Spero Therapeutics Hires Former Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) Anti-Infectives Program Chief

Melissa Stundick Joins Leadership Team as Head of Strategic Alliances

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 19, 2016 /CNW/ -- Spero Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company founded to develop novel therapies for the treatment of bacterial infections, announced the appointment of Melissa Stundick, Ph.D., to the newly created leadership position of Head of Strategic Alliances.

In her new post, Dr. Stundick will navigate partnerships between Spero Therapeutics and other pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and government entities, and set objectives for collaborations. In addition, she will identify new opportunities as part of Spero's ongoing efforts to create novel treatments to combat antibiotic resistance.

"The considerable expertise Dr. Stundick brings to our team represents a significant step toward becoming a global, clinical stage company," said Ankit Mahadevia, M.D., Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Spero. "Melissa combines her deep understanding of the problem of antibiotic resistance with a broad knowledge of companies and organizations involved in complementary efforts that may serve as strategic partners for us in the future."

In her previous role as Chief of the Anti-Infectives Program at the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Dr. Stundick was responsible for forming public-private partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies engaged in the development of anti-bacterials, antivirals and anti-toxins. Prior to HHS, Dr. Stundick was a lead analyst at Booz Allen where she provided scientific consultation to The Department of State, The National Center for Medical Intelligence and other organizations. Dr. Stundick received a PhD in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Bates College.

"At BARDA, I saw many different approaches to solving the growing issue of antibiotic resistance and look forward to using this knowledge to help Spero advance its pipeline of innovative products," said Melissa Stundick, Ph.D., Head of Strategic Alliances at Spero. "I'm honored to join a high-powered team with a novel approach to tackling these problems."

About Spero
Spero is a biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of novel treatments for bacterial infections and is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company's pipeline of anti-infective agents is one of the most unique in the industry-focused exclusively on Gram-negative bacterial infections. Spero is pioneering an entirely new therapeutic platform called the Potentiator; this approach has yielded multiple molecules that enhance the utility and potency of many classes of existing drugs to include Gram-negative organisms. Spero's DHFR program is exploring the expansion of a novel antifolate's antibacterial spectrum to treat trimethoprim resistance isolates including Gram-negative pathogens. And, Spero's MvfR program is exploring the hypothesis of blunting the virulence of bugs, infections, essentially "buying time" so antibiotics can take effect. The investors in Spero include Atlas Ventures, SR One, MRL Ventures, Lundbeckfond Ventures, The Kraft Group, and The Partners Innovation Fund. For more information, please visit www.sperotherapeutics.com

SOURCE Spero Therapeutics

Spectrum Science Communications: Maia Arnold, PhD, Senior Scientific Executive, 202-955-6222 x2506, [email protected], http://www.sperotherapeutics.com