Verismo Therapeutics Appoints Steven Albelda, MD, to Scientific Advisory Board

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Verismo Therapeutics, Inc., a recent Penn spin-out behind a novel multichain KIR-CAR platform technology for CAR T-cells, today announced the appointment of a leading pulmonologist and gene therapy clinician, Steven M. Albelda, MD, to its Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Albelda is a William Maul Measey Endowed Professor of Medicine, Director of the Thoracic Oncology Research Laboratory, and co-Director of the Translational Center of Excellence for Lung Cancer at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

"It is a great privilege to have Dr. Albelda join our Scientific Advisory Board," stated Dr. Bryan Kim, Chief Executive Officer at Verismo. "Dr. Albelda brings over 30 years of expertise in oncological gene therapy and immunotherapy. His experience in developing and implementing new immunological treatments into the clinic for patients with mesothelioma will provide us with invaluable insights into the clinical aspect of the disease, and help us guide our KIR-CAR platform through a successful First-in-Human Clinical Trial. We are excited to see his great contribution to Verismo's mission to eradicate solid tumors in terminally ill patients."

For the past 27 years, Dr. Albelda has led an NCI-funded Program Project aimed at developing new treatments for mesothelioma and thoracic malignancies. Dr. Albelda has been involved with more than a dozen "bench to bedside" projects, including the development of a series of Phase I and II clinical trials of CAR T-cell therapies targeting mesothelin and fibroblast activation protein for patients with mesothelioma and lung cancer. Additionally, he has major contributions on the augmentation of anti-tumor immune effects, the tumor microenvironment, mechanisms of T-cell dysfunction, and adoptive T-cell transfer targeting tumors and stroma. Dr. Albelda's lab has developed a wide variety of animal models of lung cancer and mesothelioma that can be used to evaluate new therapies and T-cell function. For his accomplishments, Dr. Albelda received the American Thoracic Society Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishment and was the 2010 recipient of the Wagner Award from the International Mesothelioma Interest Group honoring the top researcher in the field.

ABOUT VERISMO THERAPEUTICS
Verismo Therapeutics is a pioneer in multichain KIR-CAR T technology, on track to bring its first asset into First-in-Human clinical trials in 2023. Verismo is the only company developing the KIR-CAR platform, a revolutionary NK-like receptor designed to drastically improve persistence and efficacy against the most aggressive solid tumors. This technology was developed at Penn by the team behind Kymriah^™, the first approved CAR T-cell therapy. The KIR-CAR platform technology was developed specifically for advanced solid tumors, the area of high unmet medical need where no other cell therapies have yet shown meaningful efficacy in clinical trials. For More information, visit: www.verismotherapeutics.com 

ABOUT KIR-CAR PLATFORM 
The KIR-CAR platform is the first multichain CAR T cell therapy, capable of maintaining antitumor T-cell activity even in the most challenging solid tumor environments. Based on Natural Killer Cell receptors, KIR-CAR provides a natural on-and-off stimulation to the T-cell, without triggering T cell exhaustion. DAP12 costimulatory chains aid additional T-cell stimulating pathways, further improving cell persistence. This continued function and persistence can lead to ongoing regression of solid tumors, including those refractory to traditional CAR T-cell therapies. Furthermore, the KIR-CAR platform can be partnered with many additional emerging technologies, such as in-vivo gene editing, advanced T cell selection, combination therapies, and even allogeneic cellular therapies to provide an adaptable tumor-targeting therapy for patients in need.

Contact:
Alyson Kuritz
908-892-7149
[email protected]  

SOURCE Verismo Therapeutics

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