Kezar Life Sciences Strengthens Executive Team with the Appointment of Noreen R. Henig, MD as Chief Medical Officer
SAN FRANCISCO, May 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: KZR), a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing novel small molecule therapeutics to treat unmet needs in autoimmunity and cancer, today announced the appointment of Noreen R. Henig, MD as its Chief Medical Officer. As an integral member of the Company’s Executive Leadership team, Dr. Henig will oversee all aspects of the Company’s clinical development, regulatory and medical affairs.
“Noreen brings with her a depth and breadth of expertise in clinical practice, translational science, clinical development, and medical affairs, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the Kezar team,” said John Fowler, Kezar’s Chief Executive Officer. “Her proven leadership skills, deep understanding of immunology and rare diseases, and profound appreciation of the patient voice will make a significant impact, and I look forward to working in partnership with her as we continue to advance our novel therapies for a wide range of autoimmune diseases and cancers.”
Noreen Roth Henig, M.D. is a seasoned leader whose career spans clinical practice, academic medicine, translational science, clinical development, medical and regulatory affairs. She currently serves on the Board of Avidity Biosciences and most recently served as Chief Medical Officer of Breath Therapeutics, which was acquired by Zambon SpA in 2019. As CMO, Dr. Henig built and led the clinical team and was responsible for all development activities including clinical and non-clinical science, clinical operations, regulatory, project management, and medical affairs. Prior to joining Breath, Dr. Henig was Chief Medical Officer at ProQR Therapeutics where she brought two unique RNA oligonucleotides through early clinical trials in rare diseases. Before ProQR, Dr. Henig spent 2008 through 2014 at Gilead Sciences where she held roles with increasing responsibility, including building and leading a global medical affairs organization, strategic development of clinical trials Phase 2-4, regulatory strategy, corporate development, leadership of key alliances and commercial strategy. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Henig spent nearly 10 years in leadership roles within academic medicine at Stanford University and California Pacific Medical Center. She is a board-certified physician in Pulmonary, Critical Care and board eligible in Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Henig received her B.A. from Yale University and her M.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in 1991 with a distinction in immunology. She trained in Internal Medicine at University of California, San Francisco and in Pulmonary/Critical Care and Allergy/Immunology at University of Washington, Seattle.
“I am excited to join Kezar at such an important time in the company’s growth,” said Dr. Henig. “Kezar’s scientific excellence in protein homeostasis via protein degradation and secretion presents tremendous opportunity to create elegant therapies for those living with serious and often debilitating diseases. It will be a joy to work alongside Kezar’s talented and dynamic team to realize our full potential by combining science with innovative approaches to development and patient engagement.”
About Kezar Life Sciences
Based in South San Francisco, Kezar Life Sciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to revolutionizing treatments for patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer. Kezar is translating its innovative research on the immunoproteasome and protein secretion pathways to advance novel therapeutic approaches. KZR-616, a first-in-class selective immunoproteasome inhibitor, is being evaluated in severe and underserved autoimmune diseases. Additionally, Kezar has nominated KZR-261 as its first clinical candidate for the treatment of cancer from its protein secretion program and is undergoing IND-enabling activities for the program. For more information, visit www.kezarlifesciences.com.
CONTACT:
Celia Economides
SVP, Strategy & External Affairs
ceconomides@kezarbio.com
