Mission Therapeutics strengthens clinical development team

Mission Therapeutics, a drug discovery and development company focused on selectively targeting deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) to treat mitochondrial diseases, fibrosis, neurodegenerative and other diseases, has appointed Dr Judit Molnar, to Senior Director of Translational Medicine with immediate effect.

Dr Molnar has more than 10 years of experience in translational science and early drug development of which 9 years were spent working in the pharmaceutical industry. She has led small molecule drug development programmes across a variety of therapeutic areas including inflammation and fibrotic disorders, which have resulted in lead candidates being progressed from the preclinical stage into the clinic up to Phase II.

Dr Paul Thompson, VP of Clinical Development at Mission said: “We are pleased to welcome Judit to Mission’s clinical leadership team. Judit’s in-depth clinical knowledge and proven drug development track record will further strengthen our team as we work to translate scientific advances in the DUB field into transformative therapeutics for mitochondrial diseases and fibrosis.”

“She joins Mission at an opportune moment as we have just selected a lead candidate inhibitor for our USP30 programme in mitochondrial diseases and fibrosis. Her expertise and insights will prove invaluable as we progress this programme towards clinical studies during 2019.”

Dr Molnar, Senior Director, Translational Medicine, Mission Therapeutics, said: “Mission’s unique science, chemistry and DUB platform, applicable across numerous therapeutic areas with high unmet need, is highly impressive. I am looking forward to working alongside the experienced and dedicated leadership team to advance its ambitious USP30 and other programmes through preclinical and into clinical development.”

Dr Molnar joins Mission from GlaxoSmithKline where she was Preclinical Biology Lead in Epigenetics in immuno-inflammation before being promoted to Director of Translational Medicine in 2016.

Prior to this she worked from 2008 at Pfizer as a Drug Discovery Scientist and Daphne Jackson Research Fellow. Previously, she was a Research Fellow at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, US. Molnar obtained a PhD in Physiology from Cornell University, New York, USA and completed her medical degree at the Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.

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