SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ambys Medicines, a company aiming to be the leader in cell therapy for severe liver disease by unlocking the full potential of hepatocyte transplantation, today announced the appointment of Markus Grompe, M.D., as the company’s Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Grompe is a world-leading expert on stem cell research and genetic liver disease and is a founder of Ambys. He succeeds Michael Holmes, Ph.D., who stepped down from his role as Chief Scientific Officer to pursue an external opportunity. Dr. Holmes will continue to be actively involved with the company as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board.
“Markus’s scientific expertise and clinical insights have been extremely valuable in guiding the development of our cell therapy programs and shaping the future direction of the company,” said Ronald Park, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Ambys Medicines. “I look forward to continuing to work with Markus in his role as Chief Scientific Officer as we advance our lead program, AMI-918, an allogeneic, off-the-shelf hepatocyte cell therapy for severe liver disease, into IND-enabling studies. Severe liver disease remains an enormous, untapped healthcare problem. With the recent additions to our executive team, I am more confident than ever that we will deliver on our bold vision to bring forward an entirely new treatment approach to patients.”
“On behalf of the Board and employees, I would like to thank Mike for all of his contributions over the last four years. As one of the first employees to join the company, Mike has been a key part of the executive leadership that has brought Ambys to where it is today. I look forward to continuing to work with Mike as a member of our Scientific Advisory Board and wish him success in his next endeavor,” added Dr. Park.
Dr. Grompe is a leader in the field of stem cell research with a focus on cell therapy for genetic liver diseases. His laboratory research has focused on the use of in vivo selection to enhance cell transplantation, and he discovered and developed a method to enable the production of human hepatocytes. Dr. Grompe is a Professor at the Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon. In addition to founding Ambys Medicines, he is also a founder of Yecuris Corporation. Dr. Grompe received his medical degree at the University of Ulm in Germany and trained as a pediatrician at Oregon Health and Science University. He completed a fellowship in molecular genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He has published over 260 peer-reviewed articles, the majority of which are on the topics of liver biology and hepatic disease. He holds 10 issued patents, including the seminal patent on liver humanization in mice.
“I am incredibly excited to join Ambys in this new capacity at such a pivotal time for the company as we progress AMI-918 towards the clinic and further our additional pipeline programs,” said Dr. Grompe. “Ambys’ technology platform has the potential to be a truly transformative advance in regenerative medicine for liver diseases. We recently demonstrated our ability to produce high-quality liver cells that function in vivo as normal healthy liver cells, which is a critical step towards developing an off-the-shelf treatment capable of restoring liver function in patients with acute and chronic liver disease. I look forward to working closely with the team on executing our strategy as we seek to revolutionize patient care for the millions of patients with severe liver diseases.”
About Ambys Medicines
Ambys Medicines is dedicated to becoming the leader in cell therapy for severe liver disease by unlocking the full potential of hepatocyte transplantation. Ambys’ proprietary cell therapy platform potentially solves the supply constraints that have hindered progress, catalyzing the field and fundamentally transforming the approach to treating severe liver disease. Our lead program, AMI-918, and future engineered hepatocyte cell therapies are being developed across the spectrum of severe liver disease, including those of acquired and genetic origins. Visit us at ambys.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
