WALTHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Morphic
Therapeutic, a biotechnology company developing oral integrin
therapies, today announced the appointment of former Gilead chief
scientific officer and executive vice president of research and
development, Norbert Bischofberger, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors.
During a career of nearly 30 years with Gilead, Dr. Bischofberger
oversaw the development of more than 25 medicines that transformed the
treatment of serious pathogens or diseases including HIV, HCV and
lymphoma.
“Norbert is an accomplished researcher and leader of research
organizations with an extraordinary track record in the development and
approval of innovative medicines,” said Praveen Tipirneni, M.D.,
president and chief executive officer of Morphic Therapeutic. “His
leadership and insights will be invaluable as we look to transition to a
clinical-stage company and expand our pipeline of oral integrin
therapies.”
Dr. Bischofberger currently serves as the president and chief executive
officer of Kronos Bio, a developer of novel therapies targeting
historically recalcitrant cancer targets. Prior to Kronos, he served as
a scientific leader for 28 years at Gilead Sciences, concluding his
tenure as chief scientific officer and executive vice president of
research and development. Prior to Gilead, he served as a senior
research scientist at Genentech.
Dr. Bischofberger also currently serves on the Supervisory Board of
Bayer AG and Board of Directors of InCarda Therapeutics. He is an
elected Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science
and was awarded an honorary doctorate in natural sciences from the
University of Innsbruck, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in
chemistry. He also holds an honorary Doctor of Letters in Medicine
degree from Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Bischofberger earned his
Ph.D. in organic chemistry from ETH Zurich (Eidgenössische Technische
Hochschule) and completed postdoctoral research in organic chemistry and
applied enzymology at George Whiteside’s laboratory at Harvard
University.
“Morphic has built the expertise and technology platform necessary to
target integrins with oral therapies, which is exciting as significant
data supports the therapeutic potential of this class for a range of
serious chronic diseases,” said Dr. Bischofberger. “I welcome the
opportunity to join the Morphic journey as it deepens its R&D
collaborations, prepares to enter clinical studies and advances on its
mission to deliver a new generation of oral integrin therapies to
patients.”
About Morphic Therapeutic
Morphic Therapeutic is a biotechnology company developing a new
generation of oral integrin therapies. Drawing on integrin biology
breakthroughs from the lab of noted entrepreneur and scientific founder
Tim Springer, Morphic has developed an exclusive platform to build on
these discoveries, complemented by a partnership with computational
chemistry leader Schrödinger, Inc., that facilitates the rapid and
iterative design of clinical candidates. For more information, visit www.morphictx.com.
Contacts
Morphic Contact
Robert E. Farrell, Jr., VP Finance and Ops and
Treasurer
bob.farrell@morphictx.com
781-996-0955
Media Contact
Tom Donovan, Ten Bridge Communications
tom@tenbridgecommunications.com
857-559-3397