Yaqrit strengthens funding and regulatory capability ahead of clinical trials with board and senior management team appointments

• US economic strategist and hedge fund manager Ronen Israel appointed Board Director, deepening North American investment connectivity

• Amrik Shah, ScD, joins as Chief Biometrics Officer, enhancing prowess in clinical trial design, statistical analysis and US and European regulatory interactions

LONDON, May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Yaqrit, a late clinical-stage company developing life-saving treatments for advanced liver diseases, announced today the appointment of healthcare innovator and hedge fund strategist Ronen Israel to its management board. With a background in economics/finance and biomedical science, Ronen is a founder of disruptive oncology company BioConvergent Health and was a quantitative hedge fund manager for over twenty-five years. Separately, Yaqrit has appointed liver disease specialist Amrik Shah as Chief Biometrics Officer.

“Ronen brings a wealth of diverse financial and US investment experience to Yaqrit, at a time when the company’s financial potential continues to track clinical endeavors and ambitions,” said Troels Jordansen, Yaqrit’s Chief Executive Officer. “His track record in financial management and reach across the biomedical sphere serve as invaluable assets as Yaqrit moves its drugs and devices in late-stage clinical development.”

Ronen Israel was with AQR Capital Management for 22 years until 2021, where he was a Principal, senior portfolio manager, and member of the firm’s Executive Committee. In 2021, he co-founded BioConvergent Health aiming to combine innovative drug and device approaches in the treatment of cancer. He has published and taught extensively on finance and investing, specializing in portfolio management and hedge fund strategies. He holds dual degrees in Economics and Biomedical Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Masters in Mathematics from Columbia University.

Yaqrit has also appointed Amrik Shah as Chief Biometrics Officer. Amrik is a highly experienced biostatistician with 20+ years of experience in strategic design and analysis of clinical trials. His pharma background (Schering-Plough/Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Biogen, Shionogi and Intercept Pharma) encompasses trial design and statistical guidance in cardiovascular disease, anti-infectives, neuroscience and non-viral liver disease. Recently, Amrik has advised multiple biotech companies on drug development strategy, clinical endpoints and regulatory interactions with the FDA and EMA, particularly in the liver diseases space including MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis), ACLF (acute-on-chronic liver failure), and hepatitis B. He holds an ScD degree in Biostatistics from Harvard University.