Oryon Cell Therapies Appoints Dr. Burkhard Blank as Chief Medical Officer

Oryon Cell Therapies, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing autologous neuron replacement medicines for Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, has appointed Burkhard Blank, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

“Burkhard is a highly accomplished drug developer whose experience spans the full arc of bringing innovative therapies from concept to approval,” said Ron Cohen, M.D., CEO of Oryon. “During his tenure as CMO at Acorda Therapeutics, I saw his outstanding strategic, operational and leadership abilities across all aspects of clinical development, regulatory affairs and medical support of commercial launches. The Oryon team is delighted that he is now leading the company’s development of our neuronal replacement therapy for people with Parkinson’s disease.”

Experience

Blank boasts decades of experience spanning clinical development, regulatory strategy, medical affairs and pharmaceutical operations across a broad range of therapeutic areas, including neurology. He has led global development programs from early-stage research through regulatory approval, including eight NDA and corresponding MAA submissions, all resulting in market approvals.

Blank most recently served as CMO and Head of R&D at MannKind Corporation, where he led clinical development, regulatory, and biometrics functions. Previously, he was CMO at Acorda Therapeutics, where he oversaw the global Phase 3 program and NDA/MAA approvals of INBRIJA for Parkinson’s disease in the U.S. and Europe. Earlier, he held senior executive positions at Boehringer Ingelheim, including Chief Medical Officer of Boehringer Ingelheim USA.

“I am excited to join Oryon at this important stage in its development,” said Blank. “The company’s autologous neuron replacement approach represents a potentially transformative strategy for treating Parkinson’s disease by addressing its underlying biology. I find the early clinical and imaging data highly encouraging and look forward to working with the team to advance this program for Parkinson’s and potentially future programs to address additional neurodegenerative conditions.”