Secretome Therapeutics Strengthens Executive Leadership Team to Advance Rare Disease Pipeline and Regenerative Medicine Platform
Secretome Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing regenerative therapies derived from neonatal cardiac progenitor cells (nCPCs), has announced a significant expansion of its executive leadership team as it accelerates the development of its pipeline for rare diseases. The company has appointed four experienced biotechnology executives to key leadership positions while also announcing an internal promotion designed to strengthen its clinical development strategy.
The appointments include Dr. Teji Singh, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer, David Chapman as Senior Vice President of Operations, Dr. Karin Lucas, Ph.D., as Vice President of Medical Affairs, and Maggie Loeffler, CPA, as Vice President of Finance & Administration. In addition, Dr. Marshelle Smith, M.D., previously Chief Medical Officer, has transitioned into the role of Chief Development Officer, where she will focus on advancing the company’s regenerative medicine pipeline.
The leadership expansion reflects Secretome Therapeutics‘ continued evolution into a biotechnology company dedicated to developing innovative regenerative therapies for patients suffering from rare and underserved diseases. With several experienced executives joining the organization, the company believes it is well positioned to support late-stage clinical development, future commercialization activities, and long-term corporate growth.
Building a Leadership Team for the Next Stage of Growth
Secretome Therapeutics has been advancing a proprietary platform based on neonatal cardiac progenitor cells, which are designed to harness naturally occurring regenerative mechanisms to repair damaged tissues and improve patient outcomes. As the company moves its lead clinical programs into later stages of development, management recognized the need to strengthen its executive team with leaders possessing expertise across clinical development, commercialization, regulatory affairs, operations, finance, and medical communications.
According to company leadership, these appointments are intended to establish the organizational foundation necessary to support both current clinical programs and future pipeline expansion.
Vinny Jindal, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Secretome Therapeutics, said the new executives bring decades of combined experience developing therapies for rare diseases and building successful biotechnology organizations.
He noted that the expanded leadership team positions the company to accelerate the clinical development of STM-01 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) while continuing to advance Secretome’s broader regenerative medicine platform targeting multiple rare and difficult-to-treat diseases.
Dr. Teji Singh Named Chief Medical Officer
Among the most significant appointments is the addition of Dr. Teji Singh as Chief Medical Officer.
Dr. Singh brings more than 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology research, clinical development, regulatory strategy, and rare disease medicine. Throughout his career, he has played key leadership roles in advancing innovative therapies from early clinical research through regulatory approval.
Before joining Secretome Therapeutics, Dr. Singh served in senior clinical development leadership positions at Sarepta Therapeutics, where he helped oversee programs focused on rare genetic diseases and advanced therapeutic technologies.
Prior to his work at Sarepta, he held positions of increasing responsibility at Sanofi/Genzyme, contributing to the development of multiple cell and gene therapy programs.
His extensive experience includes:
- Clinical trial design
- Regulatory interactions
- Product development strategy
- Rare disease therapeutics
- Cell and gene therapy development
- Product approvals
The company believes Dr. Singh’s expertise will be instrumental in guiding STM-01 through advanced clinical development and future regulatory submissions.
David Chapman Joins as Senior Vice President of Operations
Secretome has also appointed David Chapman as Senior Vice President of Operations.
Chapman brings more than three decades of executive leadership experience across the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in both the United States and Europe.
His responsibilities will include developing the operational infrastructure needed to support Secretome’s expanding clinical programs while preparing the company for future commercial operations.
Throughout his career, Chapman has held senior leadership roles at several major pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations, including:
- Zambon USA
- Agios Pharmaceuticals
- AMAG Pharmaceuticals/COVIS
- Reata Pharmaceuticals
- Boehringer Ingelheim
- Pfizer
His professional background spans numerous critical business functions, including:
- Commercial strategy
- Market access
- Product launches
- Business development
- Alliance management
- Government affairs
- Organizational expansion
Notably, Chapman has participated in more than 20 commercial product launches across therapeutic areas such as rare diseases, hematology, cardiovascular medicine, neurology, pulmonary diseases, and specialty pharmaceuticals.
His commercial expertise is expected to help Secretome prepare for the potential future commercialization of its investigational therapies.
Dr. Karin Lucas Appointed Vice President of Medical Affairs
The company has also strengthened its medical affairs organization with the appointment of Dr. Karin Lucas as Vice President of Medical Affairs.
Dr. Lucas possesses more than 20 years of biotechnology experience across multiple disciplines, including:
- Medical affairs
- Scientific communications
- Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC)
- Scientific education
- Stakeholder engagement
- Product launch support
Before joining Secretome Therapeutics, she held leadership positions at:
- Sarepta Therapeutics
- Biogen Idec
- Cardinal Health
- Biotech Primer
Her extensive experience within the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community includes supporting scientific education initiatives, collaborating with healthcare professionals, working alongside patient advocacy organizations, and contributing to the successful development and commercialization of multiple therapies.
At Secretome, Dr. Lucas will oversee medical affairs activities designed to strengthen relationships with clinicians, researchers, advocacy organizations, and the broader medical community while supporting the company’s clinical programs.
Maggie Loeffler Named Vice President of Finance & Administration
Secretome has also expanded its executive leadership by appointing Maggie Loeffler, CPA, as Vice President of Finance & Administration.
Loeffler brings more than two decades of financial leadership experience within the biotechnology industry.
Her responsibilities will include oversight of:
- Corporate finance
- Financial planning
- Accounting
- Human resources
- Administrative operations
- Corporate infrastructure
Throughout her career, she has successfully managed numerous corporate financial initiatives, including:
- Venture capital financing
- Public offerings
- Reverse mergers
- SEC reporting
- Corporate financial planning
Prior to joining Secretome, Loeffler served in senior finance leadership positions at Reata Pharmaceuticals and Reneo Pharmaceuticals, now known as OnKure Therapeutics.
She began her professional career at Ernst & Young, where she built a strong foundation in public accounting and financial management.
Her experience is expected to strengthen Secretome’s financial infrastructure as the company advances toward larger clinical studies and future growth opportunities.
Dr. Marshelle Smith Transitions to Chief Development Officer
Alongside the new executive appointments, Secretome announced an important leadership transition involving Dr. Marshelle Smith.
After serving as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Smith has assumed the newly focused role of Chief Development Officer.
In this position, she will oversee development of Secretome’s regenerative cell therapy pipeline, with a particular emphasis on cardioimmunology and regenerative medicine.
Dr. Smith previously led the successful first-in-human clinical evaluation of STM-01, providing valuable experience that will now be applied across the company’s expanding development portfolio.
Her professional background includes leadership roles at several prominent biotechnology companies, including:
- SQZ Biotechnologies
- Viracta Therapeutics
- Atara Biotherapeutics
- Gilead Sciences
- Amgen
Her expertise spans:
- Clinical development
- Regenerative medicine
- Cardiovascular disease
- Inflammation
- Rare diseases
- Advanced cell therapies
The company believes this transition allows Dr. Smith to dedicate her expertise to advancing Secretome’s long-term research and development strategy.
Advancing STM-01 for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
A major focus for the strengthened leadership team will be the continued advancement of STM-01, Secretome’s lead investigational regenerative therapy.
STM-01 is currently being developed for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare and progressive genetic disorder characterized by severe muscle degeneration, loss of mobility, and shortened life expectancy.
Unlike conventional treatments that primarily slow disease progression or address symptoms, Secretome’s regenerative approach seeks to harness the therapeutic potential of neonatal cardiac progenitor cells and their secreted biological factors to repair damaged tissues and improve muscle function.
The company is preparing to advance STM-01 into late-stage clinical development, making experienced leadership in clinical operations, regulatory strategy, and commercialization increasingly important.
Supporting a Broader Regenerative Medicine Platform
While STM-01 remains the company’s lead clinical asset, Secretome is also developing a broader platform of regenerative therapies based on neonatal cardiac progenitor cells.
The platform is designed to address diseases involving tissue injury, chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, and organ degeneration.
Researchers believe the regenerative properties of neonatal cardiac progenitor cells may offer therapeutic potential across numerous rare and underserved diseases where current treatment options remain limited.
The newly expanded executive team will play a central role in advancing these programs from early research through clinical development and, ultimately, commercialization.
Positioning for Long-Term Success
The addition of experienced executives across clinical development, operations, finance, and medical affairs represents an important milestone in Secretome Therapeutics’ corporate evolution.
Collectively, the new leadership team brings decades of experience developing innovative therapies, navigating complex regulatory environments, launching commercial products, raising capital, and building successful biotechnology organizations.
As Secretome advances STM-01 toward late-stage clinical studies and continues expanding its regenerative medicine platform, the strengthened executive team is expected to provide the strategic leadership necessary to support both near-term development goals and long-term growth.
With expertise spanning rare diseases, advanced biologics, regenerative medicine, commercialization, and corporate operations, Secretome believes it is well positioned to accelerate innovation and pursue its mission of delivering transformative therapies to patients living with serious diseases that currently have few effective treatment options.
About Secretome Therapeutics
Secretome Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Plano, Texas, developing novel therapies derived from neonatal cardiac progenitor cells. The Company’s lead product candidate, STM-01, is a cellular therapy designed to modulate inflammatory and fibrotic pathways and support myocardial function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, dilated cardiomyopathy, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Secretome is also advancing STM-21, a secretome-based therapeutic currently in preclinical development, and other novel nCPC-based products.