Vor Strengthens Leadership Team with Addition of Dr. Veit Schmelmer as SVP of Program and Alliance Management
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vor Biopharma (NASDAQ:VOR), a clinical-stage cell and genome engineering company, today announced the appointment of Veit Schmelmer, Ph.D., as Vor's Senior Vice President of Program and Alliance Management. Dr. Schmelmer has more than 25 years of experience leading the development of novel therapies for cancer, autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases at leading biopharmaceutical companies.
Dr. Schmelmer will oversee the management of Vor's key programs, leading cross-functional teams across the organization and working with external collaborators to advance the company's mission to change the standard of care for patients with blood cancer by engineering hematopoietic stem cells to enable targeted therapies post-transplant.
"We are excited to welcome Veit to our team during this critical period at Vor as enrollment of our Phase 1/2a clinical trial of VOR33 continues. His deep expertise overseeing the development of novel therapies, particularly his work with hematopoietic stem cells, will prove invaluable to us as our therapeutic candidates progress through clinical development. Most importantly, his unwavering dedication to patients makes him an ideal fit for our company culture and leadership team," said Robert Ang, MBBS, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vor.
"I joined Vor because I believe in the company's vision: to cure blood cancers through cell and genome engineering," said Dr. Schmelmer. "I am thrilled to join this impressive team of industry leaders who share my commitment to patients. I look forward to collaborating with teams across the organization and with our key partners to make our vision a reality through further development of our novel engineered hematopoietic stem cell (eHSC) platform."
Prior to joining Vor, Dr. Schmelmer was most recently Vice President, Project Lead at Magenta Therapeutics, where he oversaw global program development for MGTA-145, a novel biologic therapeutic candidate currently in Phase 2 clinical trials designed to mobilize hematopoietic stem cells prior to bone marrow transplant. He previously served as Vice President of Portfolio Strategy at Mersana Therapeutics with responsibility for project leadership, alliance management and portfolio strategy. Dr. Schmelmer also served as Global Project Leader for Takeda Pharmaceuticals International (formerly Millennium Pharmaceuticals) where he was directly responsible for the company's global asset strategy for new pipeline projects, overseeing programs in oncology from late-stage discovery, pre-clinical development and approval. Notably, Dr. Schmelmer directed the global development of Entyvio® through Phase 2 and 3 clinical development, MAA/BLA review, global approvals and launch. Dr. Schmelmer began his career at Boehringer Ingelheim where he held positions of increasing seniority, becoming the Head of the Department of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control for its Japanese subsidiary. Dr. Schmelmer is a board-certified pharmacist in Germany and he obtained a Ph.D. from Heidelberg University with a focus in formulation development.
About Vor Biopharma
Vor Biopharma is a clinical-stage cell and genome engineering company that aims to change the standard of care for patients with blood cancers by engineering hematopoietic stem cells to enable targeted therapies post-transplant. For more information, visit: www.vorbio.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "mission," "plan," "potential," "project," "should," "target," "vision," "will," "would," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Vor Biopharma may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including: uncertainties inherent in the initiation and completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials and clinical development of Vor Biopharma's product candidates; availability and timing of results from preclinical studies and clinical trials; whether interim results from a clinical trial will be predictive of the final results of the trial or the results of future trials; expectations for regulatory approvals to conduct trials or to market products; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Vor Biopharma's business, including its preclinical studies and clinical trials and availability of funding sufficient for Vor Biopharma's foreseeable and unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements. These and other risks are described in greater detail under the caption "Risk Factors" included in Vor Biopharma's most recent annual or quarterly report and in other reports it has filed or may file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Vor Biopharma expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
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