Cartherics has announced a significant leadership transition, appointing biotechnology executive and company co-founder Dr Ian Nisbet as Chief Executive Officer as the Melbourne-based cell therapy developer prepares for its next phase of growth.
The company said the change, effective immediately, marks a strategic shift as it advances its off-the-shelf immune cell therapies for high-impact women’s diseases, including ovarian cancer and endometriosis.
As part of the transition, stem cell scientist Professor Alan Trounson AO will move into the role of Deputy Chair of the Board. Professor Trounson has led the company through its founding and early expansion, establishing its position as an innovator in allogeneic, iPSC-derived immunotherapies.
Dr Nisbet brings more than 40 years of experience across Australian and US biotechnology, including product development, business development and executive leadership roles. He previously served for 6 years as Cartherics’ Chief Operating Officer and has held CEO positions at Meditech Research and Xenome, as well as senior roles at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, CSL, and ChemGenex. He also led the development teams behind two FDA-approved oncology medicines, VELCADE and SYNRIBO.
Reflecting on his appointment, Dr Nisbet said he was honoured to step into the CEO role at a defining moment for the company.
“I feel privileged to take over the role of Cartherics CEO from Alan Trounson, who has provided visionary leadership to the company through its founding and early growth. I look forward to working with the Cartherics team to take it to the next level as a clinical-stage development company.”
Professor Trounson said the transition positions Cartherics to accelerate its development programs while retaining continuity of leadership. “I support the transition of Ian Nisbet to CEO, he is an extremely competent executive with sound experience in the delivery of the business of Cartherics. This change will allow me to develop a new interest and help guide Cartherics’ growth and success from the Board.”
Bryan Williams said the leadership move comes as the company focuses on manufacturing its next-generation CAR-iNK cells for human trials.
“This is an important strategic move by Cartherics, where we will transition to new leadership under CEO Ian Nisbet as we focus on manufacturing our unique CAR-iNK cells in preparation for clinical trials. At the same time, we will benefit from the broad experience and extensive international reputation of Alan Trounson in his new role on the Cartherics Board.”
Cartherics’ lead program, CTH-401, is a CAR-iNK cell therapy engineered from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from donated cord blood. The company is developing a broad pipeline of off-the-shelf immune cell therapies targeting ovarian cancer, triple negative breast cancer, solid tumours, severe endometriosis and neurological diseases.