AdAlta Pty Ltd is pleased to announce that Dr David McGibney and Dr Brian Richardson have joined the AdAlta scientific advisory team.
Dr McGibney is an experienced clinical and pharmaceutical development professional and has extensive experience in the successful development and registration of numerous medicines. Dr David McGibney was with Pfizer for over 20 years and during this time developed 10+ drugs. Dr McGibney joined Pfizer in 1982 and was appointed head of European Clinical Development for Pfizer Central Research in 1992. He was named Vice President of Clinical Research and a member of the Board of Directors of Pfizer Ltd. in 1995. Prior to leaving Pfizer in 2001, he was Senior Vice President of Pfizer Global Research and Development and Director of the R & D Laboratories in Sandwich, Kent, UK.
Dr Richardson was most recently a member of The Leadership Team and The Global Head of The Musculoskeletal Disease Therapeutic Area at The Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research having previously held several other senior positions during a 42 year career in the Pharmaceutical Industry. In 1993 Dr Richardson was appointed Head of Preclinical Research for Sandoz Pharma AG in Switzerland and UK and in 1996 played a key role in the merger of the Sandoz and Ciba Research organisations that ultimately resulted in creation of The Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. Research conducted in Dr Richardson’s laboratories has led to the discovery, development and introduction of several new therapies. He has published more than 60 original peer reviewed research papers and contributed many book chapters in the fields of pathophysiology, endocrinology and receptor pharmacology.
Sam Cobb, Managing Director of AdAlta commented, “AdAlta is extremely fortunate to have the input of both Dr David McGibney and Dr Brian Richardson in the development of its programs and progression of the i-bodies to the clinic.”
AdAlta has developed a platform that allows the production of an i-body – a single domain, long loop protein. The i-body, as a next generation biologic, combines the advantages of conventional monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with some of the well known features of small molecule drugs, with significantly improved efficacy and reduced toxicity.
Recent animal studies have demonstrated positive in vivo data and AdAlta is developing an improved therapy for the treatment of fibrosis, prevalent in 45-50% of all diseases. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the lead AdAlta clinical target, will have an estimated market size of $1bn in the US and Europe alone by 2017. AdAlta is currently raising funding to progress its lead to the clinic.