A new CEO for Dendright

Brisbane-based pharmaceutical biotech Dendright has appointed Helen Roberts as its new CEO.

Roberts has more than 20 years’ experience in drug development and commercialisation roles in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, having worked with Implicit Bioscience, Agenix, Merck, Sharp & Dohme and Lederle Laboratories, now part of Pfizer.

Roberts’ new appointment follows the recent announcement of Dendright’s continuing collaboration with Janssen to support the preclinical development of Dendright’s immune tolerising treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

“I am excited to be joining Dendright and such a high-quality team as the company transitions to its next stage of corporate growth,” said Roberts in a statement.

“The next stage will require a dedicated execution of our manufacturing, preclinical and regulatory plans and I look forward to helping the team achieve these goals as well as building the company’s franchise in autoimmunity. Dendright’s technology is potentially ‘disruptive’ changing the paradigm of care in autoimmune management and we are very focused on ensuring that its therapeutic value is realised so patients derive maximal benefit.”

Roberts will continue to provide product development support in an ongoing role with Implicit Bioscience where she has worked for six years as vice president, antibody therapeutics development and previously as vice president, business development.

Dendright was established in 2005 and received grants from the Queensland Government’s Innovation Start-up Scheme and the Australian Government’s Biotechnology Innovation Fund to support Professor Ranjeny Thomas and her team’s work on vaccine technology to treat autoimmune diseases.