ReAlta Life Sciences Appoints Dr. Howard Berman as Executive Chairman
ReAlta Life Sciences Inc. ("ReAlta" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on safely targeting neutrophils and central components of the complement system to revolutionize the treatment of inflammatory disorders, today announced the appointment of Howard Berman, Ph.D., as Executive Chairman of the ReAlta Life Sciences Board of Directors, effective immediately.
"We are delighted to welcome Howard to ReAlta at a pivotal moment for the Company as we move towards meaningful catalysts," said Kenji Cunnion, M.D., MPH, Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer and Board Member of ReAlta. "His proven track record in advancing innovative immunology-based therapies and creating value, positions ReAlta for disciplined growth and leadership in rare and inflammatory diseases. We are confident he will help us deliver on the potential of pegtarazimod."
"I am honored to join ReAlta and lead this talented team as we work to deliver transformative medicines for patients with urgent inflammatory conditions," Dr. Berman commented. "ReAlta's peptide platform represents a truly remarkable foundation, translating a naturally occurring immune-regulation mechanism from the human astrovirus into a first-in-class therapeutic approach. This directly addresses the long-standing industry challenge of modulating both complement and neutrophil-driven inflammation. The compelling clinical data and favorable safety profile observed to date in three life-threatening diseases with high unmet need reinforce the significant potential of pegtarazimod. This novel mechanism also creates a scalable path to explore multiple acute and chronic inflammatory indications. I look forward to advancing our clinical programs and pursuing strategic opportunities to unlock meaningful benefits for all stakeholders."
Dr. Berman brings more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical industry leadership experience that spans company formation, clinical development, strategic partnerships, and public market execution across multiple therapeutic areas, including immunology and neuroscience. Prior to ReAlta, Dr. Berman was Chief Executive Officer of Coya Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:COYA), a regulatory T cell therapeutics-focused company that he founded and for which he continues to serve as Executive Chairman. Under his leadership, Coya has advanced multiple clinical programs in neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). He also currently serves on the board of directors at Atea Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AVIR). Earlier in his career, Dr. Berman held senior leadership roles at AbbVie, Eli Lilly, and Novartis, where he contributed to the commercial launches of several blockbuster therapies in oncology and immunology. Dr. Berman holds a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Michigan and a master's degree and Ph.D. in neuroscience and pharmacology.
About ReAlta Life Sciences
ReAlta Life Sciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company redefining the treatment possibilities for patients with devastating and historically untreatable inflammation-driven diseases by developing first-in-class tailored peptides designed to achieve life-changing outcomes with unprecedented safety. The company's lead candidate, pegtarazimod (RLS-0071) is a next-generation dual-targeting intervention that represents a solution that rebalances the body's inflammatory response and prevents tissue damage by selectively blocking both complement- and neutrophil-mediated pathways at the outset, disrupting inflammation at the core. To learn more about ReAlta, visit https://realtalifesciences.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
About RLS-0071 (pegtarazimod)
Pegtarazimod is a 15-amino-acid peptide that uniquely targets both humoral and cellular inflammation and is the Company's lead therapeutic candidate. The peptide works by inhibiting complement activation at C1, as well as myeloperoxidase activity and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation—key mechanisms implicated in the inflammatory cascade underlying a broad range of diseases driven by dysregulated neutrophils and complement activity. Pegtarazimod was derived from a mechanistic discovery of the human astrovirus HAstV-1, a virus known to cause non-inflammatory gastroenteritis, which provided a novel scaffold for innate immune modulation. Across multiple clinical studies in healthy volunteers and patients with life-threatening inflammatory conditions, pegtarazimod has demonstrated a favorable tolerability profile and encouraging clinical signals, supporting its development in acute inflammatory diseases with significant unmet medical need. RLS-0071 has received FDA Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designations for Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), EMA Orphan Drug Designation for HIE, FDA Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designations for acute Graft vs Host Disease, and EMA Orphan Drug Designation for acute Graft vs Host Disease.
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