Gerhard Koenig is the Chief Executive Officer of Augustine Therapeutics, a Belgian-Boston biotechnology company developing highly selective, brain-penetrant HDAC6 inhibitors for neuromuscular, neurodegenerative and cardiometabolic diseases. A neurobiologist by training with more than 30 years in drug development, he has led and co-founded multiple biotechs, including Arkuda Therapeutics, whose portfolio was acquired by Johnson & Johnson, and Quartet Medicine. He stepped up from Executive Chairman to CEO of Augustine in January 2025 as the company moved to enter the clinic, then helped close a large Series A to fund a proof-of-concept trial in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
Augustine Therapeutics is a Belgian clinical-stage biotech spun out of VIB-KU Leuven that is building a next-generation class of selective HDAC6 inhibitors for chronic diseases. Using a proprietary non-hydroxamate, non-hydrazide chemotype, the company designs molecules that block HDAC6's harmful catalytic activity while sparing its beneficial functions - aiming to avoid the toxicity that stalled earlier inhibitors. Its lead candidate, AGT-100216, is the first selective HDAC6 inhibitor to enter the clinic for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, with a pipeline extending into neurodegenerative and cardio-metabolic indications.
Andy Hu is a physician-turned-dealmaker who serves as Chief Business Officer of Augustine Therapeutics, a Leuven and Cambridge biotech advancing next-generation selective HDAC6 inhibitors for neuromuscular, neurodegenerative, and cardio-metabolic diseases. He joined permanently in April 2025 after a stint as advisor, fresh off serving as CBO of Arkuda Therapeutics through its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. Trained as an MD at Baylor with an MBA from Rice and an undergraduate degree from Harvard, Hu has built a career steering life sciences companies through IPOs, partnerships, and acquisitions - from Dimension Therapeutics to Ultragenyx, plus stints in investment banking at Leerink Partners and consulting at Strategic Decisions Group.