Maxion names Stefan Härtle as chief development officer

Cambridge, UK-based Maxion Therapeutics today announced the appointment of Dr Stefan Härtle as chief development officer, effective immediately.

The biotechnology company is developing antibody-based KnotBody drugs for ion channel and G protein coupled receptor (GPCR)-driven diseases.
Dr Härtle brings almost 20 years of pharmaceutical research and development experience to Maxion, most recently serving as head of clinical pharmacology at Germany’s MorphoSys, which was acquired by Novartis for $2.9 billion in February 2024. Throughout his career, Dr Härtle has led numerous projects from early research through Phase IV clinical trials and played a key role in the development of several therapeutics in late-stage development or approved drugs including the anti-CD38 antibody felzartamab and the anti-CD19 antibody tafasitamab.
Prior to joining Maxion, Dr Härtle played a key role on the scientific advisory board for Human Immunology Biosciences (HI-Bio), which was successfully acquired by Biogen in July 2024. His expertise spans early and late clinical development including clinical pharmacology, toxicology, PK/PD simulations and bioanalysis complemented by a deep understanding of quality assurance, CMC and health authority processes. Earlier in his career Dr Härtle held various positions in the DMPK field at Boehringer Ingelheim.

“We are delighted to welcome Stefan to Maxion at this pivotal time in our company's development. His exceptional track record in advancing novel therapeutics from discovery through clinical development aligns perfectly with our mission as we prepare to move our KnotBody platform into the clinic,” commented Maxion chief executive Dr Arndt Schottelius.
“I am excited to join Maxion Therapeutics and work alongside their talented team to advance their ground-breaking KnotBody technology. Throughout my career, I've been passionate about developing innovative therapies that address significant unmet medical needs, and Maxion's approach to targeting ion channels and GPCRs represents a tremendous opportunity to create truly transformative treatments,” Dr Härtle added.

In March 2025, Maxion announced that it had raised $72 million in an oversubscribed Series A financing to advance its KnotBody pipeline and platform.