Simmbion, The Living Medicine Company™, is excited to announce that Greg Merril has been appointed as Executive Director, joining the pioneering team led by Founding CEO
Baltimore, MD – February 27, 2024 – Simmbion, The Living Medicine Company™, is excited to announce that Greg Merril has been appointed as Executive Director, joining the pioneering team led by Founding CEO Derese Getnet, PhD, D(ABMM). Located within the LifeBridge Health business incubator at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, Simmbion is a veteran-owned pre-clinical biotech revolutionizing the treatment of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, through implantable ‘living pharmacies’ based on bioengineered symbiotic cells.
Under the continued leadership of Dr. Getnet, with the support of Greg Merril in his new role, Simmbion is set to enhance its innovative cell therapy platform. This platform is designed for the sustained release of therapeutic proteins and peptides directly into the bloodstream, spleen, and gut lymph nodes, significantly reducing the need for recurrent needle-based administration and seamlessly integrating into patient lifestyles.
Nonadherence to therapy in chronic disease leads to poor outcomes and high cost. It is estimated that the rate of adherence to chronic medications is only in the range of 50%, which is responsible for half of all treatment failures and up to 25% of US hospitalizations each year. Simmbion’s approach marks a potential significant advancement in the management of chronic diseases.
Greg Merril is Managing Partner and Chair of Velocity Biofund and brings to the Simmbion team a wealth of experience as a serial life science entrepreneur. Simmbion is the first portfolio company for Velocity Biofund. Mr. Merril is also Founder and Board Director of Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage ‘living therapy’ biotech that is addressing antibiotic-resistant infectious diseases. Merril’s expertise in the regulatory, manufacturing, and market strategy development for living pharmacies will bolster Simmbion’s mission to transform healthcare.
Dr. Getnet, CEO of Simmbion, stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Greg Merril to our team as Executive Director and to be selected as a Velocity Biofund portfolio company. Greg’s remarkable track record and expertise in the field of living therapies will be invaluable as we continue to advance our cell therapy platform. Greg’s role will be instrumental in supporting our efforts to redefine therapeutic possibilities for chronic disease management and improve patient quality of life.”
Greg Merril expressed his enthusiasm about his new role, “It is an honor to join Simmbion and support Dr. Getnet’s visionary leadership in advancing living medicine as a new platform for sustained drug delivery.
Simmbion has already achieved impressive proof of concept demonstrations with the support of the National Science Foundation. Simmbion holds great promise to reduce healthcare costs and significantly enhance the quality of life for those affected by chronic conditions which currently require therapeutics to be delivered by frequent injections.”
With this strategic addition to its leadership team, Simmbion reaffirms its commitment to ushering in a new era of cost-effective, patient-friendly treatments. The company’s innovative approaches aim to reduce side effects, improve chronic disease management, and prevent severe complications and co-morbidities at a large scale.
About Simmbion:
Simmbion, The Living Medicine Company™, is a veteran-owned company specializing in the development of symbiotic synthetic cells for the treatment of chronic diseases. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, Simmbion is dedicated to revolutionizing healthcare with its innovative therapeutic solutions designed to improve quality of life and reduce healthcare costs. Simmbion has engineered Trypanosomal symbionts to secrete specific therapeutic proteins. The Company’s Simmbions™ are designed to be implanted within a patient via a single injection that provides sustained release of medication for up to one year or more. If necessary, Simmbions can be reversed with antimicrobials - offering unprecedented control over disease management. As a result, the sustained release of biologics and other therapeutic agents, drastically minimizes the need for conventional recurrent needle-based delivery methods and seamlessly integrates with many lifestyles and curtails the complexities of cold-chain logistics. Simmbion has support from the National Science Foundation, Maryland TEDCO, Velocity Biofund, and LifeBridge Health.
About Velocity Biofund:
Velocity Biofund’s mission is to propel the most promising early-stage life science companies towards their next pivotal financial milestones through expert guidance and targeted investments. Velocity Biofund’s Managing Partners are recognized for their accomplishments and expertise in driving growth and innovation within the life sciences. The organization targets engagement in life science firms in the Mid-Atlantic (from greater Philadelphia, PA to Research Triangle, NC) developing therapeutics, devices, diagnostics, and other healthcare-focused technologies.
For further information, please contact:
For Simmbion:
Derese Getnet, PhD, D(ABMM)
For Velocity Biofund:
Greg Merril