Pulmotect, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing PUL-042, fast-acting pulmonary immune stimulant for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant respiratory infections, today announced that Mark Benedyk, Ph.D., President and CEO of Telephus Medical, was appointed to the Company’s board of directors.
“Mark is a highly respected CEO and long-time business development strategist in both the biotech and pharma sectors,” said Nestor Molfino, M.D., Pulmotect CEO. “His insight and guidance will prove invaluable as we work to commercialize Pulmotect’s therapeutic assets.”
“I am delighted to join the board of Pulmotect,” said Dr. Benedyk. “Nestor’s focus on the treatment of COPD exacerbations and other severe lung infections will bring tremendous benefits to patients who are in dire need of new therapeutic approaches such as PUL-042.”
With more than 20 years of life science industry experience, Dr. Benedyk founded Telephus in 2013. Prior to Telephus, he headed The Pfizer Incubator (TPI) in La Jolla, CA where he held board positions with TPI and its portfolio companies. Before that, he held executive positions in Business Development and Intellectual Property at Ascenta Therapeutics, Optimer Pharmaceuticals (now Merck (NYSE: MRK)), Aurora Biosciences (now Vertex (NASDAQ: VRTX)) and Elan Pharmaceuticals (now Perrigo (NYSE: PRGO)). Dr. Benedyk is on the board of Accel-Rx, Canada’s healthcare innovation accelerator and is an advisor to RARE Science, an organization focused on developing cures for pediatric rare diseases.
Dr. Benedyk received a PhD in Developmental Genetics from The Rockefeller University, where he was a Lucille P. Markey Graduate Fellow. His BS in Microbiology and Botany is from the University of Michigan.
In addition to Benedyk, Pulmotect’s board of directors includes:
- Leo Linbeck, III, CEO of Aquinas Companies, LLC.
- Magnus Hook, Ph.D., director of the Center for Infection and Inflammation – Institute of Biosciences and Technology of Texas A&M
- Atul Varadhachary, M.D., Ph.D., managing director of Fannin Innovation Studio
- Mark Worscheh, executive vice president of Aquinas Companies, LLC.
- Bruce Given, M.D., COO of Arrowhead Research Corporation and CEO of Leonardo Biosystems
About Pulmotect, Inc.
Founded in 2007, Pulmotect is actively developing PUL-042 (a TLR 2, 6 and 9 agonist), a drug a clinical stage, novel, pathogen-agnostic, inhaled compound (TLR 2/6 and 9 agonists) for the prevention and early treatment of acute, severe viral and bacterial respiratory infections in patients with chronic debilitating conditions. PUL-042 has been the subject of two Phase I clinical trials, with a Phase Ib trial scheduled in the second quarter of 2017. Pulmotect’s technology is licensed from The Texas A&M University System and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
