Modulari-T Taps Biotech Veteran for CEO to Push Gene Therapy to Market

MONTREAL & HIGHLAND PARK, N.J. – April 21, 2026 – Modulari-T Biosciences, a biotechnology firm at the forefront of in vivo cell and gene therapy, has announced a significant leadership transition aimed at accelerating its path to market. The company has appointed Dr. Tanya E. Borsuk, a seasoned executive with a formidable track record in corporate strategy and business development, as its new Chief Executive Officer.

The move positions co-founder Dr. David Cotnoir-White to focus exclusively on scientific innovation as the company's President and Chief Scientific Officer. This strategic restructuring signals Modulari-T's shift from a foundational research focus to a critical new phase centered on clinical advancement and commercial partnerships, leveraging its proprietary next-generation therapeutic platforms.

A Strategic Power Play for Commercialization

The appointment of Dr. Borsuk is a clear strategic maneuver to bring commercial and corporate firepower to a science-driven enterprise. With nearly two decades of experience spanning North America, Europe, and Asia, Dr. Borsuk is a well-known figure in the biopharma landscape. Her career is distinguished by her involvement in over $9 billion worth of business development transactions and her role in guiding nine different drugs through to FDA approval.

Her resume includes leadership roles at some of the industry's most influential organizations. She served as Vice President of Portfolio Strategy & Alliances at Flagship Pioneering, the venture creation firm behind Moderna, and held key business development positions at Bristol Myers Squibb and Celgene Corporation. At Celgene, she was instrumental in oncology search and evaluation before transitioning to a similar role at Bristol Myers Squibb following its landmark acquisition of Celgene in 2019. More recently, she has provided executive leadership as Chief Business Officer at Sitryx Therapeutics and InduPro Therapeutics, and as President of her own consultancy, North49 LLC.

This extensive experience in deal-making and drug development is precisely what Modulari-T needs as it prepares to advance its lead programs. Dr. Cotnoir-White noted the impact she has already made, stating, “Getting the opportunity to work with Tanya over the last year in a consulting capacity proved to be an incredibly rewarding and impactful experience for our team.” He added, “As we move into a critical phase of advancing our lead programs toward IND-enabling studies and expanding partnerships, Tanya’s leadership will be instrumental in translating these breakthroughs and accelerating our progress.”

For Dr. Cotnoir-White, the transition allows a dedicated return to his scientific roots. “This development allows me to focus fully on advancing our platform to previously inaccessible spaces in regenerative medicine and fully develop our scientific vision,” he said. This dual-leadership structure—a business-focused CEO and a science-focused CSO—is a proven model for success in the competitive biotech sector.

Beyond First-Generation CAR-T

At the heart of Modulari-T's strategy is a technology platform the company asserts can revolutionize cell therapy. Founded in 2023, the firm has developed what it calls a "2nd generation In Vivo Cell & Gene Therapy System," designed to overcome the significant limitations of current treatments like CAR-T therapy.

First-generation CAR-T therapies, while groundbreaking for certain blood cancers, are notoriously complex and costly. The process involves extracting a patient's T-cells, shipping them to a specialized lab for genetic engineering (an ex vivo process), and then infusing them back into the patient. This bespoke manufacturing process is time-consuming, expensive, and can be associated with severe side effects.

Modulari-T aims to bypass this entire workflow with its in vivo approach. The company's system is built on two proprietary, AI-designed platforms:
* The MARC (Modular Actuation Receptor Complex) platform: Described as a novel 4th generation CAR-T construct, it is engineered to be more powerful and safer than existing CARs. The company claims it can reprogram immune cells with greater precision, potentially expanding its use beyond oncology into autoimmune diseases and regenerative medicine.
* The MoVe (Modular Vector) platform: This technology consists of custom delivery vehicles designed to carry the genetic payload directly to specific immune cells within the body after a simple intravenous injection. This effectively turns the patient's body into its own bioreactor, eliminating the need for external lab work.

“Modulari-T’s 2nd generation in vivo cell and gene therapy technology is nothing less than groundbreaking,” said Dr. Borsuk in the company's announcement. “This company has built a truly differentiated platform that has the opportunity to revolutionize cell therapies in a way that magnifies its potential across the spectrum of human disease.”

Navigating a High-Stakes Market

Modulari-T enters a fiercely competitive but rapidly growing market. The promise of "off-the-shelf" or in vivo cell therapies has ignited an investment and acquisition frenzy among major pharmaceutical players who see it as the next frontier. Recently, Eli Lilly announced its acquisition of Kelonia Therapeutics, another player in the in vivo CAR-T space, while Gilead's Kite Pharma has also been making strategic acquisitions to build its own in vivo capabilities.

Modulari-T will be competing with a host of innovative companies, including Capstan Therapeutics, Umoja Biopharma, and Precision BioSciences, all of which are developing unique approaches to in vivo cell engineering. This crowded landscape underscores the importance of both scientific differentiation and strategic acumen. Dr. Borsuk’s history of structuring major partnerships with pharmaceutical giants like Sanofi, Eli Lilly, and Boehringer Ingelheim will be a critical asset as Modulari-T seeks to forge the collaborations necessary to fund late-stage development and navigate the complex path to commercialization.

A Canadian Innovator with Global Ambitions

While operating in a global arena, Modulari-T's story also has strong local roots. The company was founded in Montreal, a burgeoning hub for biotechnology, and its new CEO, Dr. Borsuk, is originally a native of the city. This combination of homegrown Canadian science and globally seasoned leadership positions the company as a potential breakout star from Canada's vibrant life sciences ecosystem.

Dr. Borsuk herself highlighted this, calling the company "a perfect example of the kind of exquisite science being generated in Canadian institutions." As the company scales, it is expected to draw upon the rich pool of talent and research infrastructure within Montreal and across Canada, further cementing the region's reputation for cutting-edge innovation.

With Dr. Borsuk at the helm to navigate the corporate and financial landscape and Dr. Cotnoir-White driving the scientific engine, Modulari-T is structured to tackle its next set of challenges. The company's immediate focus will be on securing funding, advancing its lead programs through preclinical studies, and leveraging its platform to build the strategic partnerships that could one day make its revolutionary therapies accessible to patients worldwide. The combination of visionary science and proven business leadership marks a pivotal moment for the young company as it aims to redefine the future of medicine.