Date: 2015-05-07
Type of information: Nomination
Compound:
Company: Asterias Biotherapeutics (USA - CA)
Therapeutic area: Regenerative Medicine
Type agreement: nomination
Action mechanism:
Disease:
Details: * On May 7, 2015, Asterias Biotherapeutics, a leading biotechnology company in the emerging field of regenerative medicine, announced the promotion of Edward D. Wirth, III , M.D., Ph.D., to the newly created role of Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Wirth was Chief Translational Officer since joining Asterias in March 2013 . In his new role, Dr. Wirth will become an executive officer of the Company and provide strategic leadership for Asterias\' clinical development activities including its two therapeutic programs, AST-OPC1 (oligodendrocyte progenitor cells) for spinal cord injuries and AST-VAC2 (antigen-presenting allogeneic dendritic cells) for lung cancer. Dr. Wirth has dedicated more than the last 20 years of his life to studying the crucial role that cell therapies may play in helping patients with devastating and irreversible SCIs. Prior to joining Asterias, Dr. Wirth served as Chief Science Officer at InVivo Therapeutics Corporation from 2011 to 2012. Previously, Dr. Wirth served as Medical Director for Regenerative Medicine at Geron Corporation from 2004 to 2011, where he led the world\'s first clinical trial of a human embryonic stem cell-derived product, AST-OPC1 (formerly GRNOPC1) in patients with subacute spinal cord injuries. Prior to his work with Geron, Dr. Wirth held appointments at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke\'s Medical Center and at the University of Chicago . From 1997 to 2002, Dr. Wirth led the team at the University of Florida that performed the first human embryonic spinal cord tissue transplants in the U.S., demonstrating the feasibility and safety of implanting embryonic spinal cord cells into patients.
Financial terms:
Latest news:
