CalciMedica Appoints Steven L. Schoenfeld, MD, as Vice President, Clinical Development

LA JOLLA, Calif., June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- CalciMedica announced the appointment of Steven L. Schoenfeld, MD, as Vice President, Clinical Development. Dr. Schoenfeld's successful, clinical drug development career spans over 20 years in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.  He will lead CalciMedica's development efforts, assuming immediate responsibility for advancing its first CRAC Channel Inhibitor (CCI) product candidate through IND filing and into clinical development.

"Steve has the depth and breadth of experience essential to building successful global drug development programs spanning all phases of clinical development and different disease indications. Steve's efforts and contributions will be invaluable as CalciMedica begins clinical development of our novel drug candidate," said Gonul Velicelebi, Ph.D, Chief Executive Officer of CalciMedica. "He joins CalciMedica at a very exciting time in the Company's development as we advance toward filing an IND for our first-in-class small molecule CCI."

Steve Schoenfeld added, "I am truly excited to join the Company and to have the opportunity to drive the development of a first-in-class CCI. CalciMedica's CRAC channel platform has the potential to change the paradigm for treating immune-mediated diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis."

Dr. Schoenfeld's experience includes development of small molecules, biologics and devices in several therapeutic areas such as oncology, inflammation, endocrine disorders, and metabolic diseases.  Most recently, Dr. Schoenfeld served as Vice President for Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at CovX Research, and through an acquisition by Pfizer, served as Executive Director for Biotherapeutics Clinical Development, Pfizer Biotherapeutics Division.  Dr. Schoenfeld received his MD from New York Medical College, completed his residency in internal medicine at the Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla, New York, and completed fellowship training in Endocrinology at the University of Washington in Seattle.

About CalciMedica, Inc.

CalciMedica is the leading biopharmaceutical company focused on calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channels and dedicated to the discovery and development of novel drugs for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The primary focus of the Company's drug discovery effort is based on the specific inhibition of CRAC channels, a key component of the ICRAC-NFAT pathway. The ICRAC-NFAT calcium entry pathway is essential for the adaptive immune response, and has been clinically validated as an important drug target in humans through the use of calcineurin inhibitors. The Company's academic founders represent the core thought leaders in this exciting area of immunology and are responsible for numerous key advances in the field. CalciMedica is located in La Jolla, California.  For more information please visit the Company's website at www.calcimedica.com.

SOURCE CalciMedica, Inc.