Lars Damstrup brings extensive experience from designing and executing clinical trials in oncology.
Scandion Oncology (Scandion), a biotech company developing first-in-class medicines aimed at treating cancer which is resistant to current treatment options, has appointed Lars Damstrup as the company’s new Chief Medical Officer (CMO). He will report to CEO Francois Martelet as a member of Scandion’s Executive Management and assume his new position after transition with current CMO Alfredo Zurlo.
Lars Damstrup is a medical doctor and specialist in oncology and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Copenhagen. He has worked with clinical development of new cancer treatments for more than 20 years in companies like Novartis, Genmab, Debiopharm and Topotarget and been Senior Medical Director in Merck Serono and Symphogen.
Lars Damstrup’s immediate priority at Scandion will be the continued execution of the CORIST phase IIa trial, which studies Scandion’s lead compound SCO-101 as a combination treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. The trial is ongoing according to plan with good patient recruitment. It is a dose finding trial yet signals of efficacy have been observed. Topline results are still expected during the second half of 2023.
“I am very excited to welcome Lars Damstrup to Scandion to lead the very important work of planning and executing our clinical development, first and foremost of SCO-101. With his experience, Lars is the perfect candidate to ensure the completion of the ongoing part of CORIST and plan the potential future steps, and he will be a strong addition to our management team,” says Francois Martelet, CEO of Scandion.
“I am delighted to be joining Scandion and supporting its work to help fight cancer’s resistance to current treatments. The unmet medical need is huge, and I am looking forward to leveraging my experience in bringing forward new treatments to the patients and helping prolong and improve their lives,” says Lars Damstrup.
Lars Damstrup will be replacing Alfredo Zurlo, who will leave Scandion once he has transitioned his tasks.
“I want to thank Alfredo for his contributions, most notably in designing and optimizing CORIST, and wish him all the best for the future”, says Francois Martelet.
For further information please contact:
Johnny Stilou, CFO
Phone: +45 2960 3532
E-mail: jos@scandiononcology.com
This information is information that Scandion Oncology A/S is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above on September 12, 2023, at 07.00 CET.
Scandion Oncology (Scandion), the Cancer Drug Resistance Company, discovers and develops first-in-class medicines aimed at treating cancer which is resistant to current treatment options. We are at the forefront of this field, developing novel medicines that address cancer’s resistance against treatment. Our aim is to make existing cancer treatments work better and longer, thereby potentially prolonging and improving the life of patients who would otherwise have a high risk of dying from their cancer.
Globally, close to 10 million patients die every year from cancer and approximately 90 percent of all cancer related deaths are due to cancer drug resistance. Our medicines could be relevant in several different cancers. That makes both our medical and commercial potential significant.
Scandion is based in Copenhagen and its lead candidate, SCO-101, is currently being studied in clinical phase I and II trials. The company is listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Sweden (ticker: SCOL).
Västra Hamnen Corporate Finance is the Company's certified advisor on Nasdaq First North Growth Market.