Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong has decided to step down as CEO of 54gene, the African genomics company he founded in 2019. Ene-Obong will continue to support the company in the role of Senior Advisor and retain his position on the 54gene Board of Directors. 54gene’s General Counsel, Teresia L. Bost, will assume the role of Interim CEO with immediate effect and will be supported by the company’s COO, Delali Attipoe. According to the company, Bost has over 20 years of extensive knowledge and experience in leading global teams across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare industries and has been responsible for strategic support of securities matters, corporate governance, and finance matters in previous roles. Attipoe brings more than 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical sector ranging from logistics and supply chain management to commercial marketing and managed care, including the African market.  

In order to build further resilience in its operations and focus its resources on its core mission of African genomics research and equalizing precision medicine, the company is restructuring across a number of departments and geographies, which will lead to a reduction in headcount. Going forward, the primary focus of the startup will be on the unique genomic research the company has started by further leveraging its genomic datasets derived from its state-of-the-art biobank, which currently houses unique patient samples and corresponding genomic data, all with the objective of positioning the company to make contributions to precision medicine and drug discovery.