Announcement • Jul 30
INmune Bio Inc. Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board
INmune Bio Inc. announced the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board ("SAB") to support the late-stage development of Ebstrocel for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (“RDEB”) and guide the expansion of the Company’s proprietary CORDStrom mesenchymal stromal cell ("MSC") platform to target new disease indications. The SAB brings together internationally recognized leaders with complementary expertise in MSC biology, clinical translation, manufacturing and potency assessment, rare pediatric skin disease and osteoarthritis. The SAB will advise INmune Bio on: Ebstrocel regulatory and clinical-development strategy in RDEB and broader epidermolysis bullosa (“EB”); Phase 3 trial design, patient selection and clinically meaningful endpoints; Mechanism-of-action studies and translational biomarkers; Potency assays, product-release criteria and manufacturing consistency; and Selection and development of additional indications that could benefit from disease-specific CORDStrom products. The SAB will be chaired by Professor Mark Lowdell, Ph.D., FRCPath, INmune Bio’s Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder. Its inaugural members are: Katarina Le Blanc, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Specialist Physician at Karolinska Institute and a pioneer in the clinical use of MSCs; Anna Martinez, MBBS, MRCP, FRCPCH, Consultant Pediatric Dermatologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Clinical Lead of the UK National Epidermolysis Bullosa Service; Sowmya Viswanathan, Ph.D., Scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Krembil Research Institute at University Health Network and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto; and Daniel J. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine and President of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy. Scientific Advisory Board Members: Katarina Le Blanc, M.D., Ph.D. - Dr. Le Blanc is Professor of Clinical Stem Cell Research at Karolinska Institutet and a specialist physician whose research focuses on mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and immunology. Her group was the first to report that adoptive transfer of MSCs ameliorated treatment-resistant acute GvHD, and she was the lead author of the seminal Lancet Phase II study of MSCs in steroid-resistant, severe acute GvHD. Dr. Le Blanc brings decades of expertise in MSC immunobiology, clinical translation, potency evaluations and regulatory affairs. Anna Martinez, MBBS, MRCP, FRCPCH - Dr. Martinez is a Consultant Pediatric Dermatologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and has led the National Epidermolysis Bullosa Service while working as a consultant in pediatric dermatology since 2003. She is Clinical Lead for the UK National Epidermolysis Bullosa Service, runs combined dermatology-allergy clinics and the dedicated ichthyosis service, and has led the clinical research as designer and principal investigator for MSC trials in pediatric epidermolysis bullosa in the UK. Dr. Martinez has deep clinical expertise in RDEB, broader EB, genetic skin disease, rare skin-fragility disorders, ichthyoses and Netherton syndrome as well as real-World experience of the delivery of Ebstrocel to challenging pediatric patients. Sowmya Viswanathan, Ph.D. - Dr. Viswanathan is a Scientist at the Osteoarthritis Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute and the Krembil Research Institute at University Health Network, and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on developing novel cell-based therapies for OA, including advanced engineering and manufacturing approaches to improve the potency and stability of anti-inflammatory MSC therapies. She has published seminal papers on the mechanisms of action of MSCs in OA. She has served as Chair and Co-Chair of the ISCT Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Committee. Daniel J. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D. - Dr. Weiss is Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine and an internationally recognized expert in lung regenerative medicine and stem cell biology. He is the current President of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT). Dr. Weiss brings deep experience in pulmonary and critical care medicine, translational MSC biology and early phase clinical trials.
