BIORCHESTRA appointed Dr. Gabriel Helmlinger (Ph.D., DABT) as Head of Translational and Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology

BIORCHESTRA

2022-08-23 20:00 1865

BOSTON, Mass., Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BIORCHESTRA, headquartered in Daejeon, South Korea, appointed Dr. Gabriel Helmlinger (Ph.D., D.A.B.T.) as Vice-President, Head of Translational & Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology.

Dr. Helmlinger brings 25 years of drug research and clinical development experience in the biotech and global pharmaceutical industries. Prior to joining BIORCHESTRA, he managed organizations and programs of drug development, translational & clinical pharmacology, toxicology, biomarkers, and quantitative data analytics at Novartis (2001-2014), AstraZeneca (2014-2020), and Obsidian Therapeutics, a gene & cell therapy biotech (2020-2022). Dr. Helmlinger holds Ph.D. and MSc. degrees in bioengineering and mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, USA) and an MSc. degree in biomedical engineering from the Université de Technologie (Compiègne, France). He completed his postdoctoral training in Tumor Biology and Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts General Hospital, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (D.A.B.T.) since 2000.

Dr. Helmlinger brings extensive expertise in the nonclinical, translational and clinical assessment of novel therapeutic candidates and in the focused areas of pharmacology, biomarker identification, drug delivery systems, study design, diagnostics, over a wide range of disease domains and therapeutic modalities. He has also contributed to multiple regulatory submissions and agency interactions. Dr Helmlinger has additional broad experience in the translational pharmacology of small molecules, peptides, antibodies and antibody-based constructs, gene and cell therapies, as well as various molecular and micromechanical delivery systems.

Relevant to the declared and emerging programs and drug platforms of BIORCHESTRA, his expertise and experience extend across multiple translational and clinical programs in neurological diseases (including Alzheimer's, Parkinson, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy), oncology and immune-oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, immunological, inflammatory and dermatological diseases, and ophthalmics, and programs using multiple RNA therapeutic modalities (including ASO, siRNA, mRNA). At BIORCHESTRA, Dr. Helmlinger will lead nonclinical and clinical pharmacology and toxicology programs to enable translational progression of programs into Regulatory filings and human studies, with an initial focus on BIORCHESTRA's lead ASO-nanocarrier program in neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Branden Ryu, CEO, said: "In the process of developing first-in-class therapeutics, the role of an experienced, multi-faceted pharmacologist is of critical importance, at each stage of drug research & development – from Mode-of-Action characterization to functional modulation, in vivo pharmacokinetics and responses, to an exhaustive translational safety assessment – to maximize probability of success in early clinical stages. With the joining of Dr. Gabriel, we expect our lead program against multiple neurodegenerative indications to not only enter and progress in clinical trials successfully, but also to return further robustness and agility to our extensive discovery-to-research stage portfolio." Dr. Ryu also mentioned: "Back in September 2021, Dr. Louis St.L. O'Dea, a founding member of Moderna, was appointed as Chief Medical Officer of BIORCHESTRA, President of BIORCHESTRA US. With Dr. Helmlinger joining and as we continue building a high-performance, highly experienced clinical and regulatory force at BIORCHESTRA under Dr. O'Dea's leadership, we expect to further maximize synergies across our Discovery, Research, Translational, Clinical and Business Development teams, thereby strengthening our ability to develop RNA therapeutics in the clinic, to fulfill major unmet medical needs."

BIORCHESTRA is a biotech company that develops RNA(Ribonucleic Acid) based therapeutics for the treatment of neurological and other diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, combined with a novel, proprietary nanoparticle delivery system that effectively delivers the therapeutic across the blood-brain barrier and other physiological barriers. In June 2021, BIORCHESTRA was selected as the First Awardee of J&J's Innovation QuickFire Challenge on Neuroscience. BIORCHESTRA has completed a total of KRW 90 billion in multiple investment rounds, including a Series C Fundraising (February 2022), and has established a US affiliate office in Boston (October 2021) as part of BIORCHESTRA's progression towards US Regulatory engagement, clinical trial entry, and global business development.

Dr. Gabriel Helmlinger, Vice-President of BIORCHESTRA US Inc.