Macrophage Pharma Limited, a company focused on the discovery and development of next-generation small molecules aiming to modulate immune responses to combat cancer and other diseases, has named Dr Michael Moore as its new non-executive chairman with immediate effect, it was reported yesterday.

Dr Moore has extensive experience in drug discovery and development and is presently a non-executive director of several private and public bioscience companies, including Mission Therapeutics, of which he was founder chairman, NASDAQ-listed Trillium Therapeutics Inc. and Mironid Limited. He is presently chairman of Chronos Therapeutics and was founder chairman of PsiOxus Therapeutics. He was previously CEO of Piramed, acquired by Roche in 2008, and research director and CSO of Xenova Group plc. Prior to joining the UK biotechnology sector, he had an extensive academic research career, principally at the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research and the University of Manchester Medical School, where he was Honorary Reader in immunology and oncology.

Steven Powell, Macrophage Pharma CEO, said, 'Michael's outstanding track record in building both private and public biotech companies, as well as his expertise and insight into the field of immunology, will be invaluable as we develop and commercialise our proprietary Esterase Sensitive Motif™ (ESM™) platform and evolve into a leading immunology company.'