VERAXA Biotech AG (NASDAQ: VRXA) has announced the appointment of Christoph Erkel, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer, effective immediately. Erkel, who previously served as vice president of research and development, will lead the 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. His background includes 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 platform, which is designed to develop bispecific T-cell engagers and other antibody-based therapeutics for solid tumors. The company’s pipeline includes bispecific ADCs and other innovative formats, guided by quality-by-design principles. VERAXA was founded on scientific breakthroughs made at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).
For more details, the full press release is available at https://nnw.fm/cR1RS. Latest news and updates relating to VRXA are available in the company’s newsroom at http://nnw.fm/VRXA.
This leadership change signals VERAXA’s commitment to advancing its pipeline of novel cancer therapies, particularly its BiTAC-based approaches, which aim to harness the immune system to target solid tumors. With Erkel’s expertise in antibody engineering and T-cell engagers, the company is positioned to accelerate preclinical and clinical development of its candidates.
BiTAC(R) is a registered trademark of VERAXA Biotech GmbH.
