Appointments

Move of the month

Dr Souad Kechairi has been appointed chief medical officer at PLL Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company specialising in polypeptides.

PLL Therapeutics has welcomed Dr Souad Kechairi to lead its clinical team with overall goals of advancing neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases pipelines. A primary goal is to enter phase 1 clinical trials with PLL Therapeutics’ lead candidate for amy trophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to the press release.

Dr Kechairi stated: “I am delighted to join PLL therapeutics as CMO. After conducting clinical trial research around the world for more than 20 years that includes a focus in neurology, my experience, expertise and motivation are an excellent fit with the company’s primary focus on neurodegenerative diseases, its lead candidate for treating ALS and its microbiota-gut-brain axis approach,”

Kechairi joins PLL from Syneos Health, where she worked in various advisory and management roles for just under 18 years. Dr Kechairi brings with her experience from seven years as executive medical director of the central ner vous system unit (CNS) at Syneos Health. Last year, Dr Kechairi completed her MSc in Neurosciences with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases from Sorbonne University, France. This was in addition to completing an internship with the Front lab team at the Paris Brain Institute at La Pitié Salpêtrière Hospita l, France. She obtained her MD in 1998 from the National Institute of Higher Studies in Medical Sciences in Algiers, Algeria. Since completing this, she has also obtained post-graduate degrees, including Emergencies in Hospitals from Paris Diderot University and Medical English from the Dijon University of Medicine, both in France.

CEO of PLL Therapeutics Jean-Pascal Zambaux commented: “We are pleased to welcome Dr Souad Kechairi to PLL Therapeutics as we prepare our first clinical trial, a significant milestone for our growing company. Her timely arrival, diverse experience in pharmaceutical companies, and expertise in cellular and integrative neuroscience will give new impetus to our pipeline – focused on autoimmune diseases and neurodegenerative disorders – and drive forward our clinical developments in ALS. Through her vast experience and medical vision, we are reinforcing our strategic approach and ability to bring our combination therapeutic drug to market under optimal conditions.”