→ What’s next for
Stephen Hahn
, you ask? It’s an interim CMO
post
at
Flagship
’s
YourBio Health
, the maker of kits that sidestep the conventional methods of blood collection in favor of push-button devices. Hahn
joined
Flagship in June as CMO of its Preemptive Medicine and Health Security initiative after a topsy-turvy run as FDA commissioner in the Trump administration. Hahn received his share of flak when he
extolled
the virtues of convalescent pharma before the emergency use authorizations of the
Moderna
and
Pfizer
/
BioNTech
Covid-19 vaccines, eventually walking back his comments. Conversely, Hahn received kudos for staying resolute on safety followup from clinical trials. A month after his FDA tenure, Hahn joined the board of directors at
Blackfynn
.
→
Tom Stocky
’s post-
Google
and
Facebook
journey
takes him
to
Daphne Koller
’s crew at
insitro
as VP of product, putting him in charge of enhancing the user experience for its machine-learning apparatus. Besides his years as Google’s director of project management (helping build the Google App Engine) and as Facebook’s VP of search & profile, he’s familiar with the biotech landscape as a technology fellow and a member of the scientific advisory board at
Denali
, which
released
less-than-satisfying Hunter syndrome data in July. Additionally, Stocky ran the learning platform at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
→ There’s a CMO shift that has
taken place
at Swiss biotech
ADC Therapeutics
, with
Jay Feingold
handing over the keys to VP of medical affairs
Joseph Camardo
. Before making his way to ADC in early 2020, Camardo spent 10 years as an exec at
Celgene
, where he was SVP of global medical affairs and corporate medical operations, then SVP of Celgene Global Health before the
Bristol Myers Squibb
deal closed. The
Chris Martin
-led ADC
has expanded
its reach into China with its joint venture
Overland ADCT BioPharma
, which
named
Eric Koo
as its CEO in April.
→
Marc Blaustein
has been named
COO at microbiome player
Finch Therapeutics
, which
nabbed
an upsized $128 million IPO in March — nearly six months after its Series C that
totaled
$90 million for CEO Mark Smith’s bunch. The director of business development at
Alkermes
from 1999-2004, Blaustein co-founded and helmed
Akashi Therapeutics
and later became CEO of
NED Biosystems
. In his latest gig, Blaustein led business development at
Guide Therapeutics
, a Georgia Tech spinout that
Beam
bought
for $120 million upfront in February.
→ With a modest $10 million Series B in the hopper and ex-
Genzyme
CFO
Jim Sherblom
as executive chairman,
ReForm Biologics
has tapped
Jeff Hackman
as president and CEO. His predecessor,
John Sorvillo
, will chair the advisory board. Once in charge of the US internal medicine and oncology franchises at
Shire
, Hackman leaves his post as president of US operations with
EUSA Pharma
. Based in Woburn, MA, ReForm Biologics focuses on what they describe as “gentler medicines” for children and the elderly.
→ Accompanying the news that
Acorda
is undergoing another revamp and trimming its staff
by 15%
,
Lauren Sabella
is getting promoted
to COO and
Kerry Clem
is stepping into the CCO job that Sabella previously held. Sabella’s tenure at Acorda began in 2010 as EVP of commercial development, while Clem has spent a decade himself at Acorda, moving out of his role as EVP of sales, market access, and operations.
→
Bobby Gaspar
’s gene therapy biotech
Orchard Therapeutics
has refashioned
its C-suite considerably, promoting
Leslie Meltzer
to CMO while adding two fresh pickings to the leadership basket: CSO
Fulvio Mavilio
and chief technical officer
Nicoletta Loggia
. After stints at
Actelion
and
Biogen
, Meltzer joined Orchard in 2018 as VP of US medical affairs, climbing to SVP of medical affairs, clinical operations and diagnostics. Mavilio, the current CSO at
Smart Immune
, is the ex-SVP of translational science for
Audentes
and will consult at Orchard until he officially begins as chief scientist in January 2022. Loggia spent the last 17 years at
Novartis
in a number of capacities and since last April had been global head of cell and gene therapies.
→ Padding the C-suite further after the
arrivals
of CSO
John Leonard
and CMO
Edward Conner
, CRISPR upstart
Locanabio
— nine months removed from its Series B
megaround
— has selected
Kat Lange
as CFO. Lange takes the plunge into the biotech world after 12 years at
JP Morgan
; since 2019 she had been executive director in JPM’s healthcare investment banking group. You may recall that another Locanabio exec, VP of R&D
Ranjan Batra
, was featured as one of
Endpoints News
’
20 under 40
leaders this year.
→ After
Patrick Soon-Shiong
’s much-ballyhooed “cancer moon shot” fizzled on the launch pad at
NantKwest
, he
reverse-merged
the company with his cell therapy outfit
ImmunityBio
in December and handed the controls to
Rich Adcock
. The team
continues
to take shape with
Helen Luu
as ImmunityBio’s first chief commercial officer and
Sigrid Schreiner
, who starts Monday as SVP of global market access. Luu’s clipped reign as CEO of
Cell BT
began in May after stepping in as COO in September 2020, and earlier she led business development within her 10-year stint at cancer vaccine maker
Dendreon
. Schreiner, also a Dendreon vet, had been promoted to SVP, global market access & distribution at
Stemline Therapeutics
in the spring of 2020.
→ Last month,
Fulcrum
’s stock rose by 125% after some initial
success
in their Phase I study to treat inherited blood disorders — a huge upswing considering the issues they encountered on the market last summer after a Phase II dud. This week, Fulcrum
brings on
Mel Hayes
as chief commercial officer. Hayes has made stops along the way at Bristol Myers,
Bayer
and
Baxalta
, and he was recently
Sanofi Genzyme
’s global head commercial, VP, rare blood disorders.
→ Bedford, MA-based
Verseau Therapeutics
, developing cancer drugs with a line of attack it calls macrophage repolarization,
has ushered in
Karen Tubridy
as chief development officer. Tubridy, the ex-chief development officer at
Eleven Biotherapeutics
, moves on from her double duty as SVP, global programs and chief development officer at
Akebia
. Verseau, co-founded by
Bob Langer
with a
first-year CEO
in
John Edwards
,
debuted
in October 2019.
→ As Tubridy gets started at Verseau,
Tim Smith
walks away —
writing
a new chapter as SVP, head of corporate development at New Jersey p53-focused biotech
PMV Pharmaceuticals
,
chaired
by
Rich Heyman
. Smith, the CBO at Verseau since 2019, is a seven-year Celgene alum who has been a CBO before at
Cleave Biosciences
and led corporate development at
Ideaya
. PMV added $53 million to its coffers in a Series D from August 2020 to continue its focus on mutant p53 proteins, an especially tough nut to crack against cancer.
→
Longwood
-backed immunotherapy startup
Immunitas Therapeutics
, flush with
$58 million
in Series B cash,
has picked up
Thomas Tan
as CSO after he held the same title at
Bicara Therapeutics
. Tan, a
Roche
vet, has also been head of immunology at
Forma Therapeutics
and
Elstar Therapeutics
. Co-founded by
Dana-Farber
’s
Kai Wucherpfennig
and
Genentech
R&D chief
Aviv Regev
, Immunitas is trying to push its CD161-blocking antibody
IMT-009
into the clinic and also promoted
Amanda Wagner
to CBO in August.
→
Neoleukin
has been allowed
to pass go on the FDA monopoly board with its IL-2/IL-15 agonist after a three-month
hold
, and the Seattle biotech
has just tapped
Bill Arthur
as VP and head of research. All Arthur has to do is drive down Interstate 5 from his previous stop,
Seagen
, where he was senior director & head of cancer biology during his 10 years there. While with
Merck
from 2006-11, Arthur was team lead in biomarker discovery for investigational oncology drugs.
→
Mary DiBiase
has been promoted
to COO at
mavorixafor
developer
X4 Pharmaceuticals
after serving as SVP, technical operations and quality. The 16-year Biogen alum initially jumped on board at X4 in 2017 in the role of VP, program and alliance management. Back in November,
Art Tavares
left Biogen to become X4’s CSO, and a month later the company poached CMO
Diego Cavavid
from Fulcrum. Trials are underway for mavorixafor to treat such diseases as WHIM syndrome (Phase III), Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (Phase Ib with
ibrutinib
) and severe congenital neutropenia (also Phase Ib).
→
Biophytis
— evaluating its sarcopenia drug
Sarconeos
(
BIO101
) in Covid-19 patients with severe respiratory failure —
has given
Rob van Maanen
the nod as CMO after
Jean Mariani
held the fort for a couple months. Mariani had temporarily replaced
Sam Agus
and remains on the scientific advisory board. As for van Maanen, he exits the CMO post at mitochondrial disease-focused
Khondrion
to join the Paris-based biotech. Elsewhere, he was a senior medical director during a six-year run at
Astellas
and the CNS director at
Eisai
from 2005-10.
→
Caroline Loew
’s biosensor shop
Glympse
, using its
platform
to catch indications of NASH in patients,
has appointed
Tram Tran
as CMO. Tran says farewell to
Gilead
, where she was VP of medical affairs, global head, liver diseases, fibrosis and Covid-19. She made the leap to Gilead in 2018 after 16 years both at
Cedars-Sinai
and in academia as a professor of medicine at UCLA.
→
Infinity Pharmaceuticals
brought on
Robert Ilaria
to be its new CMO. Ilaria most recently came from Bristol Myers as part of their development team, and was the executive medical director for clincal R&D for Celgene before that. At the same time, Infinity is moving their consulting chief physician
Brian Schwartz
, a former
acting CMO at Tarus
, to the board of directors.
→
Pamela Garzone
is taking over
as chief development officer at
Anixa Biosciences
after holding executive roles with
Calibr
at the
Scripps Research Institute
and Pfizer. The sigh of relief you hear may be coming from San Jose after the FDA
granted
Anixa’s IND application for its
Moffitt
-partnered CAR-T immunotherapy in late August; the agency
had placed
a clinical hold on it in April.
→
Pillar Biosciences
has picked up
Randy Pritchard
as CEO — taking over for founder
Gang Song
, who will transition to chairman of the board. Pritchard joins the
in vitro
diagnostics company after holding positions at
POC Diagnostics & Core Reagents
(as SVP of US diagnostics marketing and SVP & lifecycle leader) and
Roche Diagnostics
(VP of marketing).
→ Swedish cell therapy biotech
Anocca
,
raking in
$47 million from a Series B round in July,
has welcomed
Jacob Michlewicz
as CFO. Michlewicz recently logged two years as CFO of Stockholm-based medtech
Bioservo Technologies
, a maker of wearables to help strengthen muscles which lists the exoskeleton glove Ironhand among its products.
→
Cyrus Arman
has signed on
to Madison, WI peptide drug developer
Nimble Therapeutics
as CBO. After five years at
Amgen
where he was elevated to director of corporate strategy, Arman then pivoted to immuno-oncology biotech
Neuvogen
in 2019 as VP of corporate development and strategy.
→
Ali Hariri
has been named
CMO of Watertown, MA-based
Eloxx Pharmaceuticals
, which
acquired
Zikani Therapeutics
this spring. Hariri, a clinical development leader at
Ionis
and
Takeda
, comes to Eloxx after his time as
Sanofi
’s senior global project head in rare disease clinical development. Helmed by ex-Zikani CEO
Sumit Aggarwal
, Eloxx is shooting for data in Q4 with its lead candidate
ELX-02
for cystic fibrosis patients with nonsense mutations.
→ It’s full steam ahead with more hires at
Third Rock
startup
MOMA Therapeutics
after
Asit Parikh
rolled in
as CEO and CSO
Peter Hammerman
followed him
three months later, with
Semi Trotto
joining
the molecular machine biotech as chief people and experience officer. Trotto, who spent 11 years in human resources and global talent acquisition at Bristol Myers, shifted to general manager at
Thrive Earlier Detection
after
Exact Sciences
purchased
it for a near steal of a $2.5 billion deal last fall. She also led HR at
Editas Medicine
from 2016-19.
→ Our Max Gelman just
covered
VectivBio
’s buyout of
Comet Therapeutics
last week, and now CEO
Luca Santarelli
brings in
Scott Applebaum
as chief legal officer and corporate secretary. Formerly senior counsel at Bristol Myers with 10 additional years at Shire under his belt, Applebaum joins VectivBio from
Travena
, where he was chief legal & compliance officer and SVP of regulatory affairs.
→ Palo Alto, CA-based
Medable
has plucked up
MaryAnne Rizk
as chief strategy officer. Rizk joins the company with experience from her time at
Oracle
,
Medidata
, Merck and
IQVIA
.
→
Isabel Carmona
has joined
New Jersey-based
Rocket Pharmaceuticals
as chief human resources officer and SVP. Carmona held a similar position at
Ichnos Sciences
and was involved in HR at Shire and
Teva
. Rocket ran into some issues back in May when the FDA stalled its Phase I trial for a gene therapy candidate to treat Danon disease, and it wasn’t until August that Rocket was able
to get
the trial back off the ground.
→
Rani
Therapeutics
, which is
working on
a robotic pill and pulled in $69 million worth of new funding in December,
has tapped
Eric Groen
as general counsel. Groen, an Amgen vet, most recently served as the company’s regional general counsel for its commercial business in Canada, Latin America, Middle East and Africa.
→
Michael Gerard
departs from his role as associate general counsel at
Spark
to take on
the general counsel position at
Cabaletta Bio
. Last year, the biotech
teamed
with
Artisan Bio
on CAAR-T (chimeric auto-antibody receptor) cell therapy development. Now it hopes that Gerard’s legal and corporate experience, which also includes a stint at
Sandoz
, will help push more gene therapies through the pipeline.
→
Andrew Welchman
is leaving his post
at the
Wellcome Trust
to hop aboard
ieso
as the company’s first-ever EVP for impact. Welchman served as head of neuroscience and mental health at the Wellcome Trust and previously served as a professor of neural intelligence at the University of Cambridge.
→
Scott Plevy
is making his way over
to
Protagonist Therapeutics
as EVP and therapeutic head, gastroenterology. Plevy brings with him experience from his time as CSO at
Senda Biosciences
and
Synlogic
Therapeutics
. Plevy has also served as VP, immunology research and development at
Janssen
.
→
Ramana Kuchibhatla
is taking over the torch
as SVP and head of research & development from retiring exec
Jay Saoud
at Waltham, MA-based
Minerva
Neurosciences
. Kuchibhatla comes to the company from
PRA Health Sciences
, a subsidiary of
Icon
, where he was executive director of global drug development. Prior to his role at PRA, Kuchibhatla was with
Melior Pharmaceuticals
,
QED Pharmaceutical Services
,
Targacept
, and
GlaxoSmithKline
.
→ Oxford-based
Enesi Pharma
has named
Elizabeth Eagling-Vose
as SVP, operations. Eagling-Vose hails from Oxford University spinout
Vaccitech
, where she served as senior director and head of clinical operations. Prior to her role at Vaccitech, Eagling-Vose was project director and director of patient engagement at
Covance
.
→
Passage Bio,
the Pennsylvania-based gene therapy developer co-founded by Jim Wilson,
has appointed
Maxine Gowen
as its new chairwoman of the board of directors. The CEO of
TamuroBio
and former
Trevena
CEO has been a member of the board since February, and was brought on as chairwoman following former chairman
Tachi Yamada
’s death
in August
.
→
Tom Civik
has replaced
Versant
’s
Jerel Davis
as chairman of the board at synthetic lethality startup
Repare Therapeutics
, although Davis will keep his seat on the board. Civik takes this role at the precision oncology player after a year as president and CEO of
Five Prime
, which Amgen
swooped in
to buy for $2 billion in April.
→ You think Civik is done in this edition of Peer Review? In the words of ESPN college football icon Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!” Civik is also in a new crop of board members at
Pyxis Oncology
, which
just named
Pamela Yanchik Connealy
as CFO last week.
Joining
Civik are ex-Pfizer CMO
Freda Lewis-Hall
,
Darren Cline
and
Mark Chin
.
→
Steve Altschuler
has been elected
chairman of the board at
Azura Ophthalmics
based in Tel Aviv. The co-founder and former chairman at Spark is now managing director of healthcare ventures at
Ziff Capital Partners
and also chairs the board at upstart
Lexeo Therapeutics
.
→ Another Spark co-founder,
Jean Bennett
,
has headed
to the board of directors at Rockville, MD-based AAV gene therapy biotech
Regenxbio
.
George Migausky
, a board member at
Immunovant
and the ex-CFO of
Dyax
, is also claiming a board seat at Regenxbio.
→ Chaired by CEO (and
Alexion
co-founder)
Stephen Squinto
,
Gennao Bio
has added
Gary Sender
to the board of directors. From 2016 until his retirement this year, Sender was CFO at
Nabriva Therapeutics
and is a board member at
Schrödinger
,
Harmony Biosciences
,
iBio
and
Elucida Oncology
.
→
Siddhartha Kadia
has earned
a seat on the board of directors at “digital cell biology” company
Berkeley Lights
, a participant in the epic IPO boom of 2020. The ex-president and CEO of
EAG Laboratories
, Kadia is on the boards of
IsoPlexis
and
NuVasive
, among others.
→ Flagship-backed
Evelo Biosciences
, which
joined
the Covid-19 hunt last May,
has brought on
Iain McInnes
— a leader in the fields of rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis research — to its board of directors. McInnes is currently vice principal and head of college to the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Muirhead professor of medicine, and honor consultant rheumatologist at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.