EDMONTON, Alberta Entos Pharmaceuticals a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing genetic medicines with its Fusogenix proteolipid vehicle (PLV) nucleic acid delivery platform, today announced two executive-level appointments, Dr. Steve Chen as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Jason Ding as Chief Business Officer (CBO).
Dr. Steve Chen brings over 20 years of academic research and pharmaceutical biotechnology experience across multiple therapeutic areas to Entos. He will be responsible for the strategy, direction, and execution of Entos’ clinical development programs and medical affairs activities. Before this position, Dr. Chen served as the CMO of Cellics Therapeutics and has held leadership positions at La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company, Takeda, Eli Lilly and Company, and Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Chen also led the clinical research unit at the Center for Human Nutrition at UCLA and was a staff physician for emergency medicine at West Los Angeles Veteran Affairs Hospital. He obtained his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his B.Sc. and B.A. degrees in Bioengineering and Chinese Studies from UC San Diego.
“Steve Chen has a track record of working with companies developing revolutionary therapeutic approaches for complex diseases. We are thrilled to welcome him to our team at such a pivotal time as we continue to expand our footprint and grow our pipeline of Fusogenix PLV nucleic acid therapies.”
John Lewis, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Entos
Mr. Jason Ding has almost 20 years of financial and transactional expertise in the life science and healthcare industry. He will oversee Entos’ overall business strategy, building upon the company’s foundation for sustainable, scalable growth and developing partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. Before joining Entos, Mr. Ding served as a Partner and Senior Managing Director in Deloitte’s investment banking practice and as a National Life Sciences & Healthcare Transactions Leader spearheading transactions with a cumulative value of over $1.5 billion in the last two years. He has worked with start-ups, large public companies, and global consulting companies and has been an investor and a Board member for numerous life science and industry organizations. Mr. Ding is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta (FCPA, FCA), a Chartered Business Valuator (CBV), and ICD.D designation with the Institute of Corporate Directors. He received his BSc. and BCom. from the University of Alberta.
“We’re excited to have Jason Ding join our team, bringing extensive financial and transactional expertise within the biotechnology and health tech sectors,” said John Lewis, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Entos. “His insight and perspectives are invaluable as we execute on current partnerships and seek to expand our network to bring next-generation Fusogenix PLV nucleic acid therapies to patients in need.”
The appointments come on the heels of exciting momentum for Entos, having entered into a collaboration with Eli Lilly in January, where Lilly acquired rights to Entos’ Fusogenix PLV nucleic acid delivery technology to research, develop and commercialize Fusogenix PLV products for central and peripheral nervous system disease indications. As part of the Alberta provincial government’s effort to grow Canada’s biomanufacturing capacity, Entos also received a commitment of $15.5 million in funding from the province in December 2021 to establish a commercial manufacturing facility in Edmonton, Alberta.
About Entos Pharmaceuticals
A new reality in genetic medicine lies ahead, one that will be ushered in with the advent of safe, effective, and redosable nucleic acid delivery technologies. At Entos, we develop next generation genetic medicines using our proprietary Fusogenix proteolipid vehicle (PLV) drug delivery system. Fusogenix PLVs are formulated with FAST proteins to enable the delivery of mRNA or DNA into target cells through direct fusion.