BOULDER — Cogent Biosciences Inc. (Nasdaq: COGT) hired former Array Biopharma research leader John Robinson as its chief scientific officer, and said it will house a team of researchers in Boulder.

In a statement, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Cogent said it plans to initially hire eight researchers in a rented laboratory space in north Boulder but eventually plans to build its own dedicated facility to house up to 50 researchers.

Robinson will lead the new team from Boulder after spending time as a vice president with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), which he joined after it acquired Array Biopharma in an $11 billion deal in 2019.

Cogent is focused on genetically-driven diseases thought to be caused by a shared genetic mutation within a specific type of protein receptor.

One disease thought to be caused by the mutation is systemic mastocytosis, a disorder where mast cells that would normally help form connective tissues instead gather in a patient’s organs and cause lifelong chronic symptoms. Cogent intends to start initial clinical trials for advanced and life-threatening forms of systemic mastocytosis in the first half of this year, along with initial trials for a less serious form in the second half of 2021.

The other disease in Cogent’s target pipeline is gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), or cancer tumors that develop along the digestive system organs. A large number of GIST patients eventually develop resistance to current treatments due to further mutations.

Cogent intends to petition federal drug regulators for permission to start a Phase III trial for its GIST treatment in the second half of the year.

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