean Reilly
Skyhawk Board Member, Technology & Media Investor and CEO | Lamar (NASDAQ: LAMR)
Sean Reilly has spent 30+ years in technology and advertising and is the President & CEO of Lamar Advertising Company. He began working on acquisitions for Lamar in 1989 and served as President of TLC Properties and became the Chief Operating Officer of Lamar in 2001. In 2011 he became the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Reilly served as the Board Chair of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America from 2017 to 2023.
Mr. Reilly has served in leadership positions on numerous non-profit and community boards and institutions, including the Board of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the state agency charged with crafting Louisiana’s long-term recovery response to hurricane disasters. Mr. Reilly served in the Louisiana Legislature as a State Representative from 1988 to 1996. He has served as Board Chair for the Board of Visitors of Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and on the board of the LSU Foundation. Mr. Reilly’s currently serves as board member of Dragonfly Therapeutics, Skyhawk Therapeutics, and REV Broadband.
Mr. Reilly has a BA from Harvard University and a JD from Harvard Law School.
Our Partnerships
Skyhawk’s Pharma collaborations have contributed biology insights, commercial perspectives and upfront payments of over $525 million to develop targeted drug candidates – driving growth in Skyhawk’s platform.
Our Investors
Skyhawk is financed with the capital of leading long-term investors whose focus is on the
long-term value that comes from doing high quality, patient-focused drug development..
