News and Current Events
iMetabolic Biopharma Announces the Expansion of Its Strategic Partnership with Ligand
December 17, 2020 iMetabolic Biopharma Corporation (Tempe, AZ) announces expansion of its strategic partnership relationship with Ligand Pharmaceuticals, building on an earlier alliance agreement initiated in 2018. In a statement by Bill Harriman, Ph. D., Senior Vice President of Antibody Discovery at Ligand Pharmaceuticals, “The iMetabolic pipeline molecules can be thought of, in essence, as gene therapy implemented purely at the protein level, and represent a strategy that we would be excited to see emerge as a clinically-viable modality.”
Follow the link below to Business Wire press release.
iMetabolic Biopharma Corporation Moves into its Next Phase of Program Development
February 17th, 2020
iMetabolic Biopharma Corporation (iMBP, Tempe AZ) announces that it is moving into the next phase of development. iMBP has completed key phases of research in collaboration with its strategic partner Ligand Pharmaceuticals (San Diego, CA), leveraging Ligand’s OmniAb antibody discovery platform. An early stage preclinical biopharma company, iMBP is focused on rare disease and metabolic/cardiometabolic dyslipidemia diseases related to obesity. In this next phase, iMBP is initiating its biologic manufacturing which sets the company on course to begin toxicology studies in Q2 of this year.
In a statement by Dr. Stephen Munk, iMBP COO, “We are extremely excited that the company has matured to the point so quickly and efficiently. The initiation of manufacturing is a significant step for any early stage program. In combination with our increasing momentum we have the confidence to have toxicology studies now scheduled for Q2.”
Dr. Stephen Munk Joins the iMetabolic Biopharma Leadership Team
August 14th, 2019
It is our great pleasure to announce that Dr. Stephen Munk has joined the iMetabolic Biopharma Corporation (iMBP) leadership team. In addition to his current role as Deputy Director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Dr. Munk has taken on the roles of iMBP Board Director and Interim Chief Operating Officer (COO). With over 25 years of life science, pharmaceutical and executive management experience (including 20 years as the CEO of Ash Stevens Inc.), he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that iMBP is fortunate to gain as a startup company.
Obesity is driving a health crisis worldwide. Munk said that he is truly excited to be a part of a team dedicated to developing novel approaches to manage this growing crisis. iMetabolic brings a unique perspective to treat this unmet medical challenge.
In a statement from Dr. Urban Kiernan, the company CEO and Chairman, “We are excited that Dr. Munk recognizes the value in the work being undertaken at iMBP and is willing to commit time and effort towards the program. We look forward to his contributions in helping mature iMBP and its products so that we can ultimately benefit as many people as possible.”
Dr. Munk holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of California Berkeley and was an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow at Purdue using the tools of molecular biology to study drug:DNA interactions. His work has resulted in a number of publications, patents and a book. He was an adjunct professor at Wayne State University and also serves on a number of boards and steering committees, including AZBio and the Arizona Opera.
iMBP and FCS Foundation Join Forces to Create FCS Awareness
February 28th, 2019
In participation of Rare Disease Day, iMetabolic Biopharma Corporation (iMBP) is pleased to announce that they have partnered with the FCS Foundation to create a strategic awareness campaign focused on Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome (FCS). FCS is a devastating rare disease that prevents sufferers from normally metabolizing dietary fats. Without an approved therapeutic option, iMBP stands hand in hand on the front line with sufferers of this disease to find a solution. However, it all begins with awareness.
Download the full announcement at
https://imbiopharma.com/resources
For more information on the FCS Foundation, please visit https://www.livingwithfcs.org/.
André Harrell Joins the iMBP Corporation Advisory Board
February 7th, 2019
The management team of iMetabolic Biopharma Corporation (Tempe, AZ) is pleased to welcome Mr. André Harrell as it its newest member to the team. With a career spanning over three decades in commercial leadership roles, Mr. Harrell currently is President and CEO at AH2 & Beyond Consulting; specializing in global commercial strategies and corporate development. André’s worked with fortune 100 companies with experiences that have spanned both domestic and international in key executive leadership roles that include: Global Brand Product Marketing, Business Development, Mergers & Acquisitions, Pricing Margin Management, and Global Commercial Operations.
Mr. Harrell will be joining Dr. Martin Emanuele (Visgenx) on the Business Advisory Board and will undoubtedly become a great contributor to the company.
Medical College of Wisconsin Researcher Joins the iMBP Corporation Advisory Board
November 28th, 2018
The management team of iMetabolic Biopharma Corporation (Tempe, AZ) is pleased to welcome Dr. Kirkwood A. Pritchard Jr. as it its newest member to the team. With a career spanning over 35 years, Dr. Pritchard is a Professor of Surgery with Tenure at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI). His current area of interest is in cardiovascular disease and stroke; which is strongly supported by his background in lipid metabolism and dyslipidemia. Dr. Pritchard received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and has since amassed a large number of notable achievements including over 125 peer reviewed publications and several million dollars in NIH grant awards.
Dr. Pritchard will be joining a notable team on the company’s Scientific Advisory Board. Other members include Drs. Gerald I. Shulman (Yale School of Medicine/HHMI), Randall W. Nelson (ASU/retired), Christopher Larson (Sanford Burnham Presbys Medical Discovery Institute), Martin Emanuele (LifeRaft, Inc) and Michael Briggs (Woodland Pharmaceuticals, LLC).
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Announces Partnership with iMBP Corporation
November 21, 2018
Ligand Pharmaceuticals (San Diego, CA; NASDAQ: LGND) announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with iMetabolic Biopharma Corporation (iMBP), an early stage startup company based in Tempe, AZ developing novel precision medicine therapeutics for the treatment of obesity related diseases. Specific financial information of the agreement were not disclosed, but did include Ligand taking an equity position within the startup company.
In a statement from iMBP Founder & CEO Dr. Urban A. Kiernan, "We are fortunate to have identified a partner in Ligand Pharmaceuticals at such an early stage of our evolution. This is a very exciting time for our company, team and shareholders."
Follow the link below to Business Wire press release.