Dr. Spiegel brings decades of global clinical development, regulatory and oncology leadership experience, including former Chief Medical Officer roles at Schering-Plough and PTC Therapeutics
Appointment further strengthens Ernexa's Board as the Company advances ERNA-101 toward clinical development
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ernexa Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ERNA), an industry innovator developing novel cell therapies for the treatment of advanced cancers, today announced the appointment of Robert J. Spiegel, M.D., FACP, to its Board of Directors.
Dr. Spiegel is an accomplished physician, biopharmaceutical executive and drug developer with decades of experience spanning oncology, clinical development, regulatory strategy and pharmaceutical leadership. He spent over 25 years at Schering-Plough Research Institute, where he held increasingly senior positions culminating in his role as Chief Medical Officer from 1998 to 2009. He later served as Chief Medical Officer of PTC Therapeutics from 2014 to 2016 and is currently Founder and Principal of Spiegel Consulting LLC and Associate Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Spiegel to Ernexa's Board of Directors at an important stage in the Company's development," said Sanjeev Luther, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ernexa Therapeutics. "Dr. Spiegel brings an exceptional combination of oncology expertise, clinical development leadership and regulatory experience. His perspective will be highly valuable as we continue advancing ERNA-101 toward clinical evaluation and work to translate our encouraging preclinical findings into a potential new therapeutic option for patients with ovarian cancer and other difficult-to-treat malignancies."
Dr. James Bristol, Chairman of the Board, added, "Dr. Spiegel's extensive oncology drug development and regulatory experience will bring valuable perspective to Ernexa's Board as we prepare ERNA-101 for clinical evaluation. We look forward to working with him as the Company advances its development strategy and builds long-term value for patients and shareholders."
During his tenure at Schering-Plough, Dr. Spiegel played a significant role in the clinical development and regulatory approval of numerous therapies. His experience included advancing alpha-interferon through Phase 1 to Phase 3 development and FDA approval, developing temozolomide from Phase 1 through worldwide regulatory approval for glioblastoma, and contributing to development programs across oncology, immunology and other therapeutic areas. As Chief Medical Officer, he participated in research governance spanning first-in-human, proof-of-concept and registration-stage development decisions and was involved in more than 30 successful New Drug Applications.
Dr. Spiegel also brings extensive public company board experience, having served on the boards of numerous biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies throughout his career. He currently serves on the boards of Geron Corporation, Ayala Pharmaceuticals, RenovoRx and Sun Pharma Advanced Research Corporation (SPARC).
"I am excited to join Ernexa's Board of Directors as the Company works to advance its innovative cell therapy platform toward the clinic," said Dr. Spiegel. "ERNA-101 represents a compelling approach to addressing some of the persistent challenges in ovarian cancer, and I look forward to working with Sanjeev, my fellow Board members and the broader Ernexa team as the Company continues preparing the program for clinical development and explores its potential across oncology."
Dr. Spiegel earned his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and his B.A., cum laude, from Yale University. He completed his medical oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health and currently serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Advancing ERNA-101 Toward Clinical Development
ERNA-101 is Ernexa's lead cell therapy candidate and is designed to activate and regulate the immune system's response to recognize and attack cancer cells. The Company's initial development focus is ovarian cancer, where significant unmet need remains for new therapeutic approaches capable of generating durable responses.
Ernexa's core technology focuses on engineering induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and transforming them into induced mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs). The Company's allogeneic synthetic iMSCs are designed to provide a scalable, off-the-shelf treatment approach without the need for patient-specific cell harvesting.
Ernexa continues to advance ERNA-101 toward clinical evaluation while executing the manufacturing, regulatory and clinical activities necessary to support its planned transition into a clinical-stage biotechnology company.
About Ernexa Therapeutics
Ernexa Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ERNA) is developing innovative cell therapies for the treatment of advanced cancers. Ernexa's core technology focuses on engineering induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and transforming them into induced mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs). Ernexa's allogeneic synthetic iMSCs provide a scalable, off-the-shelf treatment solution, without needing patient-specific cell harvesting.
ERNA-101 is the company's lead cell therapy product, designed to activate and regulate the immune system's response to recognize and attack cancer cells. The company's initial focus is to develop ERNA-101 for the treatment of ovarian cancer, with the potential to address multiple difficult-to-treat solid tumors.
For more information, visit www.ernexatx.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, in some cases, can be identified by terms such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "design," "intend," "expect," "could," "plan," "potential," "predict," "seek," "should," "would," "contemplate," "project," "target," "objective," or the negative version of these words and similar expressions. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Ernexa's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties related to: progress and possible outcomes of the Company's lead research project, ERNA-101, and future research projects. Forward-looking statements are based upon Ernexa's current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. For a detailed description of Ernexa's risks and uncertainties, you are encouraged to review its documents filed with the SEC including its recent filings on Form 8-K, Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they were made. Ernexa does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date here of, except as required by applicable law.
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