Pelage Pharmaceuticals Appoints New Board Member and Expands Executive Leadership Team

Company expands board of directors and makes key leadership promotions to support upcoming late-stage trials of PP405 in androgenetic alopecia

Maykin Ho, Ph.D., appointed to Pelage board of directors

Nathan Wheeler, MPH, appointed Chief Operating Officer

Lisa Sherman promoted to Vice President, Head of Clinical Operations

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage regenerative medicine biotechnology company, today announced the appointment of Maykin Ho, Ph.D., to its board of directors, and the promotions of Nathan Wheeler to Chief Operating Officer and Lisa Sherman to Vice President, Head of Clinical Operations.

“We are pleased to welcome Maykin to Pelage’s board as an independent director and to announce key leadership promotions within our organization,” said Daniel Gil, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Pelage. “Maykin’s industry expertise and strategic guidance will be invaluable as we advance PP405 into late-stage clinical development this year. With a strong team in place, including Nathan and Lisa, whose contributions have been instrumental to our progress, Pelage is poised to build on our positive Phase 2 trial in androgenetic alopecia. We plan to share full data from this trial at an upcoming medical meeting and look forward to continuing to work towards making a meaningful impact for people with hair loss.”

“Pelage’s unique approach to activate dormant hair follicles for promoting hair growth is grounded in stem cell biology. The company is well positioned to develop an innovative treatment for hair loss worldwide,” said Dr. Ho. “I’m thrilled to join Pelage. I look forward to partnering with the rest of the board and the talented leadership team to achieve this ambitious goal.”

Maykin Ho, Ph.D., to board of directors

Dr. Ho has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare and finance industries. She serves on the board of directors for Agios Pharmaceuticals, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Kyntra Bio, Neumora Therapeutics, Parexel, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, and the Institute for Protein Innovation. Dr. Ho is also a venture partner at Aulis Capital and a member of the Biotech Advisory Panel of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. Previously, she was a board member of GRAIL and a venture partner of Qiming Venture Partners. She is a retired partner of the Goldman Sachs Group where she served as senior biotechnology analyst, co-head of healthcare for global investment research and advisory director for healthcare investment banking. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Dr. Ho held various managerial positions in strategic planning, marketing and research at DuPont-Merck Pharmaceuticals and DuPont de Nemours & Company. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. Dr. Ho holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology and a B.S. from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center.

Nathan Wheeler, MPH, as Chief Operating Officer

Nathan joined Pelage in March 2024. A seasoned leader with more than 15 years of experience guiding cross-functional teams and advancing innovative therapies from early discovery to clinical validation, Nathan has played a crucial role in driving the strategy and operations for the company. Prior to Pelage, Nathan served as Head of Project & Portfolio Management at Visus Therapeutics, where he directed late-stage development and managed a diverse ophthalmology pipeline. Previously, Nathan led early-stage portfolio management at Allergan, guiding programs from discovery to clinical proof of concept across multiple therapeutic areas. Nathan holds a Master of Public Health and a B.S. in Kinesiology from California State University, Fullerton.

Lisa Sherman as Vice President, Head of Clinical Operations

Lisa brings over 20 years of experience in clinical research across the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries to her role of Vice President, Head of Clinical Operations at Pelage. Throughout her career, Lisa has held leadership roles spanning academia, regulatory affairs, clinical operations and project management, and has successfully supported multiple New Drug Application (NDA), Biologics License Application (BLA) and Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) submissions. Prior to Pelage, Lisa held roles of increasing responsibility at Kinevant Sciences, Roivant Sciences, and Lexicon Pharmaceuticals. She began her career at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Office of Protocol Research. Lisa holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration Healthcare Management from the University of Phoenix and a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Houston.

About Pelage Pharmaceuticals

Pelage Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company developing first-in-class treatments for hair loss. With a focus on stem cell biology and metabolism, Pelage is advancing a new class of treatments designed to reactivate dormant hair follicle stem cells and restore the body’s ability to naturally grow hair. Its lead program, PP405, is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials in androgenetic alopecia. Through its rigorous scientific foundation, Pelage is pioneering first-in-class hair growth solutions for men and women of all hair types experiencing hair loss.

For more information about Pelage, visit https://pelagepharma.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn and X. To learn more about upcoming trials for PP405, sign up for updates at https://www.pelagepp405.com/.