Histogen Hires Alfred P. Spada Ph.D. as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer
January 03 2023 - 4:05PM
Histogen Inc. (NASDAQ: HSTO), a clinical-stage therapeutics company
focused on developing its pan-caspase and caspase selective
inhibitors as treatments for infectious and inflammatory diseases
and has a pipeline of restorative therapeutics for orthopedic
indications, today announced the appointment of Alfred P. Spada
Ph.D. as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer.
“We are very excited about Dr. Spada joining our management
team. Dr. Spada is a world expert in both the biology of
apoptosis and the chemistry of designing potent caspase
inhibitors,” said Steven J. Mento Ph.D., Executive Chairman and
Interim President and Chief Executive Officer. “He is an excellent
fit for Histogen’s new direction which is focused on the
development of our caspase inhibitors as innovative treatments for
infectious and inflammatory diseases. His hiring is particularly
timely as we move forward with our planning for the clinical trial
of emricasan as a treatment for bacterial skin infections.”
Alfred P. Spada, Ph. D. is a seasoned veteran of pharmaceutical
discovery and development with over 35 years of combined experience
in large Pharma and Biotech. Dr. Spada most recently served as
President and CEO of Aya Biosciences focused on the discovery and
development of novel therapies for the treatment of severe
neuropsychiatric disorders where he identified the company’s orally
active clinical candidate and completed necessary IND-enabling
studies to position the asset for clinical evaluation. Prior to
joining Aya Biosciences, Dr. Spada was co-founder , EVP of R&D
and CSO of Conatus Pharmaceuticals until its merger with Histogen
in May 2020. At Conatus, Dr. Spada was responsible for the
management of all preclinical and safety activities and assisted in
the generation of IND packages and presentations to support the
company’s clinical assets. Prior to Conatus, Dr. Spada was the VP
of Preclinical and Pharmaceutical Development at Idun
Pharmaceuticals until its acquisition by Pfizer in 2005 and prior
to Idun, the Director of Chemistry in the United States for
Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Aventis Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Spada received
his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from MIT and conducted post-doctoral
studies at Yale. Dr. Spada holds a BS in chemistry from Worcester
Polytechnic Institute.
“Histogen’s focus on developing potential first-in-class
pan-caspase and caspase selective inhibitors focused on treatments
for infectious and inflammatory diseases is perfectly aligned with
my scientific and industry expertise,” said Dr. Spada. “I am
excited to join the Histogen team at this pivotal time and look
forward to working with them to advance the company’s caspase
pipeline through clinical development.”
About Histogen
Histogen Inc. is a clinical-stage therapeutics
company focused on developing potential first-in-class clinical and
preclinical small molecule pan-caspase and caspase selective
inhibitors focused on treatments for infectious and inflammatory
diseases and has a pipeline of restorative therapeutics that ignite
the body’s natural process to repair and maintain healthy
biological function. Under our small molecule pipeline, our product
candidates include emricasan, CTS-2090 and CTS-2096. Currently, we
are evaluating the use of emricasan for bacterial skin infections
including those related to MRSA, as well as other infectious
diseases. We also have preclinical product candidates, CTS-2090 and
CTS-2096, novel, potent, orally bioavailable, and highly selective
small molecule inhibitors of caspase-1 designed for the treatment
of certain inflammatory diseases. In addition, within our biologics
technology platform, our product candidates include HST-003, a
potential treatment for joint cartilage repair, and HST-004, a
potential treatment for spinal disc repair. For more information,
please visit www.histogen.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other
Federal securities laws. For example, we are using forward-looking
statements when we discuss our future operations and our ability to
successfully initiate, enroll and complete clinical trials, obtain
clinical trial data, and achieve regulatory milestones and related
timing, including those related to the timing of providing clinical
development guidance on the development of emricasan and any
further evaluation of CTS-2090 and CTS-2096. We may not actually
achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the
expectations or projections disclosed in the forward-looking
statements and you should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements. Because such statements deal with
future events and are based on our current expectations, they are
subject to various risks and uncertainties and actual results,
performance or achievements of Histogen that could differ
materially from those described in or implied by the statements in
this press release, including: our ability to obtain funding for
our operations, including funding necessary to complete further
development and any commercialization of our product candidates;
including its ability to carry out the development of emricasan and
the potential for delays in the timing of regulatory approval and
the requirement for additional capital to continue to advance these
product candidates, which may not be available on favorable terms
or at all; our expectations regarding the operation of our product
candidates and related benefits; our beliefs regarding the success,
cost and timing of our product candidate development and current
and future clinical trials and studies; our beliefs regarding
the potential markets for our product candidates; any
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, or responses to the pandemic, on
our business, clinical trials or personnel; our beliefs
regarding our industry; our ability to attract and
retain key personnel; regulatory developments in the United States
and foreign countries, with respect to our product candidates; the
impact of any litigation proceedings on our business and market and
other conditions. The foregoing review of important factors that
could cause actual events to differ from expectations should not be
construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with
statements that are included herein and elsewhere, including those
risks discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Except as otherwise required by law, Histogen disclaims
any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, whether as a
result of new information, future events, or circumstances or
otherwise.
CONTACT:
Susan A. KnudsonExecutive Vice President &
CFO Histogen Inc. ir@histogen.com
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