PureTech’s Vedanta Biosciences appoints former Genzyme VP chief scientific officer
pharmafile | March 16, 2016 | Appointment | Medical Communications, Research and Development | Bruce Roberts, Genzyme, Vedanta Biosciences
Vedanta Biosciences, a company developing therapies designed to modulate the human microbiome, has appointed former Genzyme group vice president, Bruce Roberts, as chief scientific officer.
Dr Roberts has 30 years’ experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical drug discovery and development. He most recently served as head of Neuro-Immunology and Immune-Mediated Disease Research at Sanofi Genzyme, where he directed pre-clinical efforts resulting in the introduction of therapeutic antibodies, gene therapies, cell therapies and small molecules into multiple clinical trials for the treatment of cancer, multiple sclerosis and autoimmunity.
He directed research efforts in support of several approved products including lemtrada, aubagio, thymoglobulin, Mozobil, alemtuzumab, leukine, chlofarabine and fludarabine and contributed to the generation of ecallantide. Roberts has authored more than fifty peer-reviewed publications and contributed to several issued patents and patent applications.
“Bruce brings decades of drug development experience across a broad range of novel biologic drug modalities and a proven track record of driving the discovery and development of multiple approved drugs in immunology,” says Bernat Olle, Vedanta’s chief executive. “His experience and leadership in pioneering new drug modalities will be invaluable as we advance our pipeline of microbiome-modulating therapies.”
Vedanta Biosciences was founded by PureTech Health and a team of world-renowned experts in immunology and microbiology. The company is advancing a pipeline of product candidates designed to treat autoimmune, inflammatory and infectious diseases, which have been developed using a proprietary technology platform that enables mining of the human microbiome for potent pharmaceutical products.
The company recently expanded into new headquarters and research and development facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts, including a state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility for the production of live bacterial drugs.
“Microbiome modulation is among the most exciting and rapidly evolving fields in science, and it has tremendous potential to change the way medicine is practiced,” comments Dr Roberts. “I am excited to join one of the leading teams in this field and I look forward to driving Vedanta’s technology platform and pipeline forward.”
Related Content
Pfizer invests $25m in Vedanta BioSciences’ IBD treatment
Pfizer has invested $25 million in Vedanta Biosciences, a clinical-stage company developing a new category …
Use of Genzyme’s MS drug Lemtrada restricted under ongoing EMA safety review
The EMA has launched a review into Genzyme’s multiple sclerosis drug Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) after reports …
Alnylam and Sanofi close research phase of 2014’s $700m RNAi rare disease partnership
Alnylam and Sanofi have announced their intention to bring to an end the research and …
