Halda Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in New Haven, Connecticut, has announced the appointment of Dr. Eyal Attar as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Attar brings over 25 years of biotechnology R&D and clinical trial experience to the company, which is developing a novel class of cancer therapies called RIPTAC™ (Regulated Induced Proximity Targeting Chimeras).
Christian Schade, President and CEO of Halda Therapeutics, expressed enthusiasm about the appointment: "Dr. Attar is a seasoned biotechnology industry veteran, and we are thrilled for him join the Halda team at this exciting time. As Halda advances our novel small molecule RIPTAC modality in clinical studies, the breadth of Eyal's clinical development and R&D strategy experience will be instrumental to achieving our ambitious development goals and future success."
Dr. Attar commented on his new role: "Halda's novel RIPTAC small molecule platform is a new and exciting modality in the treatment of patients with cancer and other serious diseases. I look forward to working with the outstanding team at Halda and with clinical partners to advance the current clinical study in prostate cancer, the future RIPTAC development program in breast cancer, in addition to advancing this modality to patients with a range of other serious diseases."
Dr. Attar's Extensive Industry Experience
Prior to joining Halda, Dr. Attar served as CMO of Vor Bio, a publicly traded, clinical-stage cell and genome engineering company developing therapeutics for cancer patients. His previous roles include senior vice president and CMO at Aprea Therapeutics, where he led research program development, clinical development, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory filings.
Dr. Attar also held multiple positions in clinical development at Agios Pharmaceuticals, contributing to solid tumor oncology and hematologic malignancy programs and the successful filing of multiple Investigational New Drug (IND) applications.
His clinical background includes serving as an attending hematologist/oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, specializing in leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and other hematologic malignancies. Dr. Attar completed fellowship training at Dana-Farber Cancer Center and residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He received his medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
Advancing HLD-0915 for Prostate Cancer
Halda is currently enrolling patients in a first-in-human, Phase 1/2 clinical trial (NCT06800313) evaluating HLD-0915 for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This open-label, multi-center trial aims to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and anti-tumor activity of orally administered HLD-0915 as a single agent.
The study includes an initial Phase 1 dose escalation component to determine the maximum tolerated dose and/or recommended dose for expansion, followed by a Phase 2 expansion cohort to further evaluate efficacy and safety.
The RIPTAC Platform: A Novel "Hold and Kill" Mechanism
HLD-0915 represents Halda's innovative approach to cancer treatment through its proprietary RIPTAC platform. This bifunctional small molecule therapy is designed to selectively target prostate cancer tumor cells by creating a ternary complex that holds together the androgen receptor (a tumor-specific intracellular targeting protein) and an essential function protein (effector protein).
This mechanism drives the formation of new, or neomorphic, protein-protein interactions that disrupt essential functions within cancer cells, resulting in an antitumor effect. The approach is specifically designed to address cancer's ability to evolve bypass mechanisms of resistance, a common limitation of current precision oncology medicines.
In preclinical prostate cancer models, orally delivered HLD-0915 demonstrated promising results, including tumor shrinkage and declines in prostate-specific antigen (PSA), while maintaining a favorable therapeutic index even in models of drug resistance.
Expanding the RIPTAC Pipeline
Beyond prostate cancer, Halda is developing additional RIPTAC therapeutic programs for major solid tumor types, including breast cancer, and other serious diseases. The company's leadership team brings deep expertise in biotechnology, drug discovery, platform innovation, and clinical development to advance these programs.
The appointment of Dr. Attar comes at a pivotal time for Halda as it progresses its lead candidate through clinical development and expands its pipeline of novel therapeutics based on the RIPTAC platform technology.
