Xentria Appoints Lead Scientific Advisor and Chief Operating Officer

August 4, 2022 |

4 min read

Xentria Inc., a biotech company focused on developing novel therapeutics to address unmet clinical needs, made key leadership appointments, naming Dr. Robert Baughman as Lead Scientific Advisor and Kirsten Anderson as Chief Operating Officer.

Aug. 4, 2022 12:00 UTC

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Xentria Inc., a biotech company focused on developing novel therapeutics to address unmet clinical needs, made key leadership appointments, naming Dr. Robert Baughman as Lead Scientific Advisor and Kirsten Anderson as Chief Operating Officer.

“We are delighted to expand our team with the addition of Dr. Baughman and Ms. Anderson as we continue to develop XTMAB-16, a novel biologic to treat sarcoidosis,” said Thomas Shea, President of Xentria. “Both Dr. Baughman and Ms. Anderson bring valuable expertise and experience as we advance our pipeline and continue to pursue therapeutic discoveries to transform patients’ lives.”

Dr. Robert Baughman

During his long and illustrious career as a practicing pulmonologist and Professor of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Baughman specialized in researching lung and respiratory diseases and undertook significant work on potential treatments for sarcoidosis.

Dr. Baughman received his MD from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and completed his fellowship at University of Cincinnati, University Hospital. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Disease.

He is published widely, with over 300 original papers and more than 100 review articles and book chapters. In addition to his academic work, he sits on multiple medical journal editorial boards and has been actively involved in the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, dedicated to finding a cure for sarcoidosis and to improving care for sarcoidosis patients around the world.

Following his retirement from clinical practice in May 2022, Dr. Baughman formally joins Xentria as Lead Scientific Advisor, advising the company on strategy as well as research and development activities.

“Dr. Baughman has been involved in Xentria’s development of XTMAB-16 since day one of strategic planning and he has long been supportive of our program. As a staunch advocate for patients’ rights, he is a proponent for inclusive clinical trial design that could help reach as many patients as possible,” said Shea. “We look forward to benefiting further from his exceptional knowledge on this rare and difficult-to-treat disease as we continue to advance XTMAB-16 to the next phase of development.”

“Xentria has demonstrated strong early data supporting XTMAB-16 as a potential next-generation treatment for patients with sarcoidosis. The opportunity to be part of the Xentria team working on the development of a new treatment for sarcoidosis is very exciting. I look forward to finding new ways to improve the quality of life for patients with this condition,” said Dr. Baughman.

Ms. Kirsten Anderson

Kirsten Anderson is an industry leader specializing in growth strategy, with expertise in oncology drug development. She has 30 years of experience in the biotech industry with expertise in strategic oversight of clinical research including trial design, regulatory, operations, pharmacovigilance and biometrics.

Ms. Anderson earned a Master’s Degree in Biotech Enterprise from Johns Hopkins University and has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Vermont.

As Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Anderson leads all strategic, operational, and clinical activities for Xentria and is responsible for driving organizational vision, operational strategy, and translating strategy into actionable steps for growth.

“I am thrilled to join Xentria at such an important time and help drive the Company’s vision and strategy as initial findings begin to indicate the immense potential of our lead candidate, XTMAB-16,” Ms. Anderson said. “Harnessing the power of clinical research to develop therapeutics for patients with high unmet need is something I am passionate about, and I look forward to supporting the team at Xentria in this mission.”

About Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis is a chronic, multisystem inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology that is characterized by the presence of non-caseating and non-necrotizing epithelioid granulomas (as opposed to granulomas caused by infections, such as tuberculosis), accompanied by infiltration of mononuclear cells and destruction of microarchitecture.

About XTMAB-16
XTMAB-16 is a chimeric human-murine IgG1 anti-TNF monoclonal antibody being developed as a novel biologic product for the treatment of sarcoidosis.

About Xentria
Xentria, whose name stems from the word “centrality”, was founded in 2020 and is an innovative biopharmaceutics company whose primary focus is to build an expansive product pipeline of cost-effective and efficacious therapeutics to address critical unmet need for patients suffering from rare diseases, immunologic disorders and oncological conditions. Headquartered in Chicago, with partners in Israel and China, the company is dedicated to research and development and clinical science, driven to treat the clinical and social burdens of diseases while fostering sustainable growth.

To learn more about Xentria visit www.xentria.com.