GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNAC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering mRNA cell therapy for autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointment of Kemal Malik, MBBS to its Board of Directors. Dr. Malik brings to Cartesian over 30 years of global development, regulatory, and commercial expertise at leading pharmaceutical organizations.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Malik, a proven leader and industry veteran, to our Board of Directors,” said Carsten Brunn, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Cartesian. “His deep experience in successfully advancing innovative therapies through all stages of drug development and ultimately delivering them to patients will be invaluable as we progress our pipeline of mRNA cell therapies for treating autoimmune diseases. We look forward to leveraging his insights and counsel as we strive to expand the reach of cell therapy to autoimmunity.”
“Cartesian’s innovative mRNA platform has enormous potential to expand the benefits of cell therapy to autoimmune diseases,” said Dr. Malik. “I look forward to working alongside the talented management team as we work toward the goal of delivering novel therapies to patients with limited therapeutic options.”
Dr. Malik spent nearly 25 years in key leadership positions at Bayer, where he served for ten years as Head of Global Development and Chief Medical Officer, leading the company’s clinical development and regulatory functions, notably overseeing twenty consecutive positive Phase 3 trials and the approval of several blockbuster drugs across multiple therapeutic areas. Prior to this role, he served as Head of the Global Medical organization. Dr. Malik began his career at Bristol-Myers Squibb where he held various roles focused on medical affairs, clinical development, and new product commercialization.
Following his role as Head of Development, Dr. Malik was appointed to the Executive Board of Management of Bayer where he was responsible for driving innovation across the Bayer group. In this role, he established Bayer LEAPS, a business unit responsible for strategic innovative medicines, including cell and gene therapies and mRNA technology. Dr. Malik currently serves as a Board member of Syncona, a scientific advisor for Atomwise, and a member of the Board of Trustees for Our Future Health. He previously served on the Board of Directors of Acceleron Pharma.
Dr. Malik studied at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London receiving a B.Sc. in Pharmacology and graduating with MBBS. He is a member of the Royal College of Physicians.
About Cartesian Therapeutics
Cartesian Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company pioneering mRNA cell therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The Company’s lead asset, Descartes-08, is a potential first-in-class mRNA CAR-T in Phase 2b clinical development for patients with generalized myasthenia gravis and Phase 2 development for systematic lupus erythematosus, with a Phase 2 basket trial planned in additional autoimmune indications. The Company’s clinical-stage pipeline also includes Descartes-15, a next-generation, autologous anti-BCMA mRNA CAR-T. For more information, please visit www.cartesiantherapeutics.com or follow the Company on LinkedIn or X, formerly known as Twitter.
