CAMBRIDGE, MA, NJ, UNITED STATES, February 6, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ — Alyssum Therapeutics, a clinical stage immunology company, expands stellar leadership team with track-record of multiple accelerated approvals
Alyssum Therapeutics, on the heels of its recently closed Series A financing, is now bolstering its leadership team by appointing Dr. Aditya Bardia MD as Key Clinical Advisor and Scientific Advisory Board member to advise the clinical development of its first in class CMTR2 inhibitor for activating B cells in solid tumors.
Dr. Bardia is a leader in oncology, and led the clinical trials that resulted in the accelerated approval of Trodelvy, which was subsequently acquired for $21B. Dr. Bardia was also involved with the recent regulatory approvals of Enhertu and Orserdu for treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Bardia completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, followed by a fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore before joining Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School as faculty. Dr. Bardia is currently the Director of Breast Oncology Program and Professor of Medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. Dr. Bardia received the distinguished researcher award from the Massachusetts Society of Clinical Oncologists and the Douglas Family Foundation prize for excellence in oncology research. He was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2022, 2023, 2024 and has written or co-written over 250 peer-reviewed scientific and medical papers, which have been published in Nature, Nature Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Science, New England Journal of Medicine, and Lancet.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Chairman of Alyssum, said; “This is a hugely significant for us. We are excited about the early clinical signals, and this is the perfect timing to work with Dr. Bardia, who brings vast experience, deep expertise and nuanced knowledge of oncology to design elegant pivotal trials”.
As key consultant, Dr. Bardia will be advising Alyssum’s AT-1965 clinical program, where his considerable experience will be critical in defining clinical strategy, clinical feasibility, and the risk mitigation and development plan for the company’s emerging development candidates, as well as interfacing with the regulatory bodies.
Dr. Bardia added; “It’s really an exciting time. Activating B cells against the tumor is a new frontier and can be transformative in oncology. This is a first in class drug with a novel mechanism of action, and the early clinical data is promising. It is an opportunity to work with a brilliant team that’s right at the cutting edge of science and potentially improve clinical outcomes for patients.”
In addition, Alyssum onboarded Dr. Tamara Agajanov, MD as the Chief Development Officer and Mr. Paul Theunissen as CFO. Dr. Agajanov brings over 28 years of experience in clinical operations and clinical development. Dr. Agajanov previously served in leadership roles in clinical operations at Ovid Therapeutics, Roche and Novartis, starting off in clinical pharmacology at Merck and toxicologist at Huntingdon Life Sciences. Mr. Theunissen brings in extensive investment experience as a founding partner of Lions Capital, and before that as a VP at JP Morgan private equity and capital markets. Paul holds an MBA from Wharton.
“This elite team will join Dr. Richard Fahrner (CEO of Alyssum), Dr. Ermanno Gherardi (CSO of Alyssum Therapeutics) and me in developing next-generation immunotherapeutics that can impact patient lives” said Dr. Shiladitya Sengupta, Founder of Alyssum Therapeutics and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Fahrner brings over 25 years of experience in drug development, recently serving as the head of pharmaceutical development at Ra Pharmaceuticals, and previously has provided leadership to research and development efforts at Catabasis, Pfizer, Sanofi and Gilead. Rick was involved with over 17 approved drugs, including Vpriv and Elaprase, which were granted accelerated approvals. Dr. Fahrner received his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UCLA. Dr. Ermanno Gherardi, MBChB, PhD previously led a Protein Structure and Engineering Group at the University of Cambridge and at the MRC Centre in Cambridge (UK). He is a co-discoverer of Hepatocyte Growth Factor/Scatter Factor, the ligand of the MET receptor, the product of the c-MET proto-oncogene. He also held the Camillo Golgi chair of Immunology and General Pathology at the University of Pavia. Considered as one of the global leaders in antibody and protein engineering, Dr. Gherardi has published extensively in Nature, Cell etc.
Alyssum Therapeutics is developing novel drugs that modulate the B cells. Its lead molecule, AT-1965, is in Phase 1 clinical trials, and is a first in class small molecule CMTR2 inhibitor that converts immunologically cold tumors into hot and recruits a B cell-driven immune response against the tumor. High expression of CMTR2 in tumors is associated with poor prognosis in many tumors, positioning it as a novel target in cancer therapy. The recruitment of B cells has recently been reported to be the best indicator of long-term survival in cancer patients.
About Alyssum Therapeutics
Alyssum Therapeutics is a clinical stage company developing first in class molecules that modulate B cell immune response as potential treatments for immunological conditions and oncology. The company’s lead candidate is AT-1965, a first-in-class small molecule liposomal formulation, targeting CMTR2 in cancer cells to make them immunologically hot and visible like a virus to B cells. B cells act as antigen presenting cells to activate T cells, secrete antibodies (IgMs and IgGs) that recruit innate immune cells (macrophages, NK cells etc), and release cytokines to create an immunologically inflamed environment. Modulating B cells has the potential to be more effective than targeting other factors or immune cells.
For more information, please visit www.alyssumtx.com or email contact@alyssumtx.com
contact@alyssumtx.com
Paul Theunissen
Alyssum Therapeutics Inc
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