Fate Therapeutics’ current president of research and development, Bob Valamehr, will take over as president and CEO effective from 1 January 2025. Credit: Piotr Swat/Shutterstock.

Fate Therapeutics has announced the retirement of president and CEO Scott Wolchko on 31 December 2024, with current research and development (R&D) president Bob Valamehr set to assume the role from 1 January 2025.

Wolchko will continue to serve as a strategic advisor.

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The change comes as the company reaffirms its commitment to developing new off-the-shelf cellular immunotherapies for patients in need.

Under Wolchko’s leadership since 2015, the company has been a front-runner in off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell and T-cell immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. It has treated more than 300 individuals with its multiplexed-engineered NK cell and T-cell product candidates, derived from its induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) product platform.

Dr Valamehr’s work has been significant in the field, with the allowance of 13 investigational new drug applications for treatments spanning solid tumours, haematological malignancies and autoimmune disorders.

Under his guidance, the company has built a research and development organisation, resulting in numerous high-tier journal publications, more than 500 issued patents and a pipeline of cellular products.

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Among the products in its pipeline is FT819, an off-the-shelf, CD19-targeted, 1XX CAR T-cell product candidate.

FT819 is currently being assessed in a Phase I, multi-centre trial for individuals with moderate-to-severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Dr Valamehr stated: “The initial data from our use of FT819, where we have observed a favourable safety profile, first in the treatment of aggressive B cell lymphoma, and now in the initial stages of our SLE clinical trial, provide support for the potential of the company’s iPSC platform across different diseases.

“The first lupus nephritis patient treated with a single dose of FT819 and fludarabine-free conditioning has achieved drug-free clinical remission and continues free of all immunosuppressive therapy. We will continue the trial of FT819 in SLE as we gather insights to implement an approval strategy for this novel off-the-shelf cellular immunotherapy.

“We also continue to push forward our other clinical programmes, including FT825/ONO-8250 CAR T-cell product candidate for the treatment of advanced solid tumours pursued in collaboration with our partner Ono Pharmaceutical.”