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Dr Melanie Rolli (Photo: Aelix Therapeutics).
 18.05.2021

Aelix Therapeutics announces the appointment of Dr Melanie Rolli as a new CEO

The clinical-stage biotechnology company Aelix Therapeutics -based in the Barcelona Science Park and specialized in the discovery and development of immunotherapies for HIV infection- today announces the appointment of Dr Melanie Rolli as chief executive officer, following the decision of her predecessor, Dr José Luis Cabero, to step down from executive positions at Aelix.

Dr Melani Rolli brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role as a CEO, with decades of hands-on experience in the pharmaceutical sector, including various positions of increasing responsibility whilst at Novartis.

“I’m excited to join a high-performing team that has achieved a major milestone by translating a biological concept into positive clinical results with their first clinical trial. Our goal now is to advance the program and bring an innovative HIV functional cure therapy to patients”, states Dr Rolli.

This appointment follows the company’s March 2021 announcement of positive topline results in the AELIX-002 Phase I/II clinical trial. The strong data represent a major breakthrough development in the field and the results support Aelix’s plans for larger combination trials.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr Melanie Rolli to the team. Her invaluable experience and key skills will further support our ambitions, steer our growth and direct our development programs. We look forward to the next chapter under Melanie’s leadership,” says Dr Thomas Hecht, chairman of Aelix’ board of directors. “We also want to express a big thank you to José Luis Cabero for steering the ship over the last few years,” Dr Hecht added.

The appointment of Dr Rolli will support Aelix’s vision of positioning HTI vaccines for future cure strategies and becoming the front-runner in HIV treatment by bringing a therapeutic vaccine to the market.

The positive results from the clinical trial support further development of combination strategies based on the HTI vaccine, with the aim of controlling HIV without the need for continued antiretroviral medication. Aelix plans to rapidly conduct multiple clinical trials including the ongoing collaboration phase II study with Gilead Sciences that combines the HTI vaccine with the TLR-7 agonist Vesatolimod.

» More information: Aelix Therapeutics website [+]