Blade Therapeutics, Inc. (“Blade”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing cutting-edge treatments for debilitating fibrotic and neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the appointment of Bassem Elmankabadi, M.D., as senior vice president of clinical development. In this role, Dr. Elmankabadi will oversee strategy and execution of Blade’s clinical development programs.

“Dr. Elmankabadi has an extensive track record driving drug development from proof-of-concept through launch across multiple therapeutic areas,” said Wendye Robbins, M.D., president and CEO of Blade. “I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Elmankabadi to the Blade team as we seek to advance our clinical-stage pipeline targeting progressive diseases that remain undertreated.”

Dr. Elmankabadi is a board-certified surgeon with more than 15 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience leading drug development, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory activities supporting investigational and marketed products for rare diseases, immuno-oncology and solid tumors. Prior to joining Blade, he held the position of executive medical director managing clinical development for the fibrosis and oncology platforms at FibroGen (Nasdaq: FGEN). Dr. Elmankabadi previously held a leadership role at Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) as senior medical director, global clinical safety officer. Before his roles with Amgen, he was a medical director, clinical instructor at UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles.

Dr. Elmankabadi received his doctor of medicine and masters’ degrees in ophthalmology from the University of Cairo School of Medicine & Surgery, Cairo. He completed an internship in trauma surgery at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine and general surgery residency at Brooklyn Hospital Center, School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.

“I am excited to join a talented group of scientists and clinicians during this important time at Blade, when the company is rapidly advancing novel science in support of a mission to bring life-changing treatments to patients,” said Dr. Elmankabadi.

About Blade Therapeutics

Blade Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing cutting-edge treatments for debilitating, incurable fibrotic and neurodegenerative diseases that impact millions of people worldwide. The company has deep expertise in novel biological pathways – including autotaxin / LPA and calpain biology – that are foundational to cell- and tissue-damage responses resulting from protein deposition or aggregation associated with fibrotic and neurodegenerative diseases. Blade expects to advance a differentiated pipeline of oral, small-molecule therapies that include a non-competitive autotaxin inhibitor and inhibitors of dimeric calpains designed for potential treatment of lung, liver and cardiac fibrosis or neurodegenerative diseases. The company’s focused approach offers the potential to produce disease-modifying, life-saving therapies. Visit www.blademed.com for more information and follow Blade on LinkedIn.

On November 8, 2021, Biotech Acquisition Company (Nasdaq: BIOT), a special purpose acquisition company affiliated with SPRIM Global Investments, and Blade announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. Click here for more information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211118005283/en/

Blade Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing cutting-edge treatments for debilitating fibrotic and neurodegenerative diseases, appoints Bassem Elmankabadi, M.D., as senior vice president of clinical development.