Carisma Therapeutics Announces Expansion of Its Scientific Advisory Board

Company appoints renowned key opinion leaders in liver fibrosis, Scott Friedman, MD, and Ira Tabas, MD, PhD 

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Carisma Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: CARM) ("Carisma" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies, today announced the appointment of Dr. Scott Friedman and Dr. Ira Tabas to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Friedman and Dr. Tabas bring extensive expertise and pioneering contributions in liver fibrosis, which will be instrumental as Carisma continues its program to develop transformative treatments for patients.

"It is an honor to welcome Dr. Friedman and Dr. Tabas to our Scientific Advisory Board," said Steven Kelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Carisma. "Their extensive experience and groundbreaking research in liver fibrosis will significantly enhance our efforts in developing innovative engineered macrophage therapies for advanced liver disease. We are excited to collaborate with them and benefit from their profound expertise."

About Scott Friedman, MD

Dr. Friedman is the Chief Emeritus of Liver Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is renowned for his pioneering research into the underlying causes of fibrosis associated with chronic liver disease, which affects millions of patients worldwide. Dr. Friedman was among the first to isolate and characterize the hepatic stellate cell, the key cell type responsible for scar production in the liver.

Dr. Friedman is widely recognized as a dynamic and respected author, with over 300 peer-reviewed publications. Throughout his career, he has mentored more than 100 postdoctoral fellows and students. He is also a past president of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the understanding of liver disease and its treatment, Dr. Friedman received the Saul Horowitz, Jr. Outstanding Alumnus Award from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1993 and the International Hans Popper Award from the Falk Foundation in Freiburg, Germany, in 2003. He also received the Distinguished Achievement Awards from the European Association for the Study of Liver (EASL), the AASLD, and the American Liver Foundation. He currently consults for approximately 25 companies in the liver disease space.

Dr. Friedman received his MD from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, and his Gastroenterology Fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.

About Ira Tabas, MD, PhD

Dr. Tabas is the Richard J. Stock Professor and Vice-Chair of Research in the Department of Medicine and Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology (in Physiology and Cellular Biophysics) at Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Tabas has extensively studied multiple pathways involved in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) fibrosis, focusing on crosstalk between hepatocytes, liver macrophages, and hepatic stellate cells. His work has revealed key roles for a transcriptional regulator called TAZ and for the process of whereby macrophages clear dead hepatocytes in MASH liver (efferocytosis). Both of these discoveries have led to patent applications and drug development efforts led by pharma and biotech companies. Dr. Tabas also studies the mechanism of atherosclerosis and is currently investigating mechanisms and therapeutic targets that are common between MASH and atherosclerosis.

Dr. Tabas has lectured worldwide and published approximately 300 original research articles and reviews in prestigious journals. He has also served on the Board of Reviewing Editors for the journal Science. Dr. Tabas has been elected to both the Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. Dr. Tabas' honors include the American Heart Association Established Investigator Award, the Columbia University Doctor Harold and Golden Lamport Research Award, the American Heart Association/ATVB Council Special Recognition Award, the Richard J. Stock Professorship in the Department of Medicine of Columbia University, and the 2011 Alumni Achievement Award from Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. Tabas received his MD and PhD degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and completed his residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Endocrinology/Metabolism at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, with board certification in both disciplines.

About Carisma

Carisma Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on utilizing our proprietary macrophage and monocyte cell engineering platform to develop transformative immunotherapies to treat cancer and other serious diseases. We have created a comprehensive, differentiated proprietary cell therapy platform focused on engineered macrophages and monocytes, cells that play a crucial role in both the innate and adaptive immune response. Carisma is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, please visit www.carismatx.com.

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Media Contact:
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SOURCE Carisma Therapeutics Inc.