About us02

We design and develop a new class of powerful therapeutics for the treatment of severe diseases. Our plug-and-play platform substantially reduces the random nature of the discovery process to predictably yield ready-to-develop multispecific biotherapeutics for chronic inflammation and cancer.

Management

Board

Advisors

David Urech

David Urech

Chief Executive Officer

David is the Chief Executive and a co-founder of Numab. Prior to starting Numab, David was Head of Research & Development at ESBATech AG, where he conceived and implemented ESBATech’s antibody discovery platform. He was responsible for the discovery and preclinical development of brolucizumab/Beovu®, a VEGF-blocking antibody fragment for the treatment of age-related macular edema, recently launched by Novartis. David holds an MSc in Molecular Biology and Neurosciences from the University of Zurich, and a PhD in Biochemistry from the Biocenter in Basel.

Oliver Middendorp

Oliver Middendorp

Chief Business Officer

Oliver is the Chief Business Officer and a co-founder of Numab. From 2004 until 2010, he was at ESBATech as Head of Alliance Management and responsible for intellectual property. After the acquisition by Alcon in September 2009, Oliver became a member of Alcon’s R&D Alliance Group, tasked with search, evaluation, negotiations and alliance management of collaborations, while remaining Head of Alliance Management at ESBATech, and a member of the ESBATech Management. Oliver studied Molecular Biology and Immunology at the University of Zurich and received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Basel in 2004.

Peter Lichtlen

Peter Lichtlen

Chief Medical Officer

Peter is the Chief Medical Officer and is a co-founder of Numab. He holds an MD as well as a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Zurich. In 2000 Peter joined ESBATech AG where he led several preclinical and clinical development projects with antibody fragments in oncology, inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases as the Head of clinical R&D. In particular, he designed the clinical proof-of-concept trial for brolucizumab/Beovu® in wet age-related macular degeneration. In 2011 Peter joined Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, where he became the company’s Chief Medical Officer. In this function, he managed the global clinical development portfolio and held overall responsibility for Medical Affairs and Pharmacovigilance and had numerous interactions with major regulatory agencies as well as HTA bodies, leading to successful NDAs, MAAs and STAs. After the acquisition by Mallinckrodt in 2018, Peter joined Numab as full-time Chief Medical Officer.

Sebastian Meyer

Sebastian Meyer

Chief Operating Officer

Sebastian is Numab’s Chief Operating Officer and oversees the project management, quality assurance, human resource, and support functions. He joined Numab in 2012 to head the engineering and process development group. He is an inventor of the lambda cap™ stable scaffold and MATCH™ multispecific format technologies underlying Numab’s pipeline assets. Before joining Numab, Sebastian was responsible for DSP and analytics development at ESBATech, focusing on novel scFv drug candidates in Phase I/II of clinical development, including brolucizumab/Beovu®. Prior to this, Sebastian was a bioprocess development group leader at Cytos Biotechnology. Sebastian graduated with a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Hamburg and obtained his PhD from the University of Zurich.

Roland Helfenstein

Roland Helfenstein

Chief Financial Officer

Roland is Numab’s Chief Financial Officer and joined Numab in 2011. Prior to his current position, Roland worked for 7 years in the banking industry in Switzerland and Asia with positions in marketing, customer experience management, business process management and information technology. Roland holds a Licenciate in Economics and Business Administration and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Corporate Finance, both from the University of Zurich.

James Singleton

James Singleton

General Counsel

James is General Counsel of Numab and Secretary of the Numab Board of Directors. Prior to joining Numab in October 2021, James served as General Counsel for Waypoint Capital (US) and its healthcare fund Gurnet Point Capital from 2016 to 2021, and also served on the board of Boston Pharmaceuticals, Tremeau Pharmaceuticals and Auregen BioTherapeutics Inc. From 2004 to 2016, James held senior legal leadership positions at Serono International SA and, following Merck’s acquisition of Serono, Merck KGaA, serving as Head of Legal for Serono Research & Development, Merck’s corporate venture fund Merck Ventures, Merck Biopharma Global Business Development and Merck Biosimilars.
James has over twenty years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry in the United States and Europe.
James received his Juris Doctor degree from NYU School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree from State University of New York at Albany.

Daniel Snell

Daniel Snell

Senior VP Research and Preclinical Development

Dan joined Numab in 2019. He began his career in industry at Oxford Glycosciences, UK in 2002 developing antibody-based therapeutics in the field of Oncology. He then spent 7 years at Genzyme, a Sanofi company, where he helped to establish the antibody therapeutics group of Genzyme in Cambridge, UK. He led the protein engineering and molecular biology teams and was responsible for leading therapeutic programs in oncology and immunology. Dan moved to Switzerland in 2012 and worked for Molecular Partners as VP, Biology and led a team responsible for the preclinical biological characterisation of protein-based therapeutics in immune-oncology, oncology, immunology and ophthalmology. He was also instrumental in collaborations with Roche, Janssen, Allergan and Immunogen. Dan holds a PhD in molecular immunology from the University of Reading and performed a postdoc at the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford, where he studied signalling pathways of platelet activation.

Tea Gunde

Tea Gunde

VP Discovery

Tea joined Numab in 2011, establishing Numab’s antibody discovery platform. From 2004 to 2011 Tea was Head of PK & PD at ESBATech where she was responsible for the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characterization of antibody fragments. She led preclinical discovery and development projects in the field of ophthalmology and immuno-oncology. Tea was instrumental in the discovery and the preclinical development of brolucizumab/Beovu® a best-in-class anti-VEGF fragment for the treatment of age-related macular edema. She graduated with a degree in Molecular Biology and Immunology from the University of Zurich and obtained her PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Zurich.

Stefan Warmuth

Stefan Warmuth

Senior VP Technology and CMC

Stefan is responsible for the CMC activities at Numab including protein engineering, analytics, and formulation, USP and DSP development. In his role as project lead, he further managed Numab’s lead program ND021 until FIM. Before joining Numab in 2015, Stefan worked in the pharmaceutical development at CSL Behring, focusing on process development and optimization to support clinical production and up-scaling. Stefan studied biochemistry in Tübingen and Zurich and graduated with a degree in Biochemistry from the ETH Zurich and obtained his PhD in Structural Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Zurich.

Taryn Losch Beridon

Taryn Losch Beridon

VP Clinical Operations & Regulatory Affairs

Taryn joined the Numab team in January 2021 to build and lead the Clinical Operations and Regulatory Affairs functions for the organization. Prior to joining Numab, Taryn served in key leadership positions at Sucampo Pharmaceuticals (now Mallinckrodt) and Mahana Therapeutics, where she played a pivotal role in obtaining global marketing authorizations for Amitiza® capsules and, later, for Parallel™, the first FDA-approved prescription-only digital therapeutic (PDT) intended for use in adults with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Taryn brings to Numab expertise in strategic planning for pipeline development programs, spanning the full lifecycle of product development across numerous therapeutic areas, from early phase through post-marketing. She earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Gettysburg College and later obtained her Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Management

Board

Advisors

Carlo Incerti

Carlo Incerti

Chairman

Carlo Incerti was appointed to the Numab Board of Directors in June 2021. He currently holds the position of Operating Partner at Forbion. A medical doctor by training, Carlo Incerti brings over three decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He most recently held the position of Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Medical Affairs at Sanofi Genzyme.

Before his time at Sanofi and Genzyme, Carlo was a founding shareholder, Board member, and Chief Executive officer at Biofil S.r.l., a start-up active in the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of systems for leukocyte depletion of blood and derivatives, which was acquired by Fresenius Kabi of Germany in 1993.

Prior to joining the industry, Carlo was an Associate Professor of Endocrinology at the University of Modena, with a main research focus on thyroid diseases and sex hormones.

Dr. Incerti currently also serves on the board of Azafaros B.V. (Chairman), EryDel S.p.A (Chairman), Inversago Pharma (Chairman), VectorY (Chairman), and is a Founding Member and on the Consortium Assembly of IRDiRC, the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium.

Michael K. Bauer

Michael K. Bauer

Michael Bauer was appointed to the Numab Board of Directors in June 2021. He currently holds the position as Venture Partner at Novo Holdings. From 2006-2020, Michael was employed at Genmab in various positions with increasing responsibility; starting in Project Management taking daratumumab / DARZALEX® into the clinic. Between 2010-2018 he led Clinical Development and was part of the senior leadership team that repositioned and rebuilt the company into a global cancer and antibody powerhouse. From 2018 he led R&D Operations preparing the company for filing of its first own product. Prior to Genmab, Michael worked as an Associate at BankInvest Biomedical Venture and as Licensing Associate in Scientific Licensing at Novo Nordisk A/S, after having spent 7 years as Research Scientist at Novo Nordisk A/S covering areas such as endocrinology, metabolic disease, cancer, and inflammation.

Before joining the industry, Michael worked for 6 years at the Research Centre for Developmental Medicine & Biology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, investigating causes and possible treatment modalities of intra-uterine growth restriction. Michael earned a Masters (Dipl. Ing. agr.) in Agricultural Science from the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, Germany, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Science – summa cum laude – from the University of Göttingen, Germany.

Michael currently has no additional board seats.

Matthias Fehr

Matthias Fehr

Matthias Fehr was appointed to the Numab Board of Directors in June 2021. He currently holds the position of Head of Private Equity at HBM Partners. Mr. Fehr has more than twenty years of experience in private and public equity investment management and research. He is a former senior sell-side analyst at Lombard Odier for the biotech and medical technology industries.

Matthias Fehr is a former scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and holds an MSc and Ph.D. in chemistry from ETH Zurich. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst since 2002.

Mr. Fehr currently also serves on the board of Swixx Biopharma, Sphingotec, and Farmalatam.

Jing Lou

Jing Lou

Dr. Jing Lou is a co-founder of 3SBio Group and currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer and president of 3SBio Group. He is responsible for the strategic development and planning, overall operational management and major decision making of 3SBio Group.
Dr. Lou has extensive experience in capital markets transactions and initial public offerings. Dr. Lou lead 3SBio Inc.’s IPO on Nasdaq, one of the few high profile IPOs in the U.S by Chinese pharmaceutical companies. Taking the opportunity of Hong Kong capital market, Dr. Lou successfully led the privatization and delisting of 3SBio Inc. from Nasdaq and relisting it on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Dr. Lou also lead the landmark acquisition of Sunshine Guojian, and subsequent listing of Sunshine Guojian on Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market.
Dr. Lou has been highly active in pharmaceutical research and has made substantial contribution to 3SBio Group’s R&D of pharmaceutical products. Dr. Lou was the leading scientist and principal investigator in 3SBio Group’s successful development of EPIAO and TPIAO. He co-invented a “preparation process for recombinant human thrombopoietin” and a “method for improving the stability of polypeptides in human bodies and its application” in 2000 and 2001, respectively. He has published in a number of academic journals on microbiology and medicinal biotechnology. His research has been recognized with various awards. In 2006, he was awarded the “First Prize of Shenyang Science and Technology Progress Award” for his research on recombinant human thrombopoietin. In 2007, he was awarded the “Third Prize of Liaoning Province Scientific and Technological Achievements” for his contribution to the industrialization of production of recombinant human thrombopoietin. In 2017, he was awarded “Liaoning Province Outstanding Entrepreneur” and “Friendship Award of Liaoning Province”.
Dr. Lou obtained a Bachelor of Medicine degree in clinical medicine from Shanghai Second Military Medical University in July 1985. He conducted post-doctoral research at the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. after obtaining a Ph.D. degree in molecular and cell biology from Fordham University in the U.S. in February 1994. He also obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration from China Europe International Business School in September 2008.

Daniel Vasella

Daniel Vasella

Daniel Vasella, MD was appointed to the Numab Board of Directors in October 2019 and was subsequently appointed as Chairman in September 2020. Dr. Vasella is currently working as director, strategic advisor, and coach to senior executives. Dr. Daniel Vasella, served as Chairman of Novartis AG, a leading global medicines company, from 1999 until 2013 and as Chief Executive Officer of Novartis AG from 1996 to January 2010. From 1992 to 1996, Dr. Vasella held the positions of Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President, and Head of Worldwide Development and Head of Corporate Marketing at Sandoz Pharma Ltd. He also served at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation, U.S.A. from 1988 to 1992.

Dr. Vasella currently also serves on the board of PepsiCo, American Express Company, SciClone Pharmaceuticals, and several biotech companies.

Management

Board

Advisors

Ignacio Melero

Ignacio Melero, M.D., Ph.D., is professor of immunology at the Academic Hospital of Navarra and at the Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) of the University of Navarra. He leads a group working in translational tumor immunotherapy with emphasis on cell therapy, cytokine gene therapy, and immune-stimulatory monoclonal antibodies. Earlier in his career, Dr. Melero contributed to seminal discoveries in the function Natural Killer cells, and T-cell co-stimulation via CD137 (4-1BB). Dr. Melero has been awarded the BIAL Prize of Medicine, the Conde de Cartagena Award from the Royal Academy of Medicine, Doctor Durantez LAIR Foundation Award and a CRI research award. He has served on advisory boards of Bristol Myers-Squibb, Roche-Genentech, AstraZeneca, Merck Serono and Boehringer Ingelheim, and holds research grants by Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Alligator.

Mario Sznol

Mario Sznol, M.D., is a Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology). Dr. Sznol, formerly with the National Cancer Institute, has an international reputation in cancer drug development. Dr. Sznol’s expertise and experience is in cancer immunotherapy, drug development for cancer, and treatment of patients with melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. He is working to expand the opportunities for clinical trials at the Yale Cancer Center, particularly those focusing on immunotherapy and novel agents.

David Hong

David Hong, M.D., is a Professor of Medicine and the Associate Vice President of Clinical Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Throughout his career, Dr. Hong has developed an interest in studying the efficacy of novel drug combinations in patients with solid tumors. Recently his research endeavors have focused on developing personalized therapies for patients, whose tumors bear specific genetic mutations/amplifications and combining targeted therapies with immunotherapies.

Matthew Galsky

Matthew Galsky, M.D., is a Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology and a Professor of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at the Mount Sinai Health Systems hospitals in New York. Dr. Galsky also serves as Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the Tisch Cancer Institute. He specializes in the care of patients with genitourinary malignancies (i.e. bladder and kidney cancer). His research focuses on the development of novel treatments for these cancers, and Dr. Galsky uses team-science based approaches to understand sensitivity and resistance to such therapies.

Robert L. Ferris

Robert L. Ferris, M.D., Ph.D. is the Director of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center of the University of Pittsburgh, where he is a Professor of Oncology and Immunology and a Co-Director of the Tumor Microenvironment Center. Dr. Ferris is a leading expert in the immuno-biology and treatment of head and neck cancer. He has been the principal investigator in multiple Phase I-III clinical trials and his research is focused on cellular immune mechanisms of natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells, and T lymphocyte activation against head and neck cancer tumor antigens.

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