Acelot, a biotechnology company developing small molecule therapies for challenging targets in diseases with limited treatment options, today announced the appointment of Mark Forman, M.D., Ph.D. as Chief Development Officer and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Forman will oversee the company’s clinical and development strategy as Acelot advances its pipeline of novel therapies targeting neurodegenerative diseases.
“Mark joins Acelot at a pivotal time as we look to expand our capabilities, accelerate development of our pipeline, and position the organization for its next phase,” said Katie Planey, Ph.D., M.B.A., Chief Executive Officer of Acelot. “His deep expertise in translational neuroscience and proven track record of advancing programs from preclinical research into clinical development make him ideally suited for this dual role as we execute our strategy at this critical inflection point for Acelot as we advance our TDP-43 program for sporadic ALS.”
Dr. Forman most recently served as Chief Medical Officer at Ventyx Biosciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, recently acquired by Eli Lilly, where he managed R&D programs targeting inflammatory disorders including diseases affecting the central nervous system. Prior to that, Dr. Forman was Chief Medical Officer at Passage Bio, where he oversaw the company’s research and development portfolio and played a key role in advancing the company’s gene therapy for frontotemporal dementia (FTD) into clinical studies. Earlier in his career, he held positions at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, Acadia Pharmaceuticals, and Merck. He received an M.D. from Duke University, a Ph.D. in immunology from Rockefeller University, and a B.S. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University.
“Neurological disorders such as ALS remain among the greatest unmet medical challenges of our time, with patients still facing limited treatment options despite decades of research,” said Dr. Forman. “Acelot’s rigorous science and differentiated approach to challenging targets such as TDP-43 have the potential to meaningfully advance the field, and I look forward to working alongside the team to help realize that potential for patients.”
About Acelot
Acelot is a clinical-stage company dedicated to developing therapies for diseases with limited treatment options by pursuing structurally challenging targets. The company leverages its proprietary RESOLUTE computational platform together with rigorous biology and mechanistic validation to identify and advance novel small molecule therapeutics. The company is headquartered in South San Francisco. To learn more about Acelot, please visit www.acelot.com.
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