Catalyst Biosciences Announces Key Leadership Changes in its Ongoing Transition to an Integrated Protease Medicines Company
Catalyst Biosciences (NASDAQ: CBIO) has announced key management changes, promoting Grant Blouse, Ph.D., to chief scientific officer and Tom Knudsen, DVM, Ph.D., to senior vice president of corporate development. Howard Levy, M.B.B.Ch, Ph.D., M.M.M., will retire as chief medical officer, transitioning to a senior clinical advisor role. These changes aim to strengthen the leadership team as Catalyst advances its SQ hemophilia programs, including SQ MarzAA and SQ DalcA, now in late-stage clinical trials. The company focuses on rare disorders of the coagulation and complement systems.
- Appointment of Grant Blouse as chief scientific officer expected to enhance protease engineering and hemophilia programs.
- Promotion of Tom Knudsen to senior vice president of corporate development may strengthen corporate strategy and growth.
- Continued involvement of Howard Levy as senior clinical advisor could provide valuable insights during the transition.
- Howard Levy's retirement could raise concerns about leadership continuity and experience gaps.
Grant Blouse, Ph.D., M.Sc. appointed chief scientific officer
Tom Knudsen, DVM, Ph.D. promoted to senior vice president, corporate development
Howard Levy, M.B.B.Ch, Ph.D., M.M.M. transitions to senior clinical advisor
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBIO) today announced it has promoted Grant Blouse, Ph.D., to chief scientific officer and Tom Knudsen, DVM, Ph.D., to senior vice president, corporate development. Howard Levy, M.B.B.Ch, Ph.D., M.M.M., chief medical officer, announced his plan to retire and transition to a senior clinical advisor role to Catalyst.
“First and foremost, on behalf of all our employees and the Board of Directors at Catalyst Biosciences, I want to thank Howard for his many years of dedicated service, and especially for his key insights into initiating and advancing our SQ hemophilia programs and congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement. Due to his vision, SQ MarzAA is currently in a Phase 3 registrational study and SQ DalcA has successfully completed a Phase 2 trial. We look forward to Howard’s continuing expert advice as he transitions to the role of senior clinical advisor,” said Nassim Usman, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Catalyst.
“I’d like to thank Nassim and the entire Catalyst family for their collaboration and support over my years of service. I look forward to Catalyst continuing to advance MarzAA and DalcA so that patients can have an improved quality of life,” said Dr. Levy.
Dr. Usman continued, “I am pleased to announce Grant’s promotion to chief scientific officer. During his tenure at Catalyst, he has been instrumental in building our protease engineering platform and our hemophilia and complement programs.”
“Additionally, it is my pleasure to announce Tom’s promotion to senior vice president, corporate development,” Dr. Usman concluded, “Tom’s knowledge and experience in science, finance and corporate strategy will support our corporate development efforts as the company grows its protease medicines business.”
Dr. Grant Blouse has served as served as senior vice president, translational research at Catalyst since January 2020 and as vice president, translational research since July 2018. Prior to Catalyst, Dr. Blouse was principal scientist and project manager at Novo Nordisk A/S, haemophilia enzymology, where he led early and late-stage hemophilia projects and drove the strategic evaluation of new therapeutic areas in the rare disease space. Prior to Novo Nordisk, Dr. Blouse was a senior scientist at Catalyst, working on building Catalyst’s hemophilia programs, including the design of MarzAA and DalcA. Dr. Blouse has held research and investigator positions at Aarhus University’s Department of Molecular Biology, Henry Ford Health System’s Division of Biochemical Research and Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology. Dr. Blouse has published widely and is an inventor on many patents in protease biochemistry and hematology. Dr. Blouse earned his B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Delaware, his M.Sc. in Biochemistry from Clemson University, and his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Wayne State University School of Medicine.
Dr. Tom Knudsen has served as vice president, corporate development at Catalyst since January 2021. Prior to that, he was vice president, translational research at Catalyst. Before joining Catalyst, Dr. Knudsen has led strategy consulting at Deloitte and biopharmaceuticals research at Novo Nordisk. During his time at Novo Nordisk, he held various line, portfolio, and project management leadership roles. Dr. Knudsen earned his DVM and Ph.D. degrees in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
About Catalyst Biosciences, the Protease Medicines company
Catalyst is a research and clinical development biopharmaceutical company focused on addressing unmet medical needs in rare disorders of the complement and coagulation systems. Our protease engineering platform has generated two late-stage clinical programs, including MarzAA, a subcutaneously (SQ) administered next-generation engineered coagulation Factor VIIa (FVIIa) for the treatment of episodic bleeding in subjects with rare bleeding disorders. Our complement pipeline includes a preclinical C3-degrader program licensed to Biogen for dry age-related macular degeneration, an improved complement factor I protease for SQ replacement therapy in patients with CFI deficiency and C4b-degraders designed to target disorders of the classical complement pathway as well as other complement programs in development.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements about the potential uses and benefits of the Company’s product candidates, and the Company’s collaboration with Biogen for dry age-related macular degeneration. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions, expectations, and projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially, including, but not limited to, the risk that trials and studies may be delayed as a result of COVID-19, competitive products and other factors, that trials may not have satisfactory outcomes, that additional human trials will not replicate the results from earlier trials, the risk that costs required to develop or manufacture the Company's products will be higher than anticipated, including as a result of delays in trial enrollment, development and manufacturing resulting from COVID-19 and other factors, the risk that Biogen will terminate Catalyst's agreement, the risk that potential adverse effects may arise from the testing or use of MarzAA, including the generation of neutralizing antibodies, competition and other risks described in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 6, 2021, and in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Contact:
Ana Kapor
Catalyst Biosciences, Inc.
investors@catbio.com
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