Holostem Terapie Avanzate Srl appoints Dr Marco Dieci as CEO

MODENA, ITALY – January 26, 2018 – Holostem Terapie Avanzate S.r.l. – a spin-off founded in 2008 by University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. and Professors Michele De Luca and Graziella Pellegrini – today announced the appointment of Dr. Marco Dieci as Chief Executive Officer. Holostem Terapie Avanzate is the first biotechnological company dedicated to the development, manufacture, registration and distribution of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) based on cultures of epithelial stem cells both for cell therapy and gene therapy.

Dr. Marco Dieci started his career at Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA, also by collaborating in the research and development of one of the most prestigious projects of the pharmaceutical company based in Parma: it was a surfactant indicated for prevention and treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants.

Dr. Dieci worked at MolMed S.p.A (Milan) for over a decade, where he took over as Director of Industrial Operations, managing the GMP development of all MolMed’s proprietary products as well as projects for external companies such as Telethon, GSK and San Raffaele Hospital.

His last professional commitment led to the design, construction and start-up of the GMP Facility at the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital (Rome), which obtained the authorization to produce ATMPs for cell and gene therapy in clinical trials for childhood diseases such as Leukemia and Neuroblastoma.

“On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to welcome Marco to the Company” –  commented

Dr. Paolo Chiesi, Chair of the Board of Holostem. – “His unique experience in the field of advanced therapies and the extraordinary regulatory know-how in the field of GMPs, matured since this acronym still did not exist, will play a crucial role in strengthening the leadership role in epithelial stem cell-based ATMPs that Holostem is gaining on the international scene”.

Dr. Marco Dieci commented: “I am excited to be the new Chief Executive Officer of such an innovative and pioneering company that has been able to gain the development of scientific high content products through a virtuous collaboration between a public university and a prestigious pharmaceutical company. This model allowed Holostem to obtain outstanding achievements such as the registration – in a very short time – of the first stem cell-based product authorized in the western world (Holoclar ®). It is a real privilege for me to share my whole experience in the ATMPs field with Holostem and internationally renowned scientists – such as Graziella Pellegrini and Michele De Luca – in order to develop new products able to leave a trace in the history of regenerative medicine”.

Holostem Terapie Avanzate manages a 2.000 sq meters GMP-certified laboratory located at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine “Stefano Ferrari”, owned by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.