16 March 2018 - - South San Francisco, California-based biotechnology company Meissa Vaccines has appointed Lawrence M. Blatt, Ph.D., MBA as chairman of its board of directors,.
Blatt has more than 29 years of drug research and development experience with a specific focus on biology of the immune system, infectious diseases, antiviral therapies, and relevant therapeutic interventions.
Until recently, he was the global head of infectious diseases and vaccines at Johnson and Johnson. He founded Alios BioPharma, which developed therapies for viral diseases, including respiratory syncytial virus and hepatitis C.
Prior to Alios, he was chief scientific officer of InterMune. He also held successive positions as vice president of research of Sirna/Ribozyme Therapeutics, vice president of product development at National Genetics Institute, and product development team leader, interferons at Amgen.
Blatt achieved a Ph.D. in public health administration from the University of La Verne and completed his MBA from California State University, Northridge.
Privately held Meissa Vaccines is developing vaccines to prevent viral respiratory infections. It is focused on the advancement of vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus. The company is also developing vaccines for parainfluenza virus and human metapneumovirus.