Seasoned biopharma executive with 25+ years of drug development and biotech leadership joins to advance CXR101 toward first-in-human trials and accelerate Corrixr’s next stage of growth
NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#CRISPR--Corrixr Therapeutics, a pre-clinical genetic medicine company targeting lung, head & neck, and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, today announced the appointment of Hilary M. Malone, Ph.D. as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Malone brings more than 25 years of executive leadership experience across both multinational pharmaceutical companies and venture-backed biotech startups, combining deep expertise in science, regulatory strategy, clinical development, and patient/market access across the full drug development lifecycle. She is joining Corrixr at a pivotal moment as the company advances its lead program, CXR101, toward IND filing and first-in-human proof-of-mechanism trials.
Dr. Malone succeeds Eric B. Kmiec, Ph.D., Founder of Corrixr and Executive Director of ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute, who will continue to serve in his capacity as Chief Scientific Officer and will remain actively engaged in the company’s scientific direction.
“I'm excited to join Corrixr at this important juncture, to lead the company and drive this ground-breaking science forward into clinical development. Corrixr has built a rigorous preclinical foundation, a differentiated mechanism, and a clear path to the clinic,” Dr. Malone said. “We now have a tremendous opportunity to bring a potentially transformative treatment to thousands of patients suffering from head & neck, lung and esophageal squamous cell cancers - indications where patients and physicians have been waiting a long time for something truly effective. I’m looking forward to working with this great team to advance CXR101 into first-in-human trials and building Corrixr into the defining company in eliminating squamous cell cancers,” Dr. Malone added.
“Hilary’s appointment marks a critical step in our shared mission to bring a fundamentally new approach to patients with squamous cell cancers. Corrixr has built a compelling body of scientific evidence, and we believe Hilary has precisely the experience and vision to translate that science into the clinic and beyond. ChristianaCare is proud to be Corrixr’s founding institutional investor and partner, and we look forward to supporting the next chapter of this work,” said Janice E. Nevin, M.D. MPH, Chair of the Corrixr Board and President & CEO of ChristianaCare.
Corrixr is developing CXR101 to eliminate NRF2, a transcription factor constitutively hyperactive in squamous cell cancers, directly at its genetic source. Unlike small-molecule approaches that attempt to inhibit NRF2 protein activity, CXR101 acts upstream, disrupting the mechanism that sustains squamous cell tumor survival without the toxicity associated with systemic exposure. Using CRISPR-directed gene editing delivered locally via ionizable lipid nanoparticles, the approach collapses tumor survival, proliferation, immune evasion, and metabolic reprogramming in a single intervention.
About Hilary M. Malone, Ph.D.
Dr. Malone is a seasoned biotech CEO and drug development executive with a 25+ year career spanning global regulatory affairs, clinical and CMC development, and early-stage company leadership across small molecules, biologics, vaccines, and cell and gene therapies.
Most recently, she served as CEO of Stylus Medicine and, prior to that, as CEO of Certego Therapeutics. Her earlier career includes senior executive roles in major pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi, where she served as Chief Regulatory Officer and Head of Global Regulatory Affairs; Reata Pharmaceuticals; Pfizer/Wyeth; AstraZeneca; and GSK. Dr. Malone also served as Chief Operating Officer, Therapeutics, at Valo Health.
Dr. Malone currently serves on the board of Hansa Biopharma and holds a Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology.
For more information, visit corrixr.com.
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