Matrivax Appoints Dr. Enda Moran as Vice President of Process Development and CMC
Industry veteran to help guide development of first vaccine targeting all pneumococcal strains
BOSTON, Sept. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Matrivax Research and Development Corporation has named Enda Moran, PhD, MBA, as vice president of process development and CMC. Dr. Moran will lead process development, chemistry, manufacturing and controls for Matrivax' preclinical- and clinical-stage products.
Dr. Moran has more than 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical process and product development, manufacturing operations, regulatory affairs and scientific leadership. He comes to Matrivax with experience in both vaccines and a wide range of biologics during his successful tenure at GSK, Pfizer and Northern Biologics.
"Enda brings a wealth of strategic and operational expertise to Matrivax that will be critical for our continued growth into a clinical-stage company" said Ed Mascioli, MD, president and chief executive officer of Matrivax. "Enda is both a technical expert and strategic thinker who has successfully developed and executed major process development, CMC and manufacturing initiatives in large and small pharmaceutical companies. We're delighted to have Enda join our team to help us advance our lead pneumococcal vaccine, MVX01, into the clinic."
MVX01, the lead vaccine candidate at Matrivax, is a pneumolysin-fusion protein vaccine expected to provide serotype-independent protection against all pneumococcal serotypes. Current vaccines, such as Prevnar® 13 and Pneumovax® 23, work by generating immunity for specific serotypes. However, the prevalence of uncovered serotypes is increasing, and new approaches to pneumococcal vaccine technology are needed. Unlike polysaccharide-based conjugated vaccines, MVX01 has the potential to provide serotype-independent protection against all pneumococcal strains and be agnostic to antibiotic resistant phenotypes.
Matrivax expects to submit an investigational new drug application for MVX01 to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the coming months.
"I'm excited to join Matrivax at such a transformational time for the company," said Dr. Moran. "Entering into human studies requires leading-edge thinking to ensure the highest possible quality and manufacturing efficiency. Current vaccines are expensive to manufacture due to complicated conjugation processes. Matrivax has the opportunity to provide a broader coverage vaccine without the complexities and cost of conjugation. I look forward to contributing to the advancement of critical global health goals and delivering important new products for patients worldwide."
Dr. Moran joins Matrivax from Northern Biologics, Inc., where he served as vice president of CMC development and clinical manufacturing through the recent sale of the company. The formative 16 years of his career were served at Wyeth / Pfizer in a wide range of biomanufacturing roles in Ireland and the U.S., culminating in global leadership of biomanufacturing sciences at five sites in the U.S., Europe and Australia.
Prior to Pfizer, Dr. Moran served five years at GlaxoSmithKline as group leader of biotech process development. He started his career as a senior scientist at Novartis and holds a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from University of Wales, U.K., and an M.B.A. from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain.
About Matrivax
Matrivax is an emerging biotech company developing differentiated vaccines targeting high-impact infectious diseases. The company's dual antigen approach to vaccine development provides a novel and broad approach to stimulate immune response. Matrivax has two vaccine candidates in preclinical development: MVX01, a pneumolysin-fusion protein expected to provide serotype-independent coverage against Streptococcus pneumoniae, and MVX02, a dual-antigen vaccine providing protection against C. difficile toxin and cell surface antigen to treat or prevent Clostridioides difficile disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report "Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019" declares S. pneumoniae and C. difficile as a serious or urgent threat, respectively.1
For more information, visit www.matrivax.com.
1 CDC. Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2019. The full 2019 AR Threats Report, including methods and appendices, is available online at www.cdc.gov/DrugResistance/Biggest-Threats.html.
Prevnar® 13 and Pneumovax® 23 are registered trademarks of Pfizer and Merck, respectively.
SOURCE Matrivax Research and Development Corp.
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