ReAlta Life Sciences Strengthens Leadership Team with Appointment of Dr. Howard Berman as Executive Chairman
ReAlta Life Sciences Inc. (“ReAlta” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering next-generation medicines designed to safely modulate neutrophils and the complement system, today announced the appointment of Howard Berman, Ph.D., as Executive Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. This leadership transition marks a significant milestone for ReAlta as it advances its clinical pipeline and prepares for multiple key inflection points in its development and regulatory strategy.
ReAlta is focused on developing transformative therapies for severe and life-threatening inflammatory conditions, leveraging its proprietary technology platform aimed at controlling dysregulated immune responses. The platform centers on targeting complement activation and neutrophil-mediated inflammation—two critical drivers of severe inflammatory pathology that historically have been difficult to modulate safely and effectively.
The appointment of Dr. Berman adds deep industry leadership, operational discipline, and strategic vision at a time when the Company is progressing toward important clinical and corporate milestones.
Strategic Leadership for a Pivotal Stage of Growth
Commenting on the appointment, Kenji Cunnion, M.D., MPH, Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer, and Board Member of ReAlta, emphasized the strategic timing of this leadership addition:
“We are delighted to welcome Howard to ReAlta at a pivotal moment for the Company as we move toward meaningful catalysts. His proven track record in advancing innovative immunology-based therapies and creating value positions ReAlta for disciplined growth and leadership in rare and inflammatory diseases. We are confident he will help us deliver on the potential of pegtarazimod.”
Dr. Cunnion’s remarks reflect growing momentum across the Company’s clinical development programs, particularly centered around its lead product candidate, pegtarazimod, which is being evaluated across multiple serious inflammatory indications with limited or no effective treatment options.
Dr. Berman’s Vision for ReAlta and Its Pipeline
Dr. Berman expressed enthusiasm about joining the Company and his belief in the transformative potential of its science and pipeline:
“I am honored to join ReAlta and lead this talented team as we work to deliver transformative medicines for patients with urgent inflammatory conditions,” said Dr. Berman. “ReAlta’s peptide platform represents a remarkable scientific foundation, translating a naturally occurring immune-regulation mechanism from the human astrovirus into a first-in-class therapeutic approach.”
He highlighted that the Company’s approach directly addresses a well-recognized challenge in immunology: safely modulating both neutrophils and complement pathways without compromising the body’s ability to defend against pathogens.
“The compelling clinical data and favorable safety profile observed to date in three life-threatening diseases with high unmet need reinforce the significant potential of pegtarazimod,” he added. “This novel mechanism creates a scalable path to pursue multiple acute and chronic inflammatory indications. I look forward to advancing our clinical programs and unlocking value for patients, caregivers, partners, and shareholders.”
A Leader with Proven Success in Immunology, Neuroscience, and Biotech Growth
Dr. Berman joins ReAlta with more than two decades of experience building, scaling, and leading biotechnology organizations from early-stage formation to public markets. His expertise spans drug development, translational strategy, clinical execution, business development, and commercial planning across several therapeutic disciplines, including immunology, neurology, and rare diseases.
Prior to joining ReAlta, Dr. Berman served as Chief Executive Officer of Coya Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: COYA), a company he founded to advance regulatory T-cell (Treg) immunotherapies. Under his guidance, Coya established itself as a leader in immune-modulating treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and progressed multiple clinical programs in conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Dr. Berman continues to serve as Executive Chairman of Coya, where he remains actively involved in guiding scientific and corporate strategy.
His governance experience also includes serving as a board member of Atea Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AVIR), further demonstrating his strong engagement with innovative public biopharmaceutical companies.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Berman held senior and executive leadership positions at AbbVie, Eli Lilly, and Novartis, where he contributed to the development and launch of blockbuster therapies in immunology and oncology. His combined experience across large pharmaceutical companies and entrepreneurial biotech environments uniquely positions him to guide ReAlta through its next stages of clinical advancement, strategic partnerships, and potential commercialization.
Dr. Berman holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Michigan and completed both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in neuroscience and pharmacology, bringing a strong scientific foundation to complement his operational leadership.
Advancing Pegtarazimod and the Platform Forward
ReAlta’s lead investigational program, pegtarazimod, represents a first-in-class approach designed to address hyperinflammatory states by re-balancing innate immune pathways while maintaining essential immune function. Initial clinical data generated across three life-threatening, high-unmet-need disease settings have demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile, alongside evidence of meaningful biological and clinical impact.
ReAlta believes this therapeutic approach may apply across a broad spectrum of inflammatory and rare diseases—both chronic and acute—creating the potential for a pipeline of indications built from a single mechanistic platform.
Strengthening Momentum and Future Outlook
The addition of Dr. Berman to the Board signals confidence in the Company’s trajectory and readiness to advance toward broader clinical and strategic milestones, including:
- Continued advancement of late-stage clinical development programs
- Expansion of the Company’s inflammatory and rare disease pipeline
- Acceleration of partnership, regulatory, and commercialization planning
- Operational scaling to support future clinical and potential commercial activities
About ReAlta Life Sciences
ReAlta Life Sciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies designed to modulate uncontrolled inflammation through targeted regulation of neutrophils and the complement cascade. The Company’s mission is to transform treatment paradigms for patients suffering from severe inflammatory and immune-driven diseases with high unmet medical need.
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