VERAXA Biotech AG (NASDAQ: VRXA) 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, 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 platform, which is designed to create bispecific T cell engagers and bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for solid tumors. The company’s pipeline includes next-generation antibody-based therapeutics developed using quality-by-design principles. VERAXA was founded on scientific breakthroughs made at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).
Erkel’s leadership is expected to accelerate the transition of BiTAC candidates from preclinical research into clinical trials. His background at MorphoSys, a company known for its work in antibody therapeutics, positions him to oversee the complex process of advancing novel immunotherapies. The full press release is available at https://nnw.fm/cR1RS.
VERAXA’s stock trades on Nasdaq under the ticker VRXA. The company’s newsroom provides updates at https://ibn.fm/VRXA. As with all forward-looking statements, the company notes risks detailed in its SEC filings, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
