VALANX Biotech names Klaus Orlinger as chief scientific officer

Austrian biotech VALANX Biotech has appointed Klaus Orlinger as chief scientific officer, reinforcing its leadership as the company advances its first antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), VLX-ADC-001, toward candidate selection. The move signals VALANX’s shift from technology development to therapeutic application of its GoldenSite platform.

Mr Orlinger, who brings more than 15 years’ experience in oncology and infectious disease research, will lead the company’s scientific strategy and expansion of its proprietary conjugation platform. The GoldenSite technology uses synthetic biology and click chemistry to enable rapid and precise protein conjugation, with the aim of producing novel biotherapeutics that have improved safety and efficacy profiles.

He joins VALANX from HOOKIPA Pharma (Nasdaq: HOOK), where he helped steer immuno-oncology and infectious disease programs from early research through Phase I and II clinical studies in the USA and Europe. During his tenure, he played a key role in taking HOOKIPA from a start-up to a clinical-stage biotech and guiding it through its IPO.