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Aileron Therapeutics brings
first-in-class therapies for orphan pulmonary and fibrosis conditions.

Developing novel medicines to provide better treatment options for patients with life-threatening pulmonary conditions

Aileron is advancing a pipeline to address significant unmet medical needs in orphan pulmonary and fibrosis diseases with LTI-03 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and LTI-01 for loculated pleural effusion (LPE).

LTI-03: A Pioneering Compound Treatment for IPF

IPF is a chronic lung disease characterized by progressive tissue scarring that prevents proper lung function.

LTI-03 operates through a novel mechanism of action by targeting healthy epithelial cells and profibrotic proteins. LTI-03 promotes the protection of lung epithelium while inhibiting fibroblast growth and expansion.

LTI-03 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b clinical trial in patients recently diagnosed with IPF.

LTI-01: First-in-Class Treatment for LPE

A pleural effusion is defined by the build-up of fluid in the pleural cavity, predominantly resulting from pneumonia. An LPE occurs when scar tissue forms in the pleural cavity, trapping the fluid and preventing drainage. LTI-01 is a proenzyme, or zymogen, designed to slowly activate in the pleural space and break up the scar tissue, allowing for drainage of the pleural effusion. We believe this unique mechanism can help efficacy and provide dosing convenience, while avoiding significant bleeding side effects which can occur in off-label use of fibrinolytics for the treatment of LPE.

LTI-01 has been evaluated in Phase 1b and Phase 2 clinical trials in patients with infected, non-draining LPEs. LTI-01 has received Orphan Drug Designation in the US and EU for the treatment of empyemas and Fast Track Designation in the US.

Scientific Posters

ICLF | October 16, 2024

Inhalation of LTI-03 modulates multiple targets in a Phase 1b placebo-controlled clinical trial for IPF

View Poster


ICLF | October 16, 2024

Anti-fibrotic activity of Caveolin-1 scaffolding domain peptide LTI-03 in IPF precision cut lung slices

View Poster

Management Team

President and CEO
Brian Windsor headshot

Prior to being appointed President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Windsor previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Aileron since October 2023. Prior to Aileron, he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Lung since July 2013. From September 2019 to March 2022, Dr. Windsor served as a director and the Chief Science Officer of TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFFP), a public biopharmaceutical company that Lung spun out into an independent company. From January 2018 to March 2022, Dr. Windsor provided consulting services to TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in the areas of science and technology. From November 2009 to March 2013, Dr. Windsor served as President of Enavail, LLC, a specialty pharmaceutical manufacturing company, where he oversaw all aspects of the company’s pharmaceutical drug development. Before joining Enavail, Dr. Windsor directed portfolio company management for Emergent Technologies, Inc., an early stage technology venture creation and management company, where he served as Managing Director or President for ten portfolio companies. Dr. Windsor holds a B.S. and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from The University of Texas at Austin.

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Cory M. Hogaboam is a Professor of Medicine in the Women’s Guild Lung Institute at Cedars Sinai Medical Center (CSMC).  His research group at CSMC currently employs genomic, proteomic and bioinformatic approaches to analyze mechanisms contributing to fibrotic and immune system-directed responses in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), lung cancer, sarcoid, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and post-acute sequalae of COVID-19 (PASC) lung fibrosis  utilizing human tissue- and blood-derived cells including fibroblasts, mesenchymal progenitors and various immune cell types that are typically present in abundance in these pulmonary diseases.  His group also uses novel in vivo translational approaches through the establishment of humanized SCID mouse models of IPF, cancer, asthma, and PASC-fibrosis.   He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Calgary, AB, Canada in 1989. He also holds a Doctorate in Pharmacology (1993) from the same institution. Dr. Hogaboam then engaged in Postdoctoral training in Immunology at McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada from 1993 to 1996.  In 1996, Dr. Hogaboam joined the faculty of the Department of Pathology at the University of Michigan Medical School as a Visiting Scholar. He became a faculty member of the Department at the rank of Research Investigator in 1998, Assistant Professor in 2002, Associate Professor in 2004, and full Professor in 2008.  Dr. Hogaboam joined the faculty of Medicine at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in September of 2013.  Dr. Hogaboam is a member of several professional organizations including the American Association of Immunologists, and the American Thoracic Society.  He is presently serving on the editorial board of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight, and Fibrosis.  Dr. Hogaboam has authored or co-authored approximately 305 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 41 book chapters, and 202 published abstracts.  He has authored or co-authored 7 patents on therapeutic interventions for lung and liver.  Dr. Hogaboam has received financial research support from the National Institutes of Health, American Lung Association, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and several Industry sponsors.

Board of Directors

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PAREXEL

Mr. von Rickenbach joined Aileron’s board of directors in June 2019. He has built a long and successful career in the drug development industry. Last year, he retired after 35 years as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PAREXEL, one of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical service providers with about 19,000 employees and operations in more than 50 countries. Mr. von Rickenbach co-founded PAREXEL in 1982, led the company through its IPO in late 1995 and more than 40 mergers and acquisitions. Pamplona Capital Management, a private equity firm, took PAREXEL private for approximately $5 billion in September 2017. Mr. von Rickenbach started his career at Schering-Plough, Inc., and held positions at 3M (East), a division of 3M Company, and ERCO (later ENSECO), Inc. Currently the Managing Director of stet vision LLC, Mr. von Rickenbach recently was co-Founder, President & CEO of Helio Vision, Inc., a Boston-based ophthalmic biopharma company developing a therapy for proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), that merged into Aldeyra, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALDX) in early 2019. Mr. von Rickenbach serves on the Board of Trustees of McLean Hospital and on the Board of Directors of NEHI (Network for Excellence in Health Innovation). Mr. von Rickenbach received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Business Economics from Lucerne University in Switzerland.

Former Global Head, Novartis Venture Funds

Reinhard Ambros has served as a member of our board of directors since June 2013. Dr. Ambros retired from Novartis Venture Funds after serving as global head from August 2005 until September 2017. He previously served as head of group strategic planning for Novartis AG, a multinational pharmaceutical company, from 2001 until 2005, and as global head of business development and licensing for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases at Novartis Pharma AG. Dr. Ambros received an M.S. from the University of Regensburg, Germany, and a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry and pharmacology from the University of Regensburg, Germany.

Manuel Aivado served as President and CEO from September 2018 to March of this year. Prior to this, he was SVP, CMO & CSO since September 2014. From March 2012 until September 2014, Dr. Aivado served as vice president of clinical development and pharmacovigilance at Taiho Oncology, Inc. From October 2006 until March 2012, Dr. Aivado served as senior medical director in the clinical development group at GlaxoSmithKline, Inc. In addition, Dr. Aivado was an instructor in medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School. Prior to his industry experience, Dr. Aivado practiced clinical medicine in Germany for ten years, during which time he was awarded the Dr. Mildred Scheel cancer research scholarship award in 2002. Dr. Aivado is a German board-certified physician for internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology, and he received an M.D. and Ph.D. from the Medical School of the University of Dusseldorf, in Germany.

Brian Windsor headshot

Prior to being appointed President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Windsor previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Aileron since October 2023. Prior to Aileron, he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Lung since July 2013. From September 2019 to March 2022, Dr. Windsor served as a director and the Chief Science Officer of TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFFP), a public biopharmaceutical company that Lung spun out into an independent company. From January 2018 to March 2022, Dr. Windsor provided consulting services to TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in the areas of science and technology. From November 2009 to March 2013, Dr. Windsor served as President of Enavail, LLC, a specialty pharmaceutical manufacturing company, where he oversaw all aspects of the company’s pharmaceutical drug development. Before joining Enavail, Dr. Windsor directed portfolio company management for Emergent Technologies, Inc., an early stage technology venture creation and management company, where he served as Managing Director or President for ten portfolio companies. Dr. Windsor holds a B.S. and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from The University of Texas at Austin.

Prior to his election to the Board, Mr. Fairey had, since August 2021, been a member of the board of directors of Lung. Mr. Fairey has served on the board of directors of Mirum Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: MIRM), a public biopharmaceutical company focused on the identification, acquisition, development and commercialization of novel therapies for debilitating rare and orphan diseases, since August 2021 and on the board of directors of Ascendis Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ASND), a public biopharmaceutical company organized under the laws of the Kingdom of Denmark, since August 2022. Mr. Fairey served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of MyoKardia, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing targeted therapies for the treatment of serious cardiovascular diseases, from January 2019 to November 2020 prior to its acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) in October 2020. Prior to MyoKardia, from January 2018 to January 2019, Mr. Fairey served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ChemoCentryx, Inc., (Nasdaq: CCXI), a public biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing orally-administered therapeutics to treat autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders and cancer. During that time, Mr. Fairey was responsible for the sales, marketing, medical affairs and market access functions, including commercialization of late stages compounds. Prior to ChemoCentryx, Mr. Fairey served in various roles at Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a pharmaceutical company, and its subsidiaries, from January 2001 to December 2017. Actelion was acquired by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) in 2017. Mr. Fairey holds a B.S. in biology from the University of Oregon and an M.B.A. from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Prior to his election to the Board, Mr. Musso had, since April 2022, been a member of the board of directors of Lung. Since August 2023, Mr. Musso has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Fulcrum Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FULC), a public clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients with genetically defined rare diseases in areas of high unmet medical need. Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of ReViral Ltd., a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel antiviral therapeutics that target respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that was acquired by Pfizer Inc. in June 2022, from October 2019 until September 2022. Prior to ReViral, from September 2018 to September 2019, Mr. Musso was the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at Peloton Therapeutics Inc., a company focused on the development of novel small molecule therapeutic candidates for the treatment of cancer. While at Peloton, Mr. Musso helped to prepare the company for an initial public offering until the company was acquired by Merck & Co. in July 2019. Prior to Peloton, from November 2014 to August 2018, Mr. Musso served as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a public biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing novel, controllable cellular immunotherapies for various forms of cancer. Prior to Bellicum, from February 2002 to November 2014, Mr. Musso served in various positions at Targacept, Inc., a public biopharmaceutical company. Mr. Musso spent the early part of his career as a Senior Internal Auditor for Pfizer as well as a Certified Public Accountant for KPMG International. Mr. Musso holds a B.S. in Accounting from Saint Mary’s College of California and a Master’s Degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

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