WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Morphic Therapeutic, a biotechnology company developing oral integrin therapies, today announced the appointment of former Gilead chief scientific officer and executive vice president of research and development, Norbert Bischofberger, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. During a career of nearly 30 years with Gilead, Dr. Bischofberger oversaw the development of more than 25 medicines that transformed the treatment of serious pathogens or diseases including HIV, HCV and lymphoma.
“Norbert is an accomplished researcher and leader of research organizations with an extraordinary track record in the development and approval of innovative medicines,” said Praveen Tipirneni, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Morphic Therapeutic. “His leadership and insights will be invaluable as we look to transition to a clinical-stage company and expand our pipeline of oral integrin therapies.”
Dr. Bischofberger currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of Kronos Bio, a developer of novel therapies targeting historically recalcitrant cancer targets. Prior to Kronos, he served as a scientific leader for 28 years at Gilead Sciences, concluding his tenure as chief scientific officer and executive vice president of research and development. Prior to Gilead, he served as a senior research scientist at Genentech.
Dr. Bischofberger also currently serves on the Supervisory Board of Bayer AG and Board of Directors of InCarda Therapeutics. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science and was awarded an honorary doctorate in natural sciences from the University of Innsbruck, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in chemistry. He also holds an honorary Doctor of Letters in Medicine degree from Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Bischofberger earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from ETH Zurich (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule) and completed postdoctoral research in organic chemistry and applied enzymology at George Whiteside’s laboratory at Harvard University.
“Morphic has built the expertise and technology platform necessary to target integrins with oral therapies, which is exciting as significant data supports the therapeutic potential of this class for a range of serious chronic diseases,” said Dr. Bischofberger. “I welcome the opportunity to join the Morphic journey as it deepens its R&D collaborations, prepares to enter clinical studies and advances on its mission to deliver a new generation of oral integrin therapies to patients.”
About Morphic Therapeutic
Morphic Therapeutic is a biotechnology company developing a new generation of oral integrin therapies. Drawing on integrin biology breakthroughs from the lab of noted entrepreneur and scientific founder Tim Springer, Morphic has developed an exclusive platform to build on these discoveries, complemented by a partnership with computational chemistry leader Schrödinger, Inc., that facilitates the rapid and iterative design of clinical candidates. For more information, visit www.morphictx.com.
