Blood technologies company Entegrion has shuffled its management team as it prepares for clinical trials on its spray-dried human plasma while also advancing its R&D efforts in other programs.
The Research Triangle Park-based company licensed the spray-dried plasma product candidate Resusix to Italian firm Kedrion Melville in March. While Kedrion gained exclusive worldwide commercialization rights to Resusix, Entegrion is collaborating on its clinical development.
Resusix development becomes the primary responsibility of Michael Galiger, formerly Entegrion’s vice president for product development and now the company’s vice president of operations.
In other changes, Richard Martin, who was Entegrion’s CFO, is taking on broader responsibilities as executive vice president and he will oversee the company’s day-to-day operations. Former CEO Stan Eskridge left the firm more than two years ago. While the company never replaced him as CEO, John Mowell, who has been chairman of Entegrion’s board of directors since 2007, added the duties of executive director in 2011. Martin reports to Mowell.
Susan Reyer, Entegrion’s controller for the past five years, is now vice president, CFO. Joseph DaCorta and Arthur Bode continue in their respective positions as chief technology officer and chief science officer.
Entegrion has successfully commercialized one product so far. Stasilon is a bandage whose proprietary weave promotes clotting. Stasilon was licensed to wound care firm Beeken Biomedical in 2011.
Resusix is spray-dried human plasma that Entegrion developed as a shelf-stable alternative to fresh-frozen plasma, which must be stored frozen and then thawed before it can be used – difficult for emergencies, such as combat situations. Resusix is derived from human plasma. But in its dried state, it becomes easy to store and easy to transport. The dried plasma is prepared for use by combining it with a reconstitution fluid.
Resusix’s development started with support from The Office of Naval Research, which was interested in the technology’s potential to treat combat injuries. The technology’s development is also supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, which has awarded Entegrion more than $50 million over the past three years to support the company’s R&D of resuscitation and coagulation technologies that have health care applications in the military.
In addition to the management changes, Entegrion announced the formation of a clinical advisory board that includes two doctors with military experience. Dr. Peter Rhee, chief of trauma, critical care, burns and emergency surgery, University of Arizona and Dr. Philip Spinella, director, pediatric critical care translational research program, Washington University, both served in Iraq and have experience in transfusion and trauma medicine.
“Their guidance will be invaluable as our biologic and medical device technologies move into advanced development,” Mowell said in a statement.
