Invaio adds industry leaders from nutrition, biotechnology and artificial intelligence to their Board of Directors to help expedite the adoption of a more mindful approach to feeding ourselves while rejuvenating the planet.

- Accomplished leaders responsible for driving growth and progressing advanced science at Fortune 500 companies join Invaio's board

- Invaio expands its business by broadening expertise, integrating new digital and biological platforms, and adding layers of refinement to production agriculture

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Invaio Sciences

Nov 18, 2020, 11:05 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Invaio Sciences, Inc., a Flagship Pioneering company focused on unlocking the potential of the planet's interdependent natural systems to solve pressing agriculture, nutrition and environmental challenges, announces today the appointment of three new industry leading members to its Board of Directors. Dr. Pietro Antonio Tataranni is Chief Medical Officer at PepsiCo, Ena Cratsenburg is the Chief Business Officer at Ginkgo Bioworks, and Dr. Iya Khalil is Global Head of the AI Innovation Center at Novartis, each adding unique insights to Invaio's mission to make new discoveries by investigating nature.

Invaio is a multi-platform technology company developing integrated solutions that unlock the potential of our planet's interdependent natural systems. Results from this exploration into nature inspire solutions to pressing problems in food, its production, our health and that of the planet. Combining the knowledge gained from natural systems with groundbreaking technologies from life science and human therapeutics, Invaio is building new platforms that revolutionize plant health care solutions, redefine insect management and instigate regenerative natural resource management.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for us to work closely with such high caliber leaders in food and science," explains Dr. Robert Berendes, Invaio's Chairman of the Board. "Each new board member brings a wealth of knowledge that will help Invaio continue to develop new technologies in our effort to evolve the production of food and help to stabilize a planet under threat. With Dr. Khalil's impressive accomplishments as a scientist and entrepreneur, Ena Cratsenburg's track record in commercialization and leadership and Dr. Tataranni's world renowned understanding of nutrition, our growing company gains invaluable leadership as we continue to take on some of the biggest problems facing humanity."

Dr. Pietro Antonio Tataranni is Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, R&D Life Sciences at PepsiCo. Since joining PepsiCo in September 2018, Dr. Tataranni has been responsible for driving the company's nutrition and bio-sciences strategy, and providing expert scientific advice and counsel to help enable disruptive product innovations for consumers in line with PepsiCo's Winning with Purpose agenda. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Dr. Tataranni was Senior Vice President, Global Medical Affairs at Sanofi, charged with leading the medical strategy worldwide and operations in major markets for key therapeutic areas. He is a clinician, scientist and industry physician with a well-established track record of delivering high impact results for diverse organizations.

Ena Cratsenburg is the Chief Business Officer at Ginkgo Bioworks. Cratsenburg oversees new business partnerships and commercialization of Ginkgo's technology and products to advance Ginkgo's mission to make biology easier to engineer. During her career in the field of synthetic biology, Cratsenburg has held numerous executive leadership positions commercializing emerging technologies in cosmetics, flavors and fragrances, food and beverage, nutritional health markets, and biofuels for well renowned companies like Intrexon, Evolva and Amyris. Prior to biotech, Cratsenburg held various management and Business Development roles at Pixar Animation Studios and BP P.L.C.

Dr. Iya Khalil is Global Head of the AI Innovation Center at Novartis. A collaboration between Novartis & Microsoft, through the lab Dr. Khalil aims to bolster AI capabilities to accelerate discoveries and the development of transformative medicines for patients worldwide. Dr. Khalil is well known as a technology entrepreneur and physicist with a vision of transforming medicine into a discipline that is quantitative, predictive, and patient-centric via artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches. She co-founded two big data companies, Gene Network Sciences and GNS Healthcare, and is the co-inventor of the proprietary computational engine that underpins both entities. Dr. Khalil was named to the PharmaVOICE 100 list of the most inspiring people in the life sciences industry.

Along with Berendes, Dr. Tataranni, Cratsenburg and Dr. Khalil join Invaio's co-founder and founding CEO, Ignacio Martinez and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Gerardo Ramos on Invaio's Board of Directors. Collectively, Invaio's leadership will continue to shepherd breakthroughs in diverse fields ranging from natural active amplification & targeting, understanding the inner workings of insects and exploration into advancements in life sciences leaving a lighter environmental footprint as stewards of tomorrow.

About Invaio Sciences:
Invaio Sciences is a multi-platform technology company that unlocks the potential of the planet's interdependent systems to address pressing agricultural, nutritional, and environmental challenges. Founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2018, Invaio leverages discoveries from diverse fields including human therapeutics, agriculture, environmental science, and advanced manufacturing. The company's deep understanding of the physiology of insects, plants and trees, together with its novel integrated solutions approach, promises to refine agricultural practices and reduce the need for pesticides globally. Invaio Sciences is dedicated to developing solutions that are mindful of beneficial insects, bad for pests, and safer for us all. For more information, please visit www.invaio.com

SOURCE Invaio Sciences