Leuven, Belgium. January 8, 2026. Onco3R Therapeutics, a clinical-stage immunology and oncology biotech company dedicated to transforming patients' lives with best-in-class medicines, today announced the appointment of Lawrence M. Blatt, PhD, MBA as Chair of its Board of Directors.
Dr. Blatt brings substantial expertise in strategic leadership, drug development and operations together with extensive experience, to guide and support Onco3R's portfolio development and its next stage of growth. He has been serving as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors at Aligos Therapeutics, Inc. since February 2018. Prior to co-founding Aligos, Dr. Blatt served as the Global Head of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, a pharmaceutical company. Dr. Blatt co-founded Alios BioPharma and served as its Chief Executive Officer, President and Director from 2009 until its acquisition by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson for $1.75 billion in 2014. Prior to Alios, he served as Chief Scientific Officer at lnterMune. Dr. Blatt previously served on the board of directors of ReViral Ltd. and Alveo Technologies, which he co-founded, and Meissa Vaccines.
"We are delighted to welcome Larry to the board of Onco3R as Chairman" said Pierre Raboisson, PhD, CEO and Founder of Onco3R Therapeutics. "He brings a perfect mixture of strategic acumen, deep scientific insight and commercial expertise that will help us to achieve our ambitious goals."
Dr. Blatt added "I have worked with Pierre and many of the Onco3R team previously and have first-hand experience of their world class drug discovery and development capabilities, so I am delighted at the prospect of leading the board of the company. I look forward to sharing my experiences and helping the company to reach its full potential."
About O3R-5671
O3R-5671 has been designed based on more than 12 years of preclinical and clinical data on SIK inhibitors for autoimmune diseases. O3R-5671 is a highly selective SIK3 inhibitor, which has been designed to avoid the toxicities associated with inhibiting SIK1 and SIK2. Furthermore, O3R-5671 does not inhibit other kinases and has demonstrated a highly attractive profile in an extensive safety panel. Preclinical data demonstrated that O3R-5671 inhibits the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFa and IL-23 and promotes the release of the immunomodulatory cytokine IL-10. These data, along with data from animal models of autoimmune diseases, indicate that O3R-5671 has the potential to treat a variety of autoimmune diseases including ulcerative colitis, Crohn's Disease, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
About the Phase 1 trial of O3R-5671
The first-in-human is evaluating O3R-5671 in healthy volunteers using a single ascending dose (SAD) and multiple ascending dose (MAD) design. In addition to assessing safety and pharmacokinetics, the trial includes extensive biomarker tests that will provide insights into how O3R-5671 modulates immune responses. The results from the trial will inform the design of subsequent patient trials across a range of autoimmune diseases, which are planned to commence in 2026.
About Onco3R Therapeutics
At Onco3R Therapeutics, we are driven by our purpose to transform the lives of patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer through precision-designed, best-in-class therapies. With over 150 years of combined R&D experience, our team brings deep expertise in disease biology, drug discovery & development, and translational science. We focus on clinically validated targets and select the right therapeutic modality, small or large molecules, to address the underlying disease biology with best-in-class therapies. Our mission is to develop safer, more effective medicines in oncology and immunology that truly make a difference for patients. By integrating learnings from past clinical challenges and applying cutting-edge technologies, we aim to de-risk clinical development and accelerate the delivery of innovative treatments with real-world impact. The company is based in the biotech cluster in Leuven, Belgium. For more information, visit www.onco3r.comor follow us on LinkedIn.
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- PR_Chair of the Board_final (https://ml-eu.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/437a6584-8f30-449e-aac7-1ac43827a529)
