MaaT Pharma Names Gianfranco Pittari Chief Medical Officer

MaaT Pharma, a clinical-stage biotechnology firm listed on Euronext Paris under the ticker MAAT, has named Gianfranco Pittari, M.D., Ph.D., as its new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Pittari brings over fifteen years of international experience in clinical research and drug development, specifically in the fields of hematology, oncology, and immunology. In his new role, he will join the executive management team and will be responsible for overseeing the clinical programs of MaaT Pharma's innovative microbiome-based drug candidates.

CEO and co-founder Hervé Affagard expressed his enthusiasm about Dr. Pittari's appointment, highlighting the significant experience he brings in leading clinical studies from early-stage development through late-stage trials. Affagard noted that Dr. Pittari's expertise comes at a crucial time as their lead asset, MaaT013, approaches the completion of its Phase 3 trial. He believes that Dr. Pittari's international experience will further bolster MaaT Pharma's growing global team and enhance their capacity to serve patients worldwide.

Dr. Pittari's career includes significant achievements in the field of drug development. At Celgene Corporation - Bristol Myers Squibb, he played a pivotal role in the successful development of the first CAR T cell therapy for Multiple Myeloma, known as Abecma® (idecabtagene vicleucel), which has received approval in both the US and the EU for treating patients with relapsed and refractory disease. Prior to joining MaaT Pharma, Dr. Pittari served as Executive Medical Director at Autolus, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in next-generation, programmed T Cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. He also held a senior consultancy role in Hematology-BMT at the National Center for Cancer Care and Research in Qatar, where he treated patients with hematological conditions and participated in various academic initiatives.

Dr. Pittari expressed his excitement about joining MaaT Pharma, stating that the company's ambition and vision to provide innovative treatments for patients with high unmet needs in oncology is inspiring. He looks forward to leveraging his experience to support the team and contribute to the advancement of their microbiome drug candidates aimed at helping cancer patients.

Dr. Pittari's educational background includes an M.D. degree from the University of Pavia, a Hematology fellowship at the University of Parma, and a Ph.D. in Immunology from Paris-Sud University. His academic research has been conducted at esteemed institutions such as Gustave Roussy and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

MaaT Pharma is dedicated to restoring patient-microbiome symbiosis in oncology. The company is particularly focused on treating cancer and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a severe complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. In March 2022, MaaT Pharma initiated an open-label, single-arm Phase 3 clinical trial for patients with acute GvHD, following successful results from a Phase 2 trial. The company utilizes a discovery and analysis platform called gutPrint®, which helps identify novel disease targets, evaluate drug candidates, and pinpoint biomarkers related to microbiome conditions. MaaT Pharma ensures the safety and diversity of their microbiome therapies through a standardized cGMP manufacturing and quality control process, delivering treatments in both liquid and oral formulations.

The company benefits from the expertise of world-leading scientists and strong regulatory relationships, supporting the integration of microbiome therapies into clinical practice.