Morphogen-IX Ltd, a preclinical biotechnology company focused on the development of bone morphogenetic proteins for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), today announced the appointment of Professor Nick Morrell as CEO. Morrell co-founded the company in 2015 based on research from his lab at the University of Cambridge.
The company also announced the first meeting of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), in San Diego, California, to discuss the development programme for a clinical candidate and plans for Phase 1/2 trials.
The SAB comprises leading international experts in the field of PAH research, experimental medicine and clinical trials:
Ardeschir Ghofrani, MD, is Professor of Pulmonary Vascular Research at Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany and Head of the Pulmonary Hypertension Division at the University Hospital in Giessen.
Nazzareno Galie, MD, is Professor of Cardiology at the Medical Faculty in the University of Bologna, Italy, and heads the Pulmonary Hypertension Centre at the Institute of Cardiology.
Marc Humbert, MD PhD, is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the South Paris University (Université Paris-Saclay) in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.
Roham Zamanian, MD, is Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Anton vonk Noordegraaf, MD PhD, is Professor and Chair of the division of Pulmonary Sciences at the Free University Amsterdam, a tertiary referral centre for PAH in The Netherlands.
Martin Wilkins, MD, is Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Imperial College London. He is Head of the Department of Medicine and Director of the National Institute of Health Research/Wellcome Trust Imperial Clinical Research Facility, which is based at Hammersmith Hospital.
Mark Toshner, MD, is currently a University Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and his group is interested in translational and experimental research in PAH and other forms of pulmonary hypertension.
Morphogen-IX Executive Chairman, Dr David Grainger, said “We are truly delighted to have appointed Nick Morrell as CEO and such a distinguished group of clinical scientists to our SAB. They have all made major contributions to the understanding of this disease and have improved the lives of patients with this deadly condition. Their expertise and advice will help guide us as we move towards an exciting phase of clinical development.”
For more information please see the Cambridge Enterprise page here