Clade Therapeutics Announces the Appointment of Derek Hei, Ph.D., as Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Hei has spent over two decades leading manufacturing teams at biotechnology companies and has deep expertise in the cell therapy space

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Clade Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and delivering scalable, off-the-shelf, next-generation stem cell-based medicines, today announced the appointment of Derek Hei, Ph.D., as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

“Derek’s extensive experience establishing manufacturing operations for stem cell-based medicines makes him an ideal fit to lead these efforts at Clade,” said Chad Cowan, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Clade Therapeutics. “Given his impressive track record of building high-performing teams, we view his addition to our C-suite as a major step toward our goal of fully unlocking the potential of cell therapies by developing medicines with unprecedented scalability and standardization. We are thrilled to have him on board and are eager to begin benefitting from his unique skill set and deep expertise.”

Dr. Hei added, “The opportunity to join Clade is truly exciting, as the Company’s cloaked stem cell platform positions it to lead a paradigm shift that could greatly expand the therapeutic impact of cell medicines. Clade is led by an exceptional team of scientists and bioentrepreneurs with deep experience translating their foundational discoveries into differentiated therapeutic candidates. Our next step is to build out a high-performance manufacturing group who will help us deliver these foundational innovations to patients.”

Dr. Hei joins Clade with deep expertise in the cell therapy space and over two decades of experience leading manufacturing teams at biotechnology companies. He most recently served as Senior Vice President (SVP) of Preclinical and Clinical Manufacturing, Cell and Gene Therapies at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for leading chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) activities for multiple cell and gene therapy programs. Prior to his time at Vertex, Dr. Hei served as SVP of Manufacturing, Quality, and Regulatory at BlueRock Therapeutics as well as BlueRock’s Chief of Manufacturing and Technical Operations. In these roles, Dr. Hei managed the design and construction of a state-of-the art cleanroom facility to support the derivation of gene-edited induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines and the production of current good manufacturing practices (cGMP)-compliant cell therapies for clinical trials. He also previously served as SVP of Clinical Manufacture, Quality, and Regulatory at Cellular Dynamics International, and established and grew Waisman Biomanufacturing’s initial facility as the company’s Director. Dr. Hei earned his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and his Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

About Clade Therapeutics

Clade Therapeutics’ mission is to discover and deliver next generation cell medicines to improve the lives of patients in need. Our platform technology “cloaks” human pluripotent stem cells and their adult derivatives enabling the development of immune compatible cell transplantation therapies. The Company is led by a world-class team of company builders and scientific innovators with an unparalleled expertise in generating stem cell-derived adult T, NK and B cells, and is supported by a premier investor syndicate including: Syncona, LifeSci Venture Partners, Emerson Collective and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Clade promises to become a leading innovator in developing widely accessible cell medicines and is initially focused on harnessing the potential of “cloaked” immune cells for cancer treatment. For further information, please visit the company’s website at https://www.cladetx.com/.

Contact

Ligia Vela Reid
LifeSci Advisors
Tel: +4407413825310
lvela-reid@lifesciadvisors.com