Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, August 2026 — Tessera Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering Gene Writing™ technology, has appointed Joseph Romanelli as President and Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Michael Severino, who has led the company since June 2022. Romanelli will also join Tessera’s Board of Directors and become a CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering.
The leadership transition comes at a pivotal stage for Tessera as the company advances its first in vivo gene editing program, TSRA-196, into clinical development while expanding its pipeline of Gene Writing medicines targeting sickle cell disease, oncology, and autoimmune diseases.
TSRA-196 is being jointly developed and commercialized with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). Tessera has also secured an investment of up to US$50 million from the Gates Foundation to develop an accessible in vivo gene editing therapy for sickle cell disease.
Joseph Romanelli brings more than 30 years of global pharmaceutical leadership experience across commercial strategy, international business, and organizational growth.
He joins Tessera from Merck & Co., Inc., where he most recently served as President, Human Health International and a member of the company’s Executive Team. In that role, he led Merck’s US$25 billion international human health business, overseeing operations across 75 markets outside the United States.
Between 2016 and 2021, Romanelli led Merck’s business in China, helping establish it as one of the company’s fastest-growing international markets. During his nearly three-decade career at Merck, he held multiple strategic and operational leadership positions, including leading the company’s investor relations function.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and an MBA from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.
Commenting on the appointment, Geoff von Maltzahn, Co-founder, Chairman of Tessera Therapeutics and General Partner at Flagship Pioneering, said, “Joe has spent more than three decades building teams, forging partnerships, and commercializing innovative medicines across global markets. His experience scaling organizations and bringing breakthrough therapies to patients makes him exceptionally well suited to lead Tessera as it advances the full potential of Gene Writing.”
Speaking on his appointment, Joseph Romanelli, President and Chief Executive Officer, Tessera Therapeutics, said, “Tessera has built a remarkable scientific platform and assembled an outstanding team. I’m excited to work alongside them to advance a broad pipeline of Gene Writing medicines through clinical development with the goal of delivering these therapies to patients around the world.”
The company also thanked Michael Severino for his leadership over the past four years, during which Tessera established the scientific and technological foundation for its Gene Writing platform and progressed its first clinical-stage programs.
About Tessera Therapeutics
Tessera Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering Gene Writing™, an innovative genome engineering platform designed to develop next-generation in vivo genetic medicines. Founded in 2018 by Flagship Pioneering, the company combines proprietary Gene Writing technology with advanced lipid nanoparticle delivery systems to develop therapies for monogenic diseases, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other genetically driven conditions.
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