Simris Group AB (publ) (“Simris” or the “Company”) announces the appointment of Dr. András Strassz as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). The appointment marks the next step in delivering the Company’s recently announced strategy as it builds the clinical expertise to advance its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) programs.
Dr. Strassz brings more than 20 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience across oncology, hematology, and immunology, with expertise in developing ADC programs. He was previously at Heidelberg Pharma as Chief Medical Officer, where he built the clinical development function. In that role, he led clinical strategy for the pipeline, including several INDs and the first successful dose-escalation trial of a novel amanitin-based ADC, HDP-101, a BCMA-targeting drug developed for multiple myeloma. He has also presented publicly on the clinical development of amanitin-based ADCs and the Phase I/II clinical data generated for HDP-101.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Strassz held clinical development positions at Janssen Cilag, Amgen and Sandoz, before moving into specialist oncology biotechnology as Medical Director at Affimed. He holds an MD and an MBA from the University of Pécs, Hungary.
“The appointment of András is an important step in putting the expertise in place to deliver our strategy. His extensive experience in oncology drug development and amanitin-based ADCs will be invaluable as we prepare to advance our programs towards and through clinical development,” said Daniel Kubitza, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Simris Group AB.
Dr. Strassz will oversee clinical development and provide clinical and therapeutic leadership across the Company. He will support program design, regulatory interactions, and preparations for future clinical-stage development. He will work closely with the management and development teams, including recently appointed Dr. Andreas Pahl, to shape clinical plans and guide the progression of the Company’s programs.
“Simris has a differentiated approach to ADC development and is uniquely positioned to build on the growing clinical evidence around amanitin payloads. I believe innovative ADCs offer significant opportunities to improve outcomes for patients with cancer. I am pleased to join the team and look forward to helping shape the development of its programs as they move towards the clinic,” commented Dr. András Strassz, incoming Chief Medical Officer of Simris Group AB.