HOOKIPA Pharma Inc. announced that Katia Schlienger, M.D., Ph.D., is stepping down from her position as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to pursue new opportunities, effective September 30. Malte Peters, M.D., a current member of the Board of Directors of HOOKIPA, will lead HOOKIPA?s clinical activities ad interim as Senior Clinical Advisor until a CMO search is complete. During this time, Dr. Peters will remain a member of the HOOKIPA Board of Directors.

Dr. Peters is a seasoned executive with deep experience in bringing new therapies to patients. He retired from his role as Chief Research and Development Officer at MorphoSys in 2022. Prior, Dr. Peters was Global Head of Clinical Development of the biopharmaceuticals business unit of Sandoz in Germany and spent 12 years in leadership positions at Novartis Oncology.

He was responsible for multiple development programs and clinical trials at Novartis, contributing to the approval of 28 cancer therapies. He is board certified in internal medicine and earned his medical degree from Freie Universität in Berlin, with a postdoctoral fellowship in Toronto.