Longeveron® Appoints Devin Blass as Chief Technology Officer and SVP of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC)
Longeveron (NASDAQ: LGVN) has appointed Devin Blass as Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls, effective December 2, 2024. Blass brings over 15 years of experience in advanced therapies development and manufacturing. His appointment comes at a important time as the company prepares for a potential Biological License Application submission for HLHS, pending positive results from the ongoing ELPIS II trial. Prior to joining Longeveron, Blass served at the New York Blood Center as SVP of Comprehensive Cell Solutions and held leadership positions at Talaris Therapeutics, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, and Mesoblast.
Longeveron (NASDAQ: LGVN) ha nominato Devin Blass come Chief Technology Officer e Vicepresidente Senior di Chimica, Produzione e Controlli, con effetto dal 2 dicembre 2024. Blass porta con sé oltre 15 anni di esperienza nello sviluppo e nella produzione di terapie avanzate. La sua nomina avviene in un momento importante, poiché l'azienda si prepara a una potenziale richiesta di licenza biologica per l'HLHS, in attesa di risultati positivi dall'attuale studio ELPIS II. Prima di unirsi a Longeveron, Blass ha ricoperto il ruolo di SVP di Comprehensive Cell Solutions presso il New York Blood Center e ha ricoperto posizioni dirigenziali presso Talaris Therapeutics, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals e Mesoblast.
Longeveron (NASDAQ: LGVN) ha nombrado a Devin Blass como Director de Tecnología y Vicepresidente Senior de Química, Fabricación y Control, con efecto a partir del 2 de diciembre de 2024. Blass aporta más de 15 años de experiencia en el desarrollo y fabricación de terapias avanzadas. Su nombramiento llega en un momento crucial, ya que la empresa se prepara para una posible presentación de solicitud de licencia biológica para HLHS, a la espera de resultados positivos del ensayo ELPIS II en curso. Antes de unirse a Longeveron, Blass se desempeñó como SVP de Comprehensive Cell Solutions en el New York Blood Center y ocupó puestos de liderazgo en Talaris Therapeutics, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals y Mesoblast.
롱게버론 (NASDAQ: LGVN)은 데빈 블라스를 최고기술책임자이자 화학, 제조 및 품질관리 담당 수석 부사장으로 임명했다고 발표했습니다. 임명일은 2024년 12월 2일입니다. 블라스는 첨단 치료법 개발 및 제조 분야에서 15년 이상의 경험을 가지고 있습니다. 그의 임명은 회사가 진행 중인 ELPIS II 시험의 긍정적인 결과를 기다리며 HLHS에 대한 생물학적 라이센스 신청을 준비하고 있는 중요한 시점에 이루어졌습니다. 롱게버론에 합류하기 전, 블라스는 뉴욕 혈액 센터에서 종합 세포 솔루션 부문 SVP로 재직했으며, 탈라리스 테라퓨틱스, 벨리컬 제약 및 메조블라스트에서 리더십 위치를 역임했습니다.
Longeveron (NASDAQ: LGVN) a nommé Devin Blass au poste de Directeur de la Technologie et Vice-Président Senior de la Chimie, de la Fabrication et des Contrôles, à compter du 2 décembre 2024. Blass apporte plus de 15 ans d'expérience dans le développement et la fabrication de thérapies avancées. Sa nomination intervient à un moment clé, alors que l'entreprise se prépare à une éventuelle demande de licence biologique pour le HLHS, en attendant des résultats positifs de l'essai ELPIS II en cours. Avant de rejoindre Longeveron, Blass a été SVP des Solutions Cellulaires Complètes au New York Blood Center et a occupé des postes de direction chez Talaris Therapeutics, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals et Mesoblast.
Longeveron (NASDAQ: LGVN) hat Devin Blass zum Chief Technology Officer und Senior Vice President für Chemie, Herstellung und Kontrolle ernannt, mit Wirkung zum 2. Dezember 2024. Blass bringt mehr als 15 Jahre Erfahrung in der Entwicklung und Herstellung von fortschrittlichen Therapien mit. Seine Ernennung kommt zu einem wichtigen Zeitpunkt, da das Unternehmen sich auf die mögliche Einreichung eines biologischen Lizenzantrags für HLHS vorbereitet, abhängig von positiven Ergebnissen der laufenden ELPIS II-Studie. Vor seinem Eintritt bei Longeveron war Blass als SVP für Comprehensive Cell Solutions beim New York Blood Center tätig und hatte Führungspositionen bei Talaris Therapeutics, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals und Mesoblast inne.
- Strategic appointment ahead of potential BLA submission for HLHS therapy
- Addition of executive with 15+ years of experience in advanced therapies development
- Strengthening of manufacturing and technical operations leadership
- None.
MIAMI, Nov. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Longeveron Inc. (NASDAQ: LGVN), a clinical stage regenerative medicine biotechnology company developing cellular therapies for life-threatening and chronic aging-related conditions, today announced that it has appointed Devin Blass as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Senior Vice President of Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC), effective December 2, 2024. In this role, he will lead the Company’s technological and manufacturing strategies.
“We are delighted to have Devin join Longeveron at this transformational time in the Company’s evolution,” said Wa’el Hashad, Chief Executive Officer at Longeveron. “This appointment reinforces Longeveron’s commitment to advancing stem cell therapies as well as appropriately resourcing the Company ahead of a potential Biological License Application (BLA) submission in HLHS, should the on-going pivotal ELPIS II trial produce positive data.”
"I am thrilled to join Longeveron as the CTO and SVP of CMC,” said Mr. Blass. “Longeveron’s commitment to advancing regenerative medicine aligns with my passion for developing innovative therapies. I look forward to contributing to the Company’s mission and driving forward our technological and manufacturing strategies to bring transformative treatments to patients."
Mr. Blass has over 15 years of distinguished experience in the development and manufacture of advanced therapies. Prior to Longeveron, Mr. Blass joined the New York Blood Center (NYBC) in 2023 as the Senior Vice President of Comprehensive Cell Solutions, the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) arm of New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe). There, he oversaw the CDMO business unit, encompassing Technical Operations, Business Development, and Cell Sourcing.
Before his tenure at NYBC, Mr. Blass served as the Vice President of Technical Operations and Site Head at Talaris Therapeutics, where he managed Technical Operations and Supply Chain. His career also includes directing cell manufacturing operations at Bellicum Pharmaceuticals and serving as the Director of Commercial Program Manufacturing at Mesoblast.
Mr. Blass’s industry experience is complemented by his significant contributions at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he advanced through roles of increasing responsibility. There, he played a pivotal role in developing the infrastructure and systems necessary to obtain licensure for HPC and Cord Blood.
Mr. Blass holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Texas State University.
About Longeveron Inc.
Longeveron is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing regenerative medicines to address unmet medical needs. The Company’s lead investigational product is Lomecel-B™, an allogeneic medicinal signaling cell (MSC) therapy product isolated from the bone marrow of young, healthy adult donors. Lomecel-B™ has multiple potential mechanisms of action encompassing pro-vascular, pro-regenerative, anti-inflammatory, and tissue repair and healing effects with broad potential applications across a spectrum of disease areas. Longeveron is currently pursuing three pipeline indications: hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Aging-related Frailty. Lomecel-BTM development programs have received five distinct and important U.S. FDA designations: for the HLHS program - Orphan Drug designation, Fast Track designation, and Rare Pediatric Disease designation; and, for the AD program - Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation and Fast Track designation. For more information, visit www.longeveron.com or follow Longeveron on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which reflect management’s current expectations, assumptions, and estimates of future operations, performance and economic conditions, and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements made herein. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believe,” “expects,” “may,” “looks to,” “will,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “on condition,” “target,” “see,” “potential,” “estimates,” “preliminary,” or “anticipates” or the negative thereof or comparable terminology, or by discussion of strategy or goals or other future events, circumstances, or effects and include, but are not limited to, the anticipated use of proceeds from recent offerings. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, market and other conditions, our limited operating history and lack of products approved for commercial sale; adverse global conditions, including macroeconomic uncertainty; inability to raise additional capital necessary to continue as a going concern; our history of losses and inability to achieve profitability going forward; the absence of FDA-approved allogenic, cell-based therapies for Aging-related Frailty, Alzheimer’s disease, or other aging-related conditions, or for HLHS or other cardiac-related indications; ethical and other concerns surrounding the use of stem cell therapy or human tissue; our exposure to product liability claims arising from the use of our product candidates or future products in individuals, for which we may not be able to obtain adequate product liability insurance; the adequacy of our trade secret and patent position to protect our product candidates and their uses: others could compete against us more directly, which could harm our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations; if certain license agreements are terminated, our ability to continue clinical trials and commercially market products could be adversely affected; the inability to protect the confidentiality of our proprietary information, trade secrets, and know-how; third-party claims of intellectual property infringement may prevent or delay our product development efforts; intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats to our competitive advantage; the inability to successfully develop and commercialize our product candidates and obtain the necessary regulatory approvals; we cannot market and sell our product candidates in the U.S. or in other countries if we fail to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals; final marketing approval of our product candidates by the FDA or other regulatory authorities for commercial use may be delayed, limited, or denied, any of which could adversely affect our ability to generate operating revenues; we may not be able to secure and maintain research institutions to conduct our clinical trials; ongoing healthcare legislative and regulatory reform measures may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations; if we receive regulatory approval of Lomecel-B™ or any of our other product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense; being subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our therapeutic candidates; reliance on third parties to conduct certain aspects of our preclinical studies and clinical trials; interim, “topline” and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data; the volatility of the price of our Class A common stock; we could lose our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market; provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law might discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the market price of our Class A common stock; we have never commercialized a product candidate before and may lack the necessary expertise, personnel and resources to successfully commercialize any products on our own or together with suitable collaborators; and in order to successfully implement our plans and strategies, we will need to grow our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth. Further information relating to factors that may impact the Company’s results and forward-looking statements are disclosed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Longeveron’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 2024, as amended by the Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed March 11, 2024, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation, other than imposed by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Investor and Media Contact:
Derek Cole
Investor Relations Advisory Solutions
derek.cole@iradvisory.com
FAQ
When will Devin Blass start as CTO at Longeveron (LGVN)?
What is the significance of Devin Blass's appointment for Longeveron (LGVN)?