XyloCor Therapeutics Names Rickey Reinhardt, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer

XyloCor Therapeutics, Inc., a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of gene therapy for unmet needs in cardiovascular disease, strengthens its leadership team with the appointment of Rickey Reinhardt, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Reinhardt formerly served as Chief Medical Officer for Comet Therapeutics where he led the strategy and execution of clinical development programs and provided oversight of regulatory affairs.

“Dr. Reinhardt’s broad and deep experience as a scientist and clinical drug developer will be invaluable to XyloCor as we advance our novel gene therapy programs,” said Al Gianchetti, President and Chief Executive Officer of XyloCor. “His proven success in driving drug development from discovery through phase 4 in areas such as oncology, cardiometabolics and rare diseases, including several clinical-stage gene therapy programs, will be a tremendous asset to our company.”

With more than 22 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Reinhardt will focus on clinical development of XyloCor’s pipeline and its lead candidate, XC001, for the treatment of refractory angina. During his tenure at Comet Therapeutics, Dr. Reinhardt led the company’s clinical development efforts focused on inborn errors of metabolism. Previously, he served as Vice President of Clinical Research and Development at REGENXBIO where he led the cross-functional team in charge of driving multiple gene therapy programs for the treatment of rare metabolic genetic and ophthalmology diseases.

Prior to joining REGENXBIO, Dr. Reinhardt served as Vice President and Head of Clinical and Alternative Development Programs at GlaxoSmithKline where he directed the development and successful global approvals of Tanzeum/Eperzan for the treatment of diabetes. While at GSK, he also led the European approval of the first ex-vivo gene therapy for the treatment of severe combined immunodeficiency, Strimvellis, and expanded the label for Nucala to include the treatment of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). Dr. Reinhardt has also held senior positions at Covance and Novo Nordisk. At Novo Nordisk, he spent 11 years in the Clinical Pharmacology, Clinical Research and Medical Affairs departments in which several biologics for the treatment of diabetes and obesity were brought to commercialization.

“I am excited to join XyloCor to lead the clinical development team as we work to uncover the potential of our pipeline,” said Dr. Reinhardt. ”XyloCor is poised to be a leader in cardiovascular gene therapy, and I am proud to be part of our effort to bring new advances in the treatment of coronary artery disease.”

Dr. Reinhardt began his career in pharmaceuticals at Merck in the clinical pharmacology group where he contributed to the development and approval of EMEND^®. Prior to entering the industry, he spent 11 years as a bench scientist and in academia, which included serving as Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nutrition at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of Rutgers University, and as a Senior Medical Staff Fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

He received both his medical degree and PhD from Louisiana State University and holds a BS in biochemistry from the University of California – Los Angeles. He completed his endocrinology fellowship at the NIH and his residency in internal medicine at George Washington Hospital in Washington, DC. Dr. Reinhardt has published more than 80 papers, abstracts, reviews and book chapters. He holds board certifications in both internal medicine and endocrinology. – Bio Space