CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Third Harmonic Bio, a clinical-stage company developing a first-in-class, highly selective, oral KIT inhibitor for the treatment of severe allergy and inflammation, announced today the appointment of Robert Ho as Chief Financial Officer.
“We are delighted to welcome Bob to the Third Harmonic team,” said Natalie Holles, Chief Executive Officer of Third Harmonic Bio. “Bob’s extensive experience in capital markets, finance operations, and strategy will bring a vital perspective to our work as we advance our lead program THB001 further into clinical development, scale our organization, and build a great company.”
Bob joins Third Harmonic from Neoleukin Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly held biopharmaceutical, where he served as Chief Financial Officer and oversaw finance, information technology, and business operations. Previously, Bob was a Vice President in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley & Co., where he advised companies on financing and strategic matters. In this role, he successfully executed more than $9 billion in financings and participated in the completion of more than $5 billion in M&A transactions. Bob also served as a Senior Finance Director at Davita, Inc., a leading provider of kidney dialysis services. He received his B.B.A. in accountancy and computer applications from the University of Notre Dame and his M.B.A. from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
“I’m excited to join Third Harmonic at such a transformative time for the company,” said Bob Ho. “The pipeline-in-a-product potential of THB001 to provide meaningful benefits to patients, the passionate culture of the team, and the opportunity to build value for our stakeholders energize me. I can’t wait to get started.”
Third Harmonic Bio’s lead program, THB001, is a first-in-class, oral small-molecule inhibitor of KIT, a cell surface receptor that serves as the master regulator of mast cell function and survival. When activated by a range of stimuli, mast cells trigger the inflammatory responses associated with the symptoms of dermal, airway, and gastrointestinal allergic diseases. THB001 is currently in a Phase 1 healthy volunteer study, and the company anticipates initiating a Phase 1b proof-of-concept study in cold-inducible urticaria in the second half of 2022. Beyond chronic urticaria, the company plans to develop THB001 in other skin, airway, and gastrointestinal tract diseases in which mast cells play a central pathophysiologic role.
About Third Harmonic Bio
Third Harmonic Bio is a clinical-stage company developing a first-in-class, highly selective, oral KIT inhibitor for the treatment of severe allergy and inflammation. KIT is a cell surface receptor that acts as the master survival and functional regulator of mast cells, which are immune cells concentrated at the body’s interfaces with the external environment and act as the key mediator of the inflammation associated with allergic diseases. Our lead product candidate, THB001, is the first highly selective, oral small-molecule KIT inhibitor to enter clinical development. With promising drug-like properties and an encouraging early clinical profile, THB001 has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of a broad range of dermatologic, respiratory, and gastrointestinal allergic and mast-cell mediated inflammatory diseases. Visit ThirdHarmonicBio.com or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn to learn more about our work, team, and culture.
