Halda Therapeutics Names Dr. Eyal Attar as New Chief Medical Officer
Halda Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new class of cancer therapeutics, has announced the appointment of Dr. Eyal Attar as its Chief Medical Officer (CMO). The strategic appointment marks a pivotal moment in the company’s evolution as it advances its proprietary RIPTAC™ (Regulated Induced Proximity Targeting Chimeras) platform through early clinical development.
Dr. Attar brings with him more than 25 years of experience in the biotechnology sector, with a distinguished track record in oncology drug development, clinical trial design, and regulatory strategy. His broad expertise will be instrumental in shaping Halda’s clinical development path as the company continues to build momentum behind its first-in-human clinical program for HLD-0915, a novel small molecule candidate targeting metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
A Critical Juncture for Halda’s Clinical Ambitions
Founded to bring innovative cancer therapies to market, Halda Therapeutics is focused on harnessing the potential of its RIPTAC™ platform to address some of the most challenging diseases in oncology. Unlike traditional targeted therapies or immunotherapies, RIPTACs represent a novel modality designed to selectively engage disease-specific proteins within cancer cells, initiating proximity-induced degradation or functional interference that leads to tumor cell death. This mechanism offers an entirely new paradigm in therapeutic intervention, particularly in tumor types where current treatment options remain limited or ineffective.
The appointment of Dr. Attar comes at a time of critical inflection for Halda, as the company ramps up patient enrollment for its ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical study of HLD-0915. The trial, listed under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT06800313, represents the first clinical evaluation of a RIPTAC molecule in humans, and its outcomes could serve as a significant validation of the company’s platform.
“Dr. Attar is a seasoned biotechnology industry veteran, and we are thrilled for him to join the Halda team at this exciting time,” said Christian Schade, President and Chief Executive Officer of Halda Therapeutics. “As Halda advances our novel small molecule RIPTAC modality in clinical studies, the breadth of Eyal’s clinical development and R&D strategy experience will be instrumental to achieving our ambitious development goals and future success.”
A Proven Leader in Oncology Therapeutics
Dr. Attar joins Halda following an impressive career spanning both academic and industry settings. Most recently, he served as Chief Medical Officer at Vor Bio, a publicly traded, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on cell and genome engineering for the treatment of cancer. In this role, he led the development of transformative therapies in hematologic malignancies, overseeing key aspects of clinical development, including trial execution, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory engagement.
Prior to his tenure at Vor Bio, Dr. Attar served as Senior Vice President and CMO at Aprea Therapeutics. There, he directed clinical programs involving small molecules for the treatment of p53-mutated cancers, playing a key role in the advancement of the company’s lead candidates through early- and mid-stage clinical development.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Attar held multiple leadership roles in clinical development at Agios Pharmaceuticals, a company known for pioneering precision medicines targeting cellular metabolism. At Agios, he contributed to the development of several programs in both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, and was involved in the successful filing of multiple Investigational New Drug (IND) applications—work that ultimately supported the advancement of breakthrough therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers.
Dr. Attar’s foundational experience in clinical oncology was forged during his years as an attending hematologist/oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he specialized in treating patients with leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and other bone marrow disorders. He completed fellowship training in hematology and oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and his residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, two of the most prestigious institutions in cancer medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
Leading a Transformative Platform Forward
“I am truly excited to join Halda at such an important time in the company’s growth,” said Dr. Attar in a statement. “Halda’s novel RIPTAC small molecule platform is a new and exciting modality in the treatment of patients with cancer and other serious diseases. I look forward to working with the outstanding team at Halda and with our clinical partners to advance the current clinical study in prostate cancer and to help lay the foundation for future RIPTAC development in other tumor types, including breast cancer and beyond.”
His immediate focus will be to steer the ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of HLD-0915, which is being conducted as an open-label, multi-center study. The primary goals of the Phase 1 portion are to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (PK) of orally administered HLD-0915, and to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and/or recommended Phase 2 dose for monotherapy use. Once a dose has beenTherapeutics established, the study will progress into a Phase 2 expansion cohort, designed to further evaluate anti-tumor activity, pharmacodynamics (PD), and clinical efficacy in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
HLD-0915 is the lead candidate emerging from Halda’s RIPTAC platform, and its advancement into clinical testing marks a major milestone—not just for the company, but also for the broader oncology community seeking novel Therapeutics approaches to tackle treatment-resistant tumors. The study’s success could pave the way for an expanded clinical pipeline that applies the RIPTAC strategy across multiple cancer types and potentially non-oncologic diseases where selective protein targeting is desirable.
A Platform With Broad Potential
While Halda’s initial focus is on oncology, the company believes the underlying RIPTAC mechanism may have applications far beyond cancer. By enabling a chemically controlled interaction between disease-specific target proteins Therapeutics and effector proteins within cells, the RIPTAC platform opens up new possibilities for degrading or modulating proteins previously deemed “undruggable.” Such a capability could have significant implications for a broad spectrum of diseases characterized by pathogenic protein activity.
With Dr. Attar now leading clinical development, Halda is poised to take the next steps in translating this bold vision into tangible therapies for patients. His deep knowledge of clinical trial execution, coupled with his understanding of the Therapeutics regulatory landscape and patient care, uniquely positions him to drive the success of the RIPTAC platform from the clinic to potential regulatory approval.
As Halda Therapeutics builds out its clinical and operational infrastructure, the company remains committed to scientific rigor, patient-centric innovation, and strategic growth. The appointment of a high-caliber clinical leader like Dr. Eyal Attar not only reinforces Halda’s scientific credibility but also signals its readiness to compete at the forefront of oncology drug development.
In the coming months, all eyes will be on the progression of the HLD-0915 trial and the potential of RIPTAC technology to emerge as a new cornerstone in the cancer treatment landscape. If successful, Halda’s approach could transform the therapeutic toolkit available to oncologists and, more importantly, bring new hope to patients battling aggressive and refractory forms of cancer.
