NORFOLK, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc. ("ReAlta" or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to saving lives by rebalancing the inflammatory response to address rare and acute inflammatory diseases, today announced that Peter Ho, Ph.D., has joined the Company as Head of Business Development and Corporate Strategy.
“I am thrilled to have Peter join our executive team at this pivotal time as we advance our three Phase 2 programs in rare and acute inflammatory diseases,” said David Marek, Chief Executive Officer of ReAlta. “Peter’s expertise in business development and corporate strategy, which spans biopharmaceutical companies of all sizes and stages, will be a tremendous asset for ReAlta as we look to maximize opportunities for our platform.”
“ReAlta has key inflection points in the near future across the Company’s three lead clinical programs in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD), and acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD), as well as a promising and unique platform to generate additional assets with the potential to address huge unmet needs in both acute and chronic inflammatory diseases,” said Dr. Ho. “I look forward to working with Dave and the rest of the ReAlta team to identify opportunities to create value for the company and, most importantly, for patients facing life-threatening diseases.”
Dr. Ho has more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience. Prior to joining ReAlta, he was Head of Cell Therapy Business Development at Ginkgo Bioworks. He has held senior business development roles at a variety of biotechnology companies, including Nektar Therapeutics, BeiGene, Iovance, and Allergan. Dr. Ho has also led negotiations to execute drug discovery collaborations and clinical development partnerships, as well as license agreements. Earlier in his career, he worked in early-stage drug company investments at D.E. Shaw, in finance as an equity research analyst covering major pharmaceutical companies, as well as in advertising and communications at Grey Healthcare Group. Dr. Ho has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, a Ph.D. in biology from the University of California, San Diego, and undergraduate degrees in chemistry and biology from the University of California, Irvine.
About ReAlta Life Sciences
ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc. is a clinical mid-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to saving lives by rebalancing the inflammatory response to address life threatening rare and acute inflammatory diseases. The Company’s EPICC peptide platform is based on discoveries related to the human astrovirus, HAstV-1, which causes a non-inflammatory, self-limiting gastroenteritis by inhibiting components of the innate immune system – a trait unique among viruses. By inhibiting activation of the complement cascade and two key neutrophil-driven mechanisms of inflammation and host tissue destruction - myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), ReAlta’s therapeutic peptides leverage these virus-derived dual-targeting mechanisms to modulate both complement and innate inflammatory pathways. The Company’s pipeline is led by RLS-0071, which has received both Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Orphan Drug Designation by the European Medicines Agency, for the treatment of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a devastating disease that causes brain damage in oxygen-deprived newborns and is a leading cause of cerebral palsy; Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation by the FDA for the treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD), a disease associated with bone marrow and stem cell transplants whereby transplanted white blood cells attack the new host in an inflammatory response; and IND clearance by the FDA for the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory lung disease characterized by progressive airflow limitations and tissue destruction that makes it challenging for patients to breathe. The company launched in 2018 and is located in Norfolk, Virginia and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.realtalifesciences.com.
