VERAXA Biotech AG (NASDAQ: VRXA) announced the appointment of Christoph Erkel, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer, effective immediately. Erkel, previously vice president of research and development, will lead advancement of the company’s proprietary BiTAC(R) platform technologies for the development of cancer therapies targeting solid tumors. He succeeds Rick Austin, Ph.D., who will depart following a transition period.
Erkel brings two decades of experience in antibody therapeutics, antibody engineering and preclinical development, including prior leadership roles at MorphoSys AG, where he led immuno-oncology programs focused on T-cell engagers. VERAXA said his experience managing multidisciplinary research programs will support efforts to expand the company’s oncology pipeline and advance BiTAC(R) candidates toward clinical development.
The appointment comes as VERAXA focuses on its BiTAC(R) platform, which is designed to create bispecific T cell engagers and other innovative antibody-based therapeutics for solid tumors. The company, founded on scientific breakthroughs made at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), is building a pipeline of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and proprietary BiTAC formats.
For investors, this leadership change signals a continued commitment to advancing the BiTAC platform into clinical trials. The company’s newsroom at http://nnw.fm/VRXA provides updates on its progress.
The full press release can be viewed at https://nnw.fm/cR1RS.
