Kiadis: Robert Friesen
The clinical stage biopharmaceutical company appointed Robert Friesen as chief scientific officer, effective February 2019. In this role, he will lead the company’s science, discovery, and pre-clinical development activities, which is concerned with building Kiadis’ scientific platform and identifying programs for potential in-license.
Friesen joins Kiadis from Ablynx, where he also served as CSO until it was acquired by Sanofi. At Ablynx, Friesen oversaw a team of more than 300 people and was responsible for more than 40 development-stage product candidates across a wide range of diseases. Previously, he also served as SVP of ProQR Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company, heading the science and early development division. He also worked at Janssen and the Crucell Vaccine Institute, both subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson.
In his role as CSO, Friesen will report to Arthur Lahr, CEO of Kiadis, who commented on Friesen’s appointment, “I am delighted to welcome Robert to Kiadis. His outstanding scientific track record and experience in innovative drug development will add further depth and breadth to Kiadis as we progress the development of ATIR101 through Phase III clinical trials.”
Additionally, Friesen stated in regard to his new appointment, “I am very pleased to join Kiadis Pharma at this exciting stage as the company approaches the potential approval of its lead product candidate, ATIR101, in the EU. I look forward to working with this dynamic and talented team to build and maximize the potential of our pipeline.”
