AELIX Therapeutics Appoints Dr Melanie Rolli as CEO

AELIX Therapeutics S.L. (‘AELIX’), a clinical-stage biotechnology company specialized in the discovery and development of immunotherapies for HIV infection, today announces the appointment of Dr Melanie Rolli as chief executive officer, following the decision of her predecessor, Dr José Luis Cabero, to step down from executive positions at Aelix.

Dr Rolli brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role as CEO – with decades of hands-on experience in the pharmaceutical sector, including various positions of increasing responsibility whilst at Novartis. Dr Rolli said: “I’m excited to join a high-performing team that has achieved a major milestone by translating a biological concept into positive clinical results with their first clinical trial. Our goal now is to advance the program and bring an innovative HIV functional cure therapy to patients.”

This appointment follows the company’s March 2021 announcement of positive topline results in the AELIX-002 Phase I/II clinical trial. The strong data represent a major breakthrough development in the field and the results support Aelix’s plans for larger combination trials.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr Melanie Rolli to the team. Her invaluable experience and key skills will further support our ambitions, steer our growth and direct our development programs. We look forward to the next chapter under Melanie’s leadership,” said Dr. Thomas Hecht, chairman of Aelix’ board of directors. “We also want to express a big thank you to José Luis for steering the ship over the last few years,” Dr. Hecht added.

The positive results from the clinical trial support further development of combination strategies based on the HTI vaccine, with the aim of controlling HIV without the need for continued antiretroviral medication. Aelix plans to rapidly conduct multiple clinical trials including the ongoing collaboration phase II study with Gilead Sciences that combines the HTI vaccine with the TLR-7 agonist Vesatolomid.

The appointment of Dr Rolli will support Aelix’s vision of positioning HTI vaccines for future cure strategies and becoming the front-runner in HIV treatment by bringing a therapeutic vaccine to the market.