TÜBINGEN, Germany and BOSTON, Jan. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CureVac AG, a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company pioneering the field of mRNA-based drugs, announced today the appointment of Dimitris Voliotis, M.D., Dr. med., as Chief Development Officer (CDO). In this role, Dr. Voliotis will spearhead the company’s research and development activities from discovery to regulatory filing and serve on the company’s Executive team. This appointment represents a key inflection point for CureVac as the company looks to move more assets – both CureVac owned and collaboration-based – from the lab into the clinic.
“We are excited to welcome Dimitris to CureVac. He is a highly experienced leader with a strong track record in drug development and regulatory approvals, and translating science into effective therapies for patients,” said Dan Menichella, Chief Executive Officer of CureVac. “Led by Dimitris, our clinical development organization will now be structured to better align with our efforts to more rapidly bring forward highly transformative mRNA-based products for patients suffering or at risk for cancer, rare diseases and infectious disease.”
“I am honored and excited to join the CureVac team at this defining moment, both for the company as well as mRNA science and development,” said Dr. Dimitris Voliotis, newly-named Chief Development Officer at CureVac. “Having watched the field of mRNA-based drugs, and CureVac specifically, in recent years, I have been very impressed with the company’s science-based approach, groundbreaking technology, diversified product pipeline and capabilities in manufacturing. I am truly eager to help CureVac continue to advance and transform into a clinical leader in the mRNA field.”
Dr. Voliotis has more than 10 years of experience working in academic and clinical research, and over 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry serving in global development leadership positions spanning preclinical-clinical transition, early development to late development, regulatory submissions and product life cycle management. He has worked both in the U.S. as well as in Europe and was last at Eisai Inc., as Senior Vice President & Head, Global Clinical Development for the company’s global Oncology Business Group. Prior to that, he spent 12 years at Bayer Healthcare in several different senior development roles. Over the course of his career, Dr. Voliotis has been instrumental in the development and approval of multiple cancer therapies. Dr. Voliotis is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology and practiced medicine at Cologne University Hospital following his M.D., Dr. med. programs in 1989.
Dr. Voliotis joins CureVac today, January 28, 2019 and will be based at the company’s Boston, Massachusetts location, while travelling regularly to the Germany-based sites in Tübingen and Frankfurt.
About CureVac AG
CureVac is a leading company in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology with more than 19 years’ expertise in handling and optimizing this versatile molecule for medical purposes. The principle of CureVac's proprietary technology is the use of mRNA as a data carrier to instruct the human body to produce its own proteins capable of fighting a wide range of diseases. The company applies its technologies for the development of cancer therapies, prophylactic vaccines and molecular therapies.
To date, CureVac has received approximately $420 million (€400 million) in equity investments including significant investments from SAP founder Dietmar Hopp’s Dievini and an investment of $52 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. CureVac has also entered into collaborations with multinational corporations and organizations, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly & Co, CRISPR Therapeutics, Arcturus Therapeutics, Acuitas, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
For more information, please visit www.curevac.com or follow us on Twitter at @CureVacAG.
Media Contact
Jenn Gordon, Media Relations
Global Health PR, New York, United States
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Investor Contact
Matthew Beck, Vice President Investor Relations
CureVac AG, Boston, MA, United States
T: +1 917-415-1750
matthew.beck@curevac.com