HeartBeat.bio engages Stanko Skrtic as Chief Development Officer

VIENNA, August 24, 2026 - HeartBeat.bio is strengthening its drug development and strategic partnering capabilities through the engagement of Stanko Skrtic as Chief Development Officer (CDO).

Stanko brings extensive pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience from senior leadership roles at AstraZeneca and Novo Nordisk. At Novo Nordisk, he was medically and scientifically responsible for building and advancing a cardiovascular and renal portfolio spanning both established and emerging assets. He brings valuable experience in identifying, evaluating, and advancing innovative therapeutic opportunities from early development through portfolio maturation.

At HeartBeat.bio, Stanko will support the development of the company’s internal therapeutic pipeline and the establishment of strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to co-develop novel cardiovascular therapeutics. His engagement will focus on translating opportunities emerging from the Cardioid Drug Discovery Platform into differentiated drug discovery programs, both independently and together with industry partners.

"Stanko brings exceptional experience in cardiovascular drug development and a deep understanding of therapeutic portfolio building and industry partnering," said Michael Krebs, CEO of HeartBeat.bio. "We are very pleased to have him support HeartBeat.bio at this important stage of our evolution. His expertise will be highly valuable as we advance our internal pipeline and expand our strategic partnerships."

Stanko added: "I’m truly excited to work with the amazing HeartBeat.bio team and its state-of-the art Cardiod Drug Discovery Platform. The platform has the potential to unlock new opportunities for drug discovery, and I’m excited about the prospect of working both independently and together with partners to discover and accelerate novel cardiovascular therapeutics addressing significant unmet medical needs."

His engagement further strengthens HeartBeat.bio’s development capabilities as the company continues its transition from a technology platform company toward a drug discovery company with a differentiated portfolio of cardiovascular therapeutic programs and strategic industry partnerships.

Welcome to the team, Stanko!