10.18.22
BiologicsMD announced the appointment of Brett King, MD, PhD, associate professor of Dermatology at Yale Medical School, as its new senior scientific advisor to the company's management team and Board of Directors.
BiologicsMD is a preclinical therapeutic development company focused on highly-targeted treatments for hair loss and bone disorders.
Dr. King will provide scientific, preclinical, clinical, and strategic guidance for the company's drug development programs in male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss, as well as drug-induced alopecia.
How Alopecia Areata Differs from Typical Hair Loss
Androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness in males and female pattern hair loss in women, affects half of all men by the age of 50, and is not as common among women.There are two approved therapies for androgenetic alopecia, but they are not particularly effective. Despite this relatively poor efficacy, consumers spend $4B each year in the U.S. alone on hair loss treatments.
This is why BiologicsMD is working on alternative, more effective treatment options for hair loss disorders.
Alopecia areata, where King's expertise lies, is a different issue, so it responds to different treatments. It's an autoimmune disorder characterized by patchy and often disfiguring hair loss involving the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair.
For a subset of the approximately 6.8 million Americans affected by alopecia areata, the only approved therapeutic is the JAK inhibitor Olumiant (baricitinib, approved June 2022).
King Pioneered Using JAK Inhibitors for Skin Disease
King has more than 10 years of clinical research and medical practice experience in the field of alopecia areata. He has pioneered the use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in dermatology, in particular for alopecia areata, vitiligo, atopic dermatitis and other disorders.He is also a member of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation's Advisory Council—and was recently named American Academy Patient Care Hero, Yale News reports, (And see the LinkedIn post below) for his pioneering work in treating severe alopecia areata.
"I'm impressed by BiologicsMD's vision as well as its innovative therapy, powered by in-depth research that has produced provocative results," Dr. King stated. "I look forward to providing strategic guidance for the management team to advance this cutting-edge science to serve patients worldwide."
King Will Help To Advance BiologicsMD's Research
BiologicsMD is developing a series of recombinant fusion proteins that provide powerful stimulatory effects directly to the target receptors at the point of disease. The company is working on formulation and delivery vehicles for parenteral, local, and topical administration.Its core, patented technology targets physiologically active agents to Type I collagen, found in skin and bone, via fusion to a proprietary collagen-binding domain. BiologicsMD has multiple assets in three therapeutic areas including alopecia, bone repair and spinal fusion, and prevention and treatment of bone metastases in cancer.
"Having Dr. King join our team is a testament to our progress to date," stated J. David Owens, CEO of BiologicsMD. "With Dr. King's insights and profound expertise in hair loss disorders and drug development in alopecia areata, we are confident that BiologicsMD will be able to advance our product development programs, new product areas, and commercialization strategies."
The scientific understanding of hair loss disorders has evolved significantly over the past decade. The newly approved or investigational treatments for alopecia areata involve suppression of the patient's immune system.
While advantageous for hair regrowth, these treatments carry risks of serious infections, mortality, malignancy, major adverse cardiovascular events, and thrombosis.
Perhaps soon BiologicsMD, with the help of Dr. King, will be on its way to developing better treatment options for all types of hair loss.