BURLINGTON, MA - January 9, 2025 -- Lifordi Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a biotech company developing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, today announced the appointment of Matthew W. McClure, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. McClure’s distinguished track record in designing and directing successful early-to-late-stage clinical trials, which include several marketed products, further demonstrates Lifordi’s commitment to developing novel ADC-based therapeutics to address the high unmet needs of patients with autoimmune diseases.
"Matt is a great addition to our team and his joining Lifordi is timely given our plans to advance LFD-200, the first of our targeted ADCs in development for the treatment of a major autoimmune disease, into the clinic in mid-year 2025,” said Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer. “His broad experience designing and managing global clinical trials, strong relationships with clinical research organizations and trial sites, and his ability to collaborate with key opinion leaders on our clinical advisory board, will help generate the data we need to demonstrate the potential of LFD-200 as well as our targeted delivery platform."
Dr. McClure brings extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in all phases of clinical development and global operations across a broad range of therapeutic areas spanning from orphan diseases to highly prevalent diseases. Following his medical training at Duke University, he worked at biotechnology companies in roles of increasing responsibility, including as Chief Medical Officer at several companies. Prior to joining Lifordi, Dr. McClure was CMO of Aligos Therapeutics where he was responsible for development team functions including Clinical and Clinical Operations and he designed and oversaw six first-in-human clinical trials as well as Phase 2 studies. Before Aligos, Dr. McClure was CMO of Second Genome where he directed Clinical, Operations, Regulatory, as well as Toxicology and Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) functions. Earlier in his career, he was responsible for the design, execution, and interpretation of numerous clinical studies at Alios BioPharma (acquired by Johnson & Johnson), Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and InterMune, Inc. (acquired by Roche).
"I was drawn to Lifordi and the opportunity to break new ground for ADCs, which have proven to be successful as targeted cancer therapies and appear to have significant potential in treating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases,” said Dr. McClure. “This is an exciting time for me to lead the transition of LFD-200 into a Phase 1 trial this year. The preclinical data showed the ability of LFD-200 to deliver a steroid in a targeted manner to immune cells while avoiding the toxicities that have prevented the broader use of these highly efficacious drugs. I look forward to working with the team, Board of Directors, and our Clinical Advisors to bring LFD-200 to patients with autoimmune diseases as quickly as possible.”
Lifordi Immunotherapeutics, Inc. is leading the way in leveraging the success of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) to develop treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. The Company’s lead ADC, LFD-200, has demonstrated efficacy in multiple preclinical disease models by targeting myeloid and lymphoid cells using a highly internalized cell surface membrane protein (VISTA). As experienced drug developers in immunology and inflammatory diseases, together with expert clinical advisors, a strong partnering track record, and funding from ARCH Venture Partners, 5AM Ventures, and Atlas Venture to support initial clinical data, Lifordi is committed to changing how immune and inflammatory diseases are treated. For more information, please visit www.lifordi.com.
