Technoderma Appoints World-Class Experts to Accelerate Dermatology Drug Pipeline and Clinical Development
An innovative drug R&D pipeline, clinical drug development, and a world-class talent team are the fundamental elements for biopharmaceutical companies to demonstrate their strength and maintain competitive advantages.
On September 1, 2021, Jiaxing Tekeluo Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Tekeluo,” www.tkskin.com) announced the appointment of Arthur P. Bertolino, M.D., as its Chief Medical Officer. Tekeluo also appointed Professor Xiang Leihong, a dermatologist from the School of Medicine at Fudan University; Dr. John Mao, a senior drug R&D expert in the San Francisco Bay Area; Professor Gary J. Fisher, a biologist at the University of Michigan; and Dr. Arthur P. Bertolino as members of its Scientific Advisory Board.
Since its inception, Tecro has been committed to becoming a world-leading R&D platform for novel dermatological therapeutics, developing and launching global first-in-class or best-in-class new drugs targeting major skin-related diseases, thereby providing patients worldwide with more efficacious, safer, and cost-effective therapeutic products based on novel mechanisms of action.
According to reports, the appointment of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the engagement of several members of the Scientific Advisory Board provide robust support across all stages of the company’s operations, from early-stage R&D to late-stage clinical development. This will facilitate the company’s strategic layout of its early-stage drug discovery pipeline and accelerate the advancement of multiple subsequent clinical programs into clinical trials, thereby ensuring the efficiency and quality of innovative drug clinical development.
Dr. Arthur P. Bertolino, the newly appointed Chief Medical Officer, is a board-certified dermatologist in the United States with over 30 years of clinical development experience in new drug research and development, possessing extensive expertise in dermatology and clinical practice. In addition to being a senior dermatology specialist, Dr. Bertolino is an expert in clinical trial design and operational management. He has served for many years as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for new drug development in dermatology and autoimmune diseases at major international pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Novartis, successfully leading multiple clinical research projects to secure FDA New Drug Applications (NDA) or Biologics License Applications (BLA) approvals. Dr. Bertolino has extensive experience in the execution and management of all aspects of clinical trials.
Arthur P. Bertolino, MD, PhD, MBA
In fact, even on a global scale, medical experts with experience and qualifications similar to Art’s in the development of novel dermatological drugs are exceedingly rare. His joining will significantly enhance the efficiency and quality of Tecro’s clinical research on innovative drugs. It is reported that Art will be fully responsible for the clinical studies of Tecro’s hair regrowth project already underway in the United States, as well as the clinical development of upcoming projects targeting eczema, psoriasis, and lupus erythematosus. This appointment of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) also signifies that Tecro will rapidly advance into clinical studies across multiple dermatological disease areas, gradually establishing a leading industry advantage in clinical development.
From the perspective of industry insiders, China’s pharmaceutical market has historically been dominated by generic drugs, with a scarcity of talent in clinical development. Even as innovation-driven drug R&D gains momentum today, talent across various stages remains heavily concentrated in the oncology sector, while clinical experts specializing in dermatology are exceedingly rare. Commenting on Dr. Art’s joining the company, Dr. Wang Zengquan, CEO of Tekelo, stated, “We are honored to have invited Dr. Art from the United States to join Tekelo. As our Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Art will provide significant impetus to the company’s new drug R&D efforts. The clinical development of novel dermatological therapies requires guidance from an expert like Dr. Art, who possesses profound professional expertise and strong capabilities in clinical research.”
Tecro also announced the establishment of its Scientific Advisory Board, comprising several distinguished internationally renowned scientists. In the future, the Scientific Advisory Board will serve as a think tank to guide the company’s drug R&D strategies, strategic directions, and decision-making. The inaugural members of Tecro’s Scientific Advisory Board include Professor Gary J. Fisher, Dr. John Mao, Dr. Art P. Bertolino, Professor Xiang Leihong, and Dr. Wang Zengquan. The establishment of the Scientific Advisory Board will safeguard the development of the company’s future R&D pipeline and clinical research directions, thereby empowering and accelerating its new drug development efforts.
Professor Gary J. Fisher is an internationally recognized leader in molecular dermatology and currently holds an endowed professorship in Dermatology at the University of Michigan Medical School. A leading scientist in the fields of photobiology, skin aging, and the mechanisms of scar formation, Professor Fisher has long focused on investigating skin structure, aging, and scarring from a basic science perspective, thereby identifying potential therapeutic targets and mechanisms of action for drugs treating related skin conditions. His research on skin aging played a pivotal role in the development of Renova, a new drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of facial wrinkles using tretinoin.
Professor Gary J. Fisher, Ph.D
Dr. John Mao is a senior expert in preclinical research and clinical drug development, with nearly 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical R&D. He has successfully led teams in managing IND applications, clinical trial operations, and NDA submissions for more than 10 new drug candidates. Leveraging his extensive expertise in drug development and clinical practice, Dr. Mao has directly participated in and led the preclinical studies and the ongoing Phase I clinical trials in the United States for TDM-105795, a “First-in-Class” innovative therapy for hair regeneration under the Tekelo Hair Regeneration Project.
Dr. John Mao
Professor Xiang Leihong is a world-renowned dermatologist. She currently serves as Executive Deputy Director of the Institute of Dermatology at Fudan University and as a National Committee Member of the Chinese Society of Dermatology and Venereology under the Chinese Medical Association. With extensive expertise in pigmentary disorders, acne, laser medicine, and medical aesthetics, she will provide strategic guidance for the company’s new drug development from the perspectives of clinical medicine and the pathogenesis of skin diseases.
Prof. Xiang Leihong
While serving as the Company’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Arthur P. Bertolino will also become a key member of the Scientific Advisory Board, providing strategic expertise in the clinical management of dermatological conditions and the clinical development of the Company’s drug pipeline.
“It is a great pleasure to join the Technoderma team, serving as their interim CMO and a member of the SAB. I am very impressed with what the team has achieved so far in a short time. The team has built a robust pipeline to address strong medical needs in several major skin diseases such as Androgenetic alopecia, Eczema, Psoriasis and Systemic lupus erythematosus. I am confident the team will be able to bring these assets to human trials, which I will be able to oversee” said Dr. Arthur P. Bertolino.
“Tecro’s competitiveness within the industry is unquestionable; their judgments in areas such as drug research and development are highly forward-looking. Furthermore, given the scarcity of innovative drug R&D for dermatological conditions in China, Tecro’s ability to carve out a unique path and successfully translate its findings into tangible outcomes is what I find most appealing,” stated Professor Xiang Leihong, a newly appointed expert on the Scientific Advisory Board.
Dr. Wang Zengquan, General Manager of Tekeluo, stated that the establishment of the Scientific Advisory Committee aims to integrate translational medical research on skin diseases, preclinical drug development, clinical needs, and clinical drug studies. This integration will scientifically establish the company’s drug research directions and objectively leverage scientific data to guide project progress, thereby identifying more promising therapeutic areas and clinical treatments. Every stage, from project initiation to preclinical research and then to clinical trials, is crucial for new drug development.
“I firmly believe that the addition of several scientists to the company’s Scientific Advisory Board will provide professional support for relevant processes, ‘safeguard’ Tekeluo’s new drug R&D, and accelerate the advancement of its clinical pipeline,” said Dr. Wang Zengquan.
Benefiting from its strong founding team, Techro has built a pipeline of first-in-class or best-in-class drug candidates for androgenetic alopecia as well as autoimmune and inflammatory skin diseases.
In the field of hair loss, Tecro's first clinical drug candidate, TDM-105795, has demonstrated advantages such as rapid onset of action and fewer side effects compared to existing drugs, based on preclinical animal efficacy data. Currently, clinical studies involving patients with hair loss are underway in the United States. The Phase I single ascending dose (SAD) trial is nearing completion, and the study will soon proceed to the multiple ascending dose (MAD) trial phase. TDM-105795 is expected to enter Phase II clinical trials in the second half of 2022.
In the field of inflammatory skin diseases, the company is focused on advancing the R&D of highly differentiated innovative small-molecule JAK inhibitors tailored to specific dermatological conditions. It has already established a robust intellectual property portfolio, with multiple series of compounds under simultaneous development for eczema, psoriasis, and lupus erythematosus.
Notably, preliminary efficacy results for the eczema program demonstrated that the candidate drug has a significant therapeutic advantage, with greater potency than marketed PDE4 inhibitors and comparable efficacy to glucocorticoids but without their adverse cutaneous side effects. The eczema program is expected to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Phase I clinical trials in the second quarter of 2022. The company’s new drug candidates for psoriasis and lupus erythematosus are also gradually entering the stage of submitting clinical trial applications.
Tekeruo is a small-molecule drug R&D-focused innovative enterprise dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics for dermatological conditions. Headquartered in the Jiaxing Xiuzhou National Thousand Talents Biopharmaceutical Park, the company was introduced as a leading enterprise by the Jiaxing Municipal Government of Zhejiang Province. Its current pipeline includes treatments for alopecia, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and lupus erythematosus. Committed to becoming a world-leading innovation platform for dermatological drug development, Tekeruo aims to discover, develop, and commercialize First-in-Class global new drugs targeting major skin-related diseases, providing patients worldwide with novel-mechanism therapies that offer superior efficacy, enhanced safety, and lower costs.