CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inozyme Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing treatments for rare and debilitating metabolic diseases, today announced the appointment of David D. Thompson, Ph.D., as senior vice president and chief scientific officer. Dr. Thompson brings to Inozyme more than 30 years of experience designing and leading research and development programs focused on bone disorders and phosphate regulation. In his newly created position at Inozyme, Dr. Thompson will be responsible for scientific research as the company builds its proprietary pipeline of investigational therapies.
“David is an accomplished researcher and executive with a proven ability to translate science into meaningful therapies for patients suffering from metabolic diseases,” said Axel Bolte, chief executive officer and co-founder of Inozyme Pharma. “His deep understanding of mineralization and bone disorders will be invaluable as Inozyme Pharma prepares to begin clinical development of INZ-701, our lead product candidate for the potential treatment of patients with ENPP1 deficiencies, such as generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI) and autosomal recessive hypophosphatemic rickets type 2 (ARHR2). We look forward to working with him as we transition from a discovery-stage to a clinical-stage company.”
Prior to joining Inozyme, Dr. Thompson held executive positions in clinical research and drug development for multiple biopharma companies, including Alexion Pharmaceuticals, where he led the clinical development of Strensiq® (asfotase alfa) for the treatment of hypophosphatasia, and Pfizer, where he oversaw the osteoporosis research and frailty discovery groups. While at Merck Research Labs, Dr. Thompson conducted preclinical work and participated in the early clinical development of Fosamax® (alendronate) for the treatment of osteoporosis. Most recently, Dr. Thompson was a founder and president of Azure Biotech, Inc. where he was responsible for the development of a novel formulation of lasofoxifene, a non-steroidal selective estrogen receptor modulator used to treat postmenopausal women.
“I am excited to join Inozyme at this crucial time and contribute to a talented and dedicated team,” said Dr. Thompson. “Based on the compelling science and early-stage research conducted with this ENPP1 enzyme replacement therapy, Inozyme has the potential to help patients with devastating and debilitating rare metabolic diseases who currently lack effective treatment options.”
Dr. Thompson is a member of both the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and the Endocrine Society. He has authored or co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and has more than a dozen additional publications to his name. He received his M.A. from the University of Montana and both his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut.
About Inozyme Pharma
Inozyme Pharma is a biotechnology company committed to developing novel medicines for the treatment of rare diseases characterized by mineral imbalances, which lead to over calcification of soft tissues and under mineralization of bone. The company was founded in 2016 with technology licensed from Yale University. For more information, please visit: www.inozyme.com.
