Helix BioPharma Corp, a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing innovative drug candidates for the prevention and treatment of cancer, has announced that Dr Sven Rohmann, CEO and Chairman of the Company, will be stepping down from his position as Chief Executive Officer of Helix BioPharma Corp, effective 31 March, in order to focus his activities on chairing the board and to act as strategic advisor to the company.
Stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer will be Dr Heman Chao, effective 31 March. Dr Chao has been Chief Scientific Officer of the Company since December 2008, and will remain Chief Scientific Officer, as well as assuming the position of Chief Executive Officer.
Dr Heman Chao is a biochemist with expertise in drug and innovative technologies development. Previously, he was President of Sensium Technologies Inc, a Company subsidiary, between November 2004 and April 2008, when it was amalgamated into the Company. Dr Chao was previously Vice President of Technology and later Vice President of Research for the Company, between June 2002 to 2004. Between 1999 and June 2002, he was Manager of Sensium Technologies Inc. Prior to joining the Company, he was a research fellow in the federally funded Protein Engineering Network of Centres of Excellence coordinating multi-center research. Dr Chao received his PhD in Biochemistry from Queen's University, Canada in 1994.
Furthermore, Mr Steve Demas will become Chief Operating Officer. Previously, Mr Demas was Chief Medical Officer of the Company since April 2016 and Director, Clinical Operations since 2013. Mr Demas has over 25 years' experience in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies including Manager, Clinical Operations at Bayer Canada Inc and Sanofi Synthelabo Canada, and VP Clinical Alliance at Medwell Capital Corp.
In addition, the Company announces that Dr Patrick Frankham, Helix's Chief Operating Officer, has left the Company effective 3 March.
