Ion Channel Drug Developer Maxion Therapeutics Appoints Eva-Lotta Allan as Chair of its Board of Directors

Eva-Lotta Allan’s excellent track record of corporate, business development and operational experience strengthens industry-leading Board and Executive Leadership team
Maxion’s lead KnotBody® programme is progressing rapidly towards preclinical development with a first-in-class and best-in-class potential

CAMBRIDGE, England, Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Maxion Therapeutics (“Maxion”), the biotechnology company developing antibody-based drugs for previously untreatable ion channel- and GPCR-driven diseases, announced the appointment of senior industry leader Eva-Lotta Allan as the Chair of its Board of Directors. The announcement comes at an important moment of growth by the company as it advances its lead programme towards the clinic, following its USD $16 million Series A fundraise earlier this year.

Eva-Lotta brings significant Board Chair and Non-Executive Director (NED) experience from life science companies and 30 years of corporate, business development and operational expertise combined with a wealth of partnership experience from the biotech industry. As Immunocore’s Chief Business Officer (CBO), Eva-Lotta achieved USD $320 million Series A fundraising and established significant partnerships with top pharmaceutical companies over five years. Prior to that, she was CBO at Ablynx for seven years, participating in taking the company public and completed several strategic partnerships. Eva-Lotta is currently Chair of Draupnir Bio, and is NED at Almirall (where she also chairs the Nomination and Remuneration Committee), Aleta BioTherapeutics, and Crescendo Biologics.

Eva-Lotta Allan, Chair, Board of Directors, Maxion Therapeutics, commented: “I’m delighted to be appointed to Maxion at such an exciting time in its development. The company has established its KnotBody® technology and is now advancing its proprietary lead programme towards preclinical development. I believe that KnotBodies have tremendous potential to address the difficult area of targeting ion channels and GPCRs in disease areas with high unmet medical need, such as autoimmune conditions and chronic pain. I look forward to working with the Board of Directors and the rest of the Maxion team to help improve patients’ lives while creating value for our shareholders.”

Dr John McCafferty, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Maxion Therapeutics, stated: “Eva-Lotta is a highly experienced and respected leader with a hugely impressive track record in business development and corporate leadership. Her guidance and mentorship will be vital in helping the business strike the right balance between maintaining its innovative and pioneering spirit, while developing a robust strategy and frameworks for delivering innovative medicines into the market. I am thrilled that she is joining Maxion.”

Maxion was co-founded by CEO Dr John McCafferty and Chief Scientific Officer Dr Aneesh Karatt Vellatt, who together co-invented the KnotBody platform. Eva-Lotta joins Aneesh and John on the Board alongside Dr Sohaib Mir (Senior Investment Principal at LifeArc Ventures), Dr Tim Funnell (Partner at Monograph Capital), Lucy Edwardes Jones (Investor at BGF), and Non-Executive Director Dr Tom Weaver (CEO, PetMedix).

Maxion is developing novel biologic medicines for ion channels and GPCRs, which are critical cell surface proteins involved in a wide range of untreated or poorly-treated diseases, including autoimmune conditions and chronic pain. Maxion is applying its patented KnotBody technology to generate potent, selective, and long-acting antibody-like drugs. KnotBody technology combines the benefits of naturally occurring mini-proteins, which have ion channel modulating activity, with antibodies, using state-of-the-art phage and mammalian display technologies. The resulting fusion protein, which combines the drug-like benefits of both molecules, helps address key challenges in ion channel and GPCR drug discovery.

About Maxion Therapeutics

Maxion Therapeutics is developing novel biologic medicines for ion channels and GPCRs, which are critical cell surface proteins involved in a wide range of untreated or poorly-treated diseases, including autoimmune conditions and chronic pain. Maxion is applying its patented KnotBody® technology to generate potent, selective, and long-acting antibody-like drugs. KnotBody technology combines the benefits of naturally occurring mini-proteins, which have ion channel modulating activity, with antibodies, using state-of-the-art phage and mammalian display technologies. The resulting fusion protein, which combines the drug-like benefits of both molecules, helps address key challenges in ion channel and GPCR drug discovery.

Based at Unity Campus, near Cambridge, UK, Maxion Therapeutics is driven by an experienced team with an excellent track record. CEO and co-founder Dr John McCafferty (previously co-founder of Cambridge Antibody Technology and IONTAS) and CSO and co-founder Dr Aneesh Karatt Vellatt (also co-founder of IONTAS) co-invented KnotBody technology. Dr McCafferty previously co-invented antibody phage display, which was the subject of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to his co-inventor Sir Gregory Winter. The company is currently developing its KnotBody pipeline, including candidates with significant potential to be first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutics.

For more information, visit www.maxiontherapeutics.com

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