Spero Therapeutics names new chief medical officer

Spero Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPRO) has appointed Debra Jeske Zack, M.D., Ph.D., as chief medical officer, the Cambridge, Mass.-based company announced.

Dr. Zack, a board-certified rheumatologist with a Ph.D. in immunology, will lead Spero's clinical development strategy as the company advances SP001, an anti-CD40L antibody in development for IgG4-related disease and other immune-mediated conditions.

Dr. Zack previously served as chief medical officer of Exagen Inc. and held clinical leadership roles at Xencor Inc. and in the Biotherapeutics Development Unit at Novartis. At Amgen, she served as global development lead for Enbrel. She also spent 10 years as an associate professor at UCLA, where she treated rheumatology patients and conducted research in molecular immunology. Dr. Zack received her M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed her residency and rheumatology fellowship at the UCLA School of Medicine.

"She brings deep expertise in rheumatology and immunology along with firsthand experience advancing innovative therapies for autoimmune diseases," said Esther Rajavelu, president and chief executive officer of Spero.

SP001 is described by Spero as a third-generation, fully humanized, Fc-silent IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting CD40L, an upstream immune activation signal. The company states the therapy is designed to address platelet activation concerns associated with earlier anti-CD40L antibodies. SP001 is currently Phase 2-ready, according to the company.

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