Quell Therapeutics, a developer of T-regulatory (Treg) cell therapies for immune conditions, has appointed Luke Beshar as Independent Chair of its Board of Directors.
He takes over this position from Martin Murphy, Quell's founding Chair.
Luke has more than 35 years of experience in biopharma, as well as strategic development, financial and transactional experience.
He is currently the Chair of Protara Therapeutics, a US immune oncology company and Inotrem, an advanced clinical-stage company developing targeted immunotherapies.
Previously Luke served as Non-executive Director (NED) and Chair of the Audit Committee of Omega Therapeutics, a company pioneering a new class of DNA-sequence-targeting mRNA-encoded therapeutics, a NED and Chair of the Compensation and Audit Committees at immune-oncology company Trillium Therapeutics, Inc., from 2014 until it was acquired by Pfizer in 2021, and NED and Chair of the Audit Committee at gene therapy company REGENXBIO, Inc., from 2015 (pre-IPO) to 2021.
Prior to this, Luke was Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from November 2007 until it was acquired by Shire plc (now part of Takeda) in 2015, and EVP and CFO of Cambrex Corporation, from 2002 to 2007.
CEO of Quell, Iain McGill said: “We are thrilled to welcome Luke to our Board at this important time for Quell, as we advance the LIBERATE Phase 1/2 trial with QEL-001, a potentially transformational therapy for liver transplant patients, and further explore the potential of multi-modular CAR-Treg cell therapy in major immune disorders. Luke’s extensive experience and expertise in the biopharma industry will be crucial as we execute our strategy to build a truly world-class company.”
