GC Therapeutics Appoints Stefan Irion Chief Scientific Officer

GC Therapeutics is naming Stefan Irion, PhD, its new Chief Scientific Officer. Irion joins from BlueRock Therapeutics, where he occupied the same post and also served on that company’s executive committee.

At GC, the TFome (Transcription-Factor-ome) induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) programming platform is the company’s contribution to next-generation cell-based medicines. It enables expansion into in-vivo rejuvenation and reprogramming.

Irion’s Experience

Irion brings to GC more than two decades of experience in translating stem cell science into clinical-stage therapeutics. Previously at BlueRock, he built and led a research organization comprised of nearly 60 scientists. This team developed cell and gene therapies across multiple therapeutic areas.

Earlier in Irion’s career, he led discovery efforts at iPierian that resulted in the production of an anti-tau antibody. This, in turn, formed the basis for Bristol Myers Squibb’s $725 million acquisition of iPierian in 2014.

Irion has been a named inventor on several patents in stem cell engineering and cell therapy. He said he has spent his career working to bring cell therapies “from bench to bedside.”

“I’ve seen how much is still possible, and how many patients are still waiting,” Irion said. “TFome opens a new chapter in how we control cell fate and design therapies.”

Irion continued that the platform affords levels of precision, scale, and flexibility that were previously unavailable.

Parastoo Khoshakhlagh, PhD, GC Therapeutics CEO and co-founder, elaborated on Irion’s qualifications.

“Stefan brings deep expertise in developing novel therapeutics, along with exceptional leadership and an innovative perspective,” Khoshakhlagh said. “His strong commitment to patients makes him uniquely suited to help drive GC’s next phase of growth.”

Other GC Moves

This is not the only personnel move GC Therapeutics has made recently. Kate Haviland joined as Board Chair prior to Irion’s appointment. And concurrently, another company co-founder, Alex Ng, PhD, will now assume the role of Chief Innovation Officer.