WALTHAM, Mass.– Upstream Bio, a clinical-stage biotech company advancing new therapies to treat inflammation, today announced the appointment of three clinical advisors and new leadership additions. The clinical advisors will support Upstream Bio’s mission to develop UPB-101, a monoclonal antibody designed to block the thymic stromal lymphopoietin receptor (TLSPR) and thus inhibit TSLP-driven inflammation.
“Upstream is thrilled to announce that Doctors Marcie Ruddy, Ian Pavord and Michael Wechsler are providing valuable insights to our team on the development of UPB-101 for asthma and other inflammatory conditions. Each brings a unique perspective based on research background, industry experience and patient focus,” said Aaron Deykin, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and Development.
“These key appointments will help Upstream drive toward continued value creation for patients and shareholders as we grow and increase the complexity of our clinical programs,” said Sam Truex, Chief Executive Officer. “We are excited and privileged to work with these esteemed clinical experts in the treatment of asthma and inflammatory disease. Their guidance will be instrumental in our work to bring meaningful therapeutic options to patients living with inflammatory diseases.”
Clinical Advisors to Upstream:
Marcella K. Ruddy, MD, is currently the Chief Medical Officer at Tectonic Therapeutics and was formerly the Head of Clinical Development for the Immunology/Inflammation Therapeutic Area at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, where she was instrumental in driving development of dupilumab across multiple indications. She has over 18 years of drug development experience and holds an AB from Princeton University and a MD/MS from Washington University, St. Louis. She completed her internal medicine and pulmonary fellowship training at Harvard Medical School affiliated hospitals.
Ian D. Pavord, MA, DM, FRCP, FERS, FMedSci, is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Oxford and Honorary Consultant Physician at the Oxford University Hospitals. He is a member of congregation at the University of Oxford and a Professorial Fellow of St. Edmund Hall. He is the author of over 520 publications and has an H-index of 119, making him the 2nd highest cited researcher in asthma worldwide. He received the 2016 European Respiratory Society (ERS) Gold Medal for his research and gave the Cournand Lecture at the 2004 ERS meeting. He chaired the 2017 Lancet Commission on asthma.
Michael E. Wechsler, MD, MMSc, is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at National Jewish Health (NJH) in Denver, Director of the Cohen Family Asthma Institute, and Associate Vice President for Innovation and Industry Relations at NJH. He holds leadership roles in several NIH-funded asthma research consortia. Dr. Wechsler has published more than 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts and is Associate Editor of the Journal CHEST. He holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from Harvard University, his MD from McGill University, and completed his fellowship at Harvard Medical School affiliated hospitals.
Additionally, Upstream Bio has continued to strengthen its leadership team with key appointments since launching the company. Having demonstrated broad cross-functional impact in the critical early stages of building Upstream Bio, Jen Beachell, MBA, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Joining the Research and Development team as Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality is Mersedeh Miraliakbari, PharmD. Mersedeh joins us with over 20 years of experience in global regulatory affairs across therapeutic areas.
