8 March 2019 - - US-based biotechnology and regenerative medicine company Humacyte has appointed Chris Fang, M.D., as chief medical officer, the company said.

As a trained physician and veteran industry executive with deep expertise in biologics, Dr. Fang brings nearly two decades of clinical research of innovative products and regulatory experience to Humacyte. Dr. Fang will report to Humacyte president and chief executive officer, Jeffrey Lawson, M.D., Ph.D.

Prior to joining Humacyte, Dr. Fang was the managing partner of Amaris Health, an international technology advisory firm for novel medical technologies, during which he also served as the chief advisor for Acer Inc. Healthcare Business based in Asia.

Previously, Dr. Fang served as worldwide vice president, strategic medical affairs and medical sciences for DePuy Synthes Spine and Trauma, a Johnson and Johnson company.

In this role, Dr. Fang served on the Management board of Spine and Trauma business units, where he managed the clinical evidence and product safety strategy, spanning responsibilities for new product development, health economics and business development.

Dr. Fang has also served in senior executive roles at several leading global medical technology organizations, including Medtronic Vascular and Mitsubishi Pharma.

Humacyte, a privately held company founded by Dr. Laura E. Niklason, M.D., Ph.D., in 2004, is a medical research, discovery and development company with clinical and pre-clinical stage investigational products.

Humacyte is primarily focused on developing and commercialising a proprietary novel technology based on human tissue-based products for key applications in regenerative medicine and vascular surgery.

The company uses its innovative, proprietary platform technology to engineer human, extracellular matrix-based tissues that can be shaped into tubes, sheets, or particulate conformations, with properties similar to native tissues.

These are being developed for potential use in many specific applications, with the goal to significantly improve treatment outcomes for many patients, including those with vascular disease and those requiring hemodialysis. The company's proprietary technologies are designed to create off-the-shelf products that, once approved, can be utilized in any patient.