Commit Biologics appoints Mikkel Wandahl Pedersen as Chief Scientific Officer

Highly experienced leader with demonstrated track record of antibody-based drug discovery and pipeline advancement
Strengthens Commit’s leadership team after emerging from stealth with €16m seed financing
Dr Pedersen will spearhead research and development of Commit’s BiCE^TMtechnology as the Company moves towards drug candidate (DC) nomination

AARHUS, Denmark, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Commit Biologics (“Commit”), a pioneer in the activation of the complement system to treat cancer and autoimmune disease, today announces the appointment of Mikkel Wandahl Pedersen as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).

Dr Pedersen is a seasoned R&D executive and scientific leader with over two decades of experience in immuno-oncology and autoimmune disease drug discovery and development. Most recently, he served as the CSO of Oslo-based Nykode Therapeutics, where he successfully created and executed a new research strategy, scaled the research organization to support an expanding pipeline, and spearheaded key collaborations with external pharmaceutical partners.

Prior to Nykode, Dr Pedersen served as CSO of Symphogen (Ballerup, Denmark), where he held broad R&D responsibilities for the antibody discovery platform, lead discovery, pre-clinical as well as translational pharmacology, and advanced a number of products through IND studies and into the clinic. Following the acquisition of Symphogen by Servier, he played a critical role in the integration of the R&D team.

Krishna Polu, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Commit Biologics, said: “Commit will greatly benefit from Mikkel’s exceptional leadership and deep scientific expertise. His years of experience in antibody-based drug discovery and his proven track record of building highly productive R&D teams will be invaluable as we move towards drug candidate (DC) nomination.”

Mikkel Wandahl Pedersen, PhD, newly appointed Chief Scientific Officer of Commit Biologics, said: “Commit’s BiCE-based approach, harnessing the power of the complement system, has huge potential for tackling serious diseases, including cancer and autoimmune diseases. We have the opportunity to create a unique approach to developing meaningful therapies for patients, which is one of the main reasons I have joined this exciting company. I’m looking forward to leveraging my experience to build an exciting pipeline together with the existing team.”

Founder and Board Member Nick Laursen, Ph.D, previously serving as CSO, will take on the role of Head of Discovery. “Mikkel’s deep drug development experience and talent as a strong R&D leader will help propel the Company forward,” said Dr Laursen. “His appointment as the CSO puts us in an excellent position to realize the full potential of our BiCE platform and advance highly effective new therapies to treat life-threatening diseases.”

Commit Biologics is advancing development of its Bispecific Complement Engaging (BiCE™) technology, which is designed to potently activate the complement system to induce highly selective killing of tumor cells or cells implicated in autoimmune disease. BiCE uses single domain antibodies that bind to the complement protein C1q, consequently directing the complement system in a highly targeted way against cells of interest.

Dr Pedersen has extensive experience in antibody-based drug discovery and development, having contributed to the development of numerous oncology antibody programs all the way from ideation, including eight clinical-stage programs. He has also been involved in the development of several vaccine programs, including COVID-19 vaccines, an HPV16 cancer vaccine and a personalized cancer vaccine. Furthermore, he has been instrumental in multiple pre-clinical and discovery programs in oncology, autoimmune and infectious diseases. He holds a PhD in cancer biology from the University of Copenhagen and is a co-author of over 40 peer-reviewed publications.

About Commit Biologics

Commit Biologics (Commit) is a pioneer in activating the complement system to kill specific target cells, with applications in cancers and autoimmune diseases. Spun out of Aarhus University, and building on more than three decades of research, Commit’s Bispecific Complement Engaging (BiCE™) platform can supercharge a conventional monoclonal antibody to activate the complement system more effectively. This is achieved by combining single domain antibodies that engage C1q, the starting point for the complement activation cascade, with an antibody that binds to a cellular target. The modular approach of the BiCE™ technology can be used to develop therapeutics across multiple tumor-associated antigens and immune cell targets. Complement is a largely untapped aspect of the body’s natural immune system that leverages both the direct cytolytic activity of complement along with its ability to bridge recruitment and activation of both innate and adaptive immune cells – a new approach to killing cells which can be used in combination or on a standalone basis. Commit is backed by major investors including Bioqube Ventures and Novo Holdings.

About the complement system

The complement system is part of the body’s immune system that has previously been largely untapped therapeutically. The activation of the classical complement pathway, which has a role in health for pathogen defense, begins with the engagement of C1q to antibodies that coat the cell surface and ends with the activation of a cytolytic complement complex directly leading to cell lysis. However, current monoclonal antibodies developed for therapeutic purposes have structural restraints that hinder effective engagement to C1q, thus limiting complement mediated cytotoxicity and other complement mediated effector functions. This, plus the presence of natural cell bound complement inhibitors that are upregulated in cancer, and low target densities, make conventional therapeutic antibodies poor complement activators. Commit’s BiCE™ technology was developed to overcome these barriers, to harness the power of the complement system and direct it towards tumor and immune cells for therapeutic applications. Unleashing this power in a highly targeted way with Commit’s technology potentially allows for a broad therapeutic index and the development of highly effective treatments.

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