36 Communique

Cue Biopharma has appointed Shao-Lee Lin as CEO, President and Director. Lin will succeed Lucinda Warren, Interim President and CEO. Lin brings more than 25 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience to the role. Prior to joining Cue, she was Founder and CEO of Acelyrin, a biotechnology company.

More recently, Lin has continued to create and advise innovative ventures, further expanding her track record of building and scaling biotechnology platforms. Earlier in her career, Lin served as Chief Scientific Officer and Head of R&D at Horizon Therapeutics, and held leadership roles at AbbVie, Gilead Sciences and Amgen.

Pasha Sarraf, chairman of the board at Cue Biopharma, said: “Shao-Lee [has an] exceptional track record progressing breakthrough therapies from concept to clinic.”

AbbVie has appointed Kelly Sanderson Schrems as Vice President and General Manager, UK. Sanderson Schrems succeeds Steve Hopkinson, who has been appointed Vice President of US Dermatology, after two years in the UK Vice President and General Manager role. Sanderson Schrems brings 13 years of experience at AbbVie across commercial, operational and strategic leadership roles in the US and Europe. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Commercial Operations for AbbVie’s Oncology franchise. She has previous experience in the UK market, having spent a year in AbbVie UK’s Oncology franchise. Prior to joining AbbVie, Sanderson Schrems was a management consultant at McKinsey.

CNX Therapeutics has appointed David Flint as Chief Corporate Development Officer (CCDO). Flint is an experienced M&A and corporate development executive with a strong track record of originating and executing complex transactions across the industry, most recently at UCB and Solvay. He brings broad international experience spanning EMEA, the Americas and Asia. In his new role, Flint will lead the company’s corporate development function, driving the identification and execution of strategic partnerships, licensing agreements and acquisitions that accelerate the company’s pan-European expansion. Flint joins CNX at a pivotal moment in the company’s European growth journey, bringing a distinguished track record in strategic development.

GC Therapeutics has appointed Stefan Irion as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Irion brings more than two decades of experience translating stem cell science into clinical stage therapeutics. In his role at GCTx, Irion will lead and direct the company’s research strategy as it advances its differentiated cell therapy pipeline towards the clinic. Irion joins GCTx from BlueRock Therapeutics (a wholly owned, independently operated subsidiary of Bayer), where he served as Chief Scientific Officer and a member of the Executive Committee. At BlueRock, he built and led a research organisation of approximately 60 scientists developing cell & gene therapies across multiple therapeutic areas. His appointment follows the recent addition of Kate Haviland as Board Chair.

AstronauTx has appointed Michelle Mellion as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). In her new role, Mellion will lead the clinical strategy and development activities. Mellion is a seasoned neurologist and clinical development leader, bringing more than two decades of experience across academia and the biotechnology industry. She has a strong track record of advancing innovative therapies for neurological and rare diseases, including neuromuscular disorders. Most recently, Mellion was CMO at PepGen and EveryONE Medicines, where she led clinical development efforts for oligonucleotide therapeutics and individualised medicines for ultra-rare conditions. Earlier in her career, she held positions at Biogen, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Fulcrum Therapeutics.