Cellarity’s Post

LucidQuest Strategic Insights (lqventures.com) >>> Gene&Cell Therapy >> Evotec CEO Werner Lanthaler resigns; After Novo deal, ex-Forma chief ushers in new era at Pacira: Werner Lanthaler → Werner Lanthaler announced his resignation as CEO of serial Big Pharma partner Evotec on Wednesday, and his former COO Mario Polywka will fill in as interim chief until a permanent successor is named. Under Lanthaler’s leadership, Evotec has formed alliances with Takeda (RNA), Bristol Myers Squibb (neuro diseases), Eli Lilly (metabolic diseases) and Novo Nordisk (kidney diseases), among many others. “After an extremely challenging, and also physically and overall, very exhausting 2023, and upon deep reflection in the last weeks and into the new year, I came to the conclusion to step down as CEO, as I could not serve the company to the best of my ability in the coming years,” Lanthaler, Evotec’s CEO since March 2009, said in a statement. “Before starting my next entrepreneurial chapter, I intend to take an educational sabbatical over the next six to nine months, focused on disruptive themes in technology and political changes.” Frank Lee → Pacira BioSciences has tapped Frank Lee to replace Dave Stack as CEO, while Nkarta chief Paul Hastings is now chairman of the board at the non-opioid pain biotech. Stack’s retirement after 16 years has been in the works for a while and he will be an advisor through 2025. This is Lee’s latest turn as a CEO after running Forma Therapeutics, which drew the attention of Novo Nordisk with its sickle cell candidate etavopivat. Novo purchased Forma for a shade over $1 billion in September 2022. Stack spoke with Lei Lei Wu that same year about the pitfalls of the non-opioid pain space. “I think in a lot of ways pharmas are afraid of pain — appropriately so in many cases — and smaller companies are having trouble raising the resources to be able to do larger trials,” he said. Axel Hoos → Axel Hoos is no longer CEO of Scorpion Therapeutics as Adam Friedman takes the helm. Hoos jumped to the CEO post from GSK, where he rebuilt the oncology unit and guided the BCMA-targeting antibody Blenrep to an FDA approval for multiple myeloma a year before he arrived at Scorpion in July 2021. Peer Review is very interested to see where Hoos ends up next as he hands the keys to Friedman, the Raze Therapeutics co-founder who headed to Scorpion in 2020, three years after Atlas-backed Raze shut down. Harvey Berger → Ariad Pharmaceuticals founder and longtime chief executive Harvey Berger has resurfaced as chairman, president and CEO of Kojin Therapeutics. Berger succeeds Luba Greenwood for his first CEO appointment since he retired in 2015 after a proxy battle that was initiated by Sarissa’s Alex Denner. Takeda eventually purchased Ariad for $5.2 billion in early 2017. Co-founded by Stuart Schreiber and focused on a type of cell… #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy

Gene&Cell Therapy >> Evotec CEO Werner Lanthaler resigns; After Novo deal, ex-Forma chief ushers in new era at Pacira: Werner Lanthaler → Werner Lanthaler announced his resignation as CEO of serial Big Pharma partner Evotec on Wednesday, and his former COO Mario Polywka will fill in as interim chief until a permanent successor is named. Under Lanthaler’s leadership, Evotec has formed alliances with Takeda (RNA), Bristol Myers Squibb (neuro diseases), Eli Lilly (metabolic diseases) and Novo Nordisk (kidney diseases), among many others. “After an extremely challenging, and also physically and overall, very exhausting 2023, and upon deep reflection in the last weeks and into the new year, I came to the conclusion to step down as CEO, as I could not serve the company to the best of my ability in the coming years,” Lanthaler, Evotec’s CEO since March 2009, said in a statement. “Before starting my next entrepreneurial chapter, I intend to take an educational sabbatical over the next six to nine months, focused on disruptive themes in technology and political changes.” Frank Lee → Pacira BioSciences has tapped Frank Lee to replace Dave Stack as CEO, while Nkarta chief Paul Hastings is now chairman of the board at the non-opioid pain biotech. Stack’s retirement after 16 years has been in the works for a while and he will be an advisor through 2025. This is Lee’s latest turn as a CEO after running Forma Therapeutics, which drew the attention of Novo Nordisk with its sickle cell candidate etavopivat. Novo purchased Forma for a shade over $1 billion in September 2022. Stack spoke with Lei Lei Wu that same year about the pitfalls of the non-opioid pain space. “I think in a lot of ways pharmas are afraid of pain — appropriately so in many cases — and smaller companies are having trouble raising the resources to be able to do larger trials,” he said. Axel Hoos → Axel Hoos is no longer CEO of Scorpion Therapeutics as Adam Friedman takes the helm. Hoos jumped to the CEO post from GSK, where he rebuilt the oncology unit and guided the BCMA-targeting antibody Blenrep to an FDA approval for multiple myeloma a year before he arrived at Scorpion in July 2021. Peer Review is very interested to see where Hoos ends up next as he hands the keys to Friedman, the Raze Therapeutics co-founder who headed to Scorpion in 2020, three years after Atlas-backed Raze shut down. Harvey Berger → Ariad Pharmaceuticals founder and longtime chief executive Harvey Berger has resurfaced as chairman, president and CEO of Kojin Therapeutics. Berger succeeds Luba Greenwood for his first CEO appointment since he retired in 2015 after a proxy battle that was initiated by Sarissa’s Alex Denner. Takeda eventually purchased Ariad for $5.2 billion in early 2017. Co-founded by Stuart Schreiber and focused on a type of cell death called ferroptosis, Kojin launched with a… #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy

Cantex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CEO Stephen Marcus will be presenting at the Hanson Wade Group Glioblastoma Drug Development Summit in Boston March 26 at 11:30 a.m. The topic Stephen Marcus will be discussing is “Delving into a Clinical Update on Azeliragon for GBM- Implementable Lessons for Small Molecule Success.” * In animal models of glioblastoma, azeliragon combined with radiation enhanced survival while overcoming the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment  *Two phase II clinical trials of azeliragon, in combination with radiation with or without temozolomide, in newly diagnosed glioblastoma are in progress *The effect of azeliragon on cerebral edema and ability to reduce dexamethasone dosing will be evaluated in the azeliragon studies in GBM Investors and potential partners are invited to meet Cantex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Boston. https://lnkd.in/eCDhfqts #glioblastoma #azeliragon #oncology #temozolomide #biotechnology

Odyssey Therapeutics Appoints William Roush, Ph.D., as EVP and Head of Small Molecule Research Learn more & get our take 👇 https://lnkd.in/gaApD7Ut “As a renowned scientist, Dr. Roush developed innovative solutions to complex problems in organic and medicinal chemistry, and under his leadership, has led multiple drug discovery programs from ideation into clinical development.” — Gary D. Glick, Ph.D., Founder and CEO at Odyssey Therapeutics “By collaborating with others at Odyssey, I hope to accelerate the discovery and development of small molecule medicines to enhance the quality of life for patients.” — Dr. William Roush, Executive Vice President and Head of Small Molecule Research at Odyssey Therapeutics #Biotech #Therapeutics #SoHCNews

Great chemistry is fundamental to everything we do at Morphic!

With under a week to go before the 12th Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Drug Development Summit, the countdown begins before we welcome 150+ KOLs from over 85+ companies in Boston. Hear from more than 60 industry stakeholders from this year's esteemed faculty on topics from initial discovery methodology all the way through to market access and reimbursement discussions. I’ve attached below a quick snapshot of what you could get out of just 3 days OOO: 🧠  Gain exclusive access to unpublished clinical and nonclinical insights: Eisai’s subcutaneous Lecanemab PKPD data from Natasha Penner, Acumen’s plasma biomarker data (Eric Siemers MD), UCB7853 preclinical data from (Patrick Downey) 🧠 Hear the inside scoop on drug discovery and preclinical validation: Eli Lilly’s NGS rationale (Dr. rer. nat. Achim Kless), Regeneron (Neelroop P.) & Merck (Javier Ganz) on genomics & phenotyping, Sanofi (Julia Maeve Bonner) & Abbvie (Dr. Peter Reinhardt) 3D iPSC architecture, Biogen on ARIA rodent models (Thierry Bussiere).. 🧠     Forge lasting connections with industry KOLs from Alzheon, Inc. | Preserving Future Memories, APRINOIA Therapeutics, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo US, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Vigil Neuroscience, Alchemab Therapeutics Ltd and even more… There's still time to join this year! 📆 Save the Date: April 23-25, 2024 | Boston M.A. 🎫 Secure your pass here: https://ter.li/fkl5b3 🧠 View the industry-focused agenda here: https://ter.li/l35oyu #neurodegeneration #neurodegenerative #alzheimer #alzheimers #parkinson #parkinsons #CNS #biopharma #drugdevelopment

There are no FDA/EMA/etc approved therapies for mitochondrial disease. We need to work together to thoughtfully collect and integrate data to inform clinically meaningful endpoints and de-risk clinical trial design. This task force is dedicated to advancing the regulatory science needs so that individuals living with mitochondrial and inherited metabolic diseases can finally see some drug development they so desperately need and want. #missiondriven #collaboration #publicprivatepartnership #regulatory

The latest sponsored Drug Discovery World Sitting Down With vodcast features Dr Adriano Flora, Director of Business Development at The Jackson Laboratory. He discusses alternatives to non-human primates, the key benefits of this, and what impact will they have on the future of drug development. Moreover, he answers questions on the key breakthroughs in recent years in this field and how have these impacted future success, as well as challenges in the clinic that must be overcome to ensure this success is achieved. #DrugDiscovery #DrugDevelopment

I'm pleased to announce the addition of Jeeshan Chowdhury, MD, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Journey Colab to the agenda for the 4th Annual Psychedelic Therapeutics Conference, taking place in Boston on May 23-24, 2024. He will be discussing the issue of fundraising for psychedelic drug programs. In the ever-evolving landscape of drug development, securing later-stage funding remains a critical bottleneck, especially in the burgeoning field of psychedelic medicine. One of the key challenges currently facing drug development companies is navigating the complex path from research to commercialization. This session aims to introduce a groundbreaking approach to address this challenge. This session will be of particular interest to drug developers grappling with commercialization challenges. This approach is uniquely positioned to not only advance the clinical science but also to build a strategy for commercialization, thereby addressing the most pressing issue in the psychedelic industry today. Learn more about this event by visiting https://lnkd.in/eM5iiPn. #psychedelics #psychedelicresearch #psychedelictherapy #boston

A huge congratulations to Sujal Shah, a respected colleague and friend, who announced this week a sale of CymaBay Therapeutics to Gilead Sciences for an impressive $4.3 billion, or $32.50 per share. The deal is a testament to Sujal’s relentless pursuit of innovation and excellence.   Behind the accolades lies a journey filled with intense challenges and unwavering dedication. In 2019, during clinical trials for Seladelpar targeting NASH and PBC, Cymabay encountered unexpected atypical histological findings, leading to a full clinical hold. The impact was not just financial, with the stock price crashing to a little over a dollar, but also deeply personal, requiring some very tough decisions and affecting the morale and spirit of everyone involved.   Sujal's leadership during these trying times was nothing short of remarkable. Steering the company through adversity, he maintained focus on the mission, and was ultimately able to demonstrate that the findings were unrelated to Seladelpar, clearing the path for continued clinical development.   The journey of drug development is fraught with obstacles and setbacks, yet it's the resilience, perseverance, and collective effort of teams like Cymabay's that pave the way for breakthrough therapies capable of transforming lives.   As we celebrate this achievement, it’s important to remember the hard work, determination, spirit of collaboration, and some luck, that make such successes possible. Hats off to Sujal Shah and the entire Cymabay team for their exceptional contribution to the field of medicine.   $CBAY  #Biotech #M&A #Leadership #Resilience #carnegiemellon Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business