Dr Morris will lead Enterprise’s therapeutics development strategy and drive the Company’s two lead respiratory programmes through the clinic
Brighton, UK, 10 February 2020: Enterprise Therapeutics Ltd (Enterprise), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapies to improve the lives of patients suffering with respiratory disease, today announced it has appointed Dr David Morris MD as Chief Medical Officer to lead the Company’s respiratory programmes. These programmes include clinical development for ETD002, a first-in-class TMEM16A potentiator and ETD001, a novel ENaC blocker, therapies aimed at treating all cystic fibrosis patients.
Enterprise Therapeutics is developing novel disease-modifying therapies which target the underlying mechanisms of mucus congestion, to enhance the clearance of mucus from the airways, restore lung function, and ultimately to reduce morbidity and mortality in chronic respiratory diseases including cystic fibrosis (CF).
Dr Morris joins Enterprise from the Novartis Venture Fund, an investor in Enterprise, where he is currently a Managing Director, and where he will maintain an appointment as an Operating Partner. Prior to his career in venture capital David held various leadership roles in the Novartis Pharmaceuticals development organisation, including Development Franchise Head of Respiratory, Development Franchise Head of Primary Care, and Global Head of Clinical Operations, Analytics and Regions, where he was responsible for all aspects of global clinical trials operations, monitoring, and reporting. In addition, David has also held Director level roles in respiratory discovery research and translational medicine at Roche.
Dr Morris received his Bachelors and Medical Degrees with distinction from the University of Rochester. His clinical training in internal medicine and pulmonary and critical care medicine were at Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of California, San Francisco. Before joining industry, he held faculty appointments and led basic and translational research programs at University of California, San Francisco and Yale University School of Medicine.
Dr John Ford, CEO, Enterprise Therapeutics, said: “The knowledge and experience David has gained through his successful career in biopharmaceutical discovery and development, as well as his stellar sector expertise in respiratory biology, will be an invaluable asset as we work to define our strategy to progress our respiratory programmes which will initially focus on CF.”
Dr David Morris, CMO, Enterprise Therapeutics, said: “Enterprise’s programmes show great potential to deliver disease-modifying, clinically effective candidates for a significant number of patients with respiratory diseases, including all CF patients regardless of underlying mutations. I am excited to become more closely involved with the team moving forward, at this exciting point in the Company’s development.”
About Enterprise Therapeutics
Enterprise Therapeutics is discovering and developing new therapies that target the underlying mechanisms of mucus congestion in the lungs, one of the main causes of difficulty in breathing and increased risk of infection in respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis and COPD. Reducing mucus congestion will reduce the frequency of lung infections and improve patient quality of life.
The Company’s novel muco-regulatory therapies target ion channels TMEM16A and ENaC to increase the hydration and clearance of mucus. Enterprise has also identified novel targets and compounds that reduce mucus production, an approach that complements mucus hydration therapies.
The Enterprise Therapeutics management team has significant expertise in drug discovery, drug development, respiratory biology and ion channel pharmacology. In April 2018 the Company closed an oversubscribed Series B funding round co-led by Versant Ventures and Novartis Venture Fund, with Forbion Capital Partners, Epidarex Capital and IP Group. In October 2019 the company received funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to advance TMEM16A through to clinical proof of concept in CF.
About Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
Cystic Fibrosis is the most common lethal genetic disease of Caucasians with more than 75,000 patients worldwide living with the disease. The average life expectancy of a CF patient, although improving, is approximately 40 years.
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