Inotrem, an advanced clinical stage biotech company developing TREM- 1 targeting immunotherapies for acute and chronic inflammatory syndromes, announced today the appointment of Luke Beshar as Chairman of its Board of Directors, effective May 25, 2022. Mr. Beshar succeeds Thierry Hercend who served as Chairman since 2014 and remains a member of the Board of Directors.
“We are pleased to welcome Luke Beshar to the Inotrem Board. Luke's deep experience in strategic development of biotech companies, in both executive and Board level positions of several public and private life science companies will be invaluable to Inotrem as we grow our business and pursue our mission to bring new treatments to patients suffering from inflammatory conditions” said Sven Zimmermann, Chief Executive Officer of Inotrem. “On behalf of the entire Inotrem team, I would like to thank Thierry Hercend for the exceptional work he has accomplished over the years as our Chairman and look very much forward to continue working with him as an Independent Non-executive Board member.”
“I feel privileged to take on this role at such an exciting time for Inotrem,” said Luke Beshar. “I am impressed by the quality of the pioneering work the team has accomplished on the biology of TREM-1 and its clinical translation in severe conditions such as septic shock and severe COVID-19. I’m also really excited about the anti-TREM1 pre-clinical monoclonal antibody programs in chronic inflammation and immuno-oncology. I look forward to working with Sven and the team on Inotrem’s accelerating growth and next stage of development.”
Luke Beshar is a seasoned biotechnology executive and financial expert with more than 35 years of general and financial management experience at various public and private companies. Mr. Beshar currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Protara Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly held company focused on immuno-oncology. Mr. Beshar also serves as director and chair of the audit committee of Omega Therapeutics and previously served as a director at Trillium Therapeutics Inc., a publicly held immuno-oncology company, from 2014 until it was acquired by Pfizer in November 2021 and was chair of its audit and compensation committees. Mr. Beshar previously served as a director and chair of audit committee of REGENXBIO Inc. from 2015 (pre-IPO) to 2021. Prior to this, Mr. Beshar served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from November 2007 until it was sold to Takeda (Shire plc) in February 2015 and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cambrex Corporation, from 2002 to 2007. Mr. Beshar holds a B.S. degree in Accounting and Finance from Michigan State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
About Inotrem
Inotrem S.A. is a biotechnology company specialized in immunotherapy for acute and chronic inflammatory syndromes. The company has developed a new concept of immunomodulation that targets the TREM-1 pathway to control unbalanced inflammatory responses. Through its proprietary technology platform, Inotrem has developed the first-in-class TREM-1 inhibitor, LR12 (nangibotide), with potential applications in a number of therapeutic indications such as septic shock and myocardial infarction. In parallel, Inotrem has also launched another program to develop a new therapeutic modality targeting chronic inflammatory diseases. The company was founded in 2013 by Dr Jean-Jacques Garaud, a former head of research and early development at the Roche Group, Prof. Sébastien Gibot and Dr Marc Derive. Inotrem is supported by leading European and North American investors. www.inotrem.com