New York City-based biotech company Tourmaline Bio Inc. (Nasdaq: TRML) has named former Seagen CEO Clay Siegall as its board chairman.
"Adding Clay’s demonstrated leadership to our team strengthens our ability to deliver transformative medicines for patients and positions Tourmaline well for many important milestones ahead,” Sandeep Kulkarni, co-founder and CEO of Tourmaline, said in a news release.
Siegall is now president and CEO of cancer-focused biotech Immunome (Nasdaq: IMNM), a role he assumed after the company earlier this fall merged with biotech firm Morphimmune, which he joined as president and CEO in March. The merged company's new headquarters will be in Bothell.
Siegall's move to Morphimmune nine months ago followed his resignation as president and CEO of Seagen in May 2022 after an arrest in Woodway on suspicion of domestic violence. The city prosecutor later declined to file charges, citing evidence issues.
Tourmaline, which announced Siegall's appointment Thursday, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The company, founded in 2021, is developing a treatment for thyroid eye disease and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The candidate is in phase 2 trials. Tourmaline said it is considering other indications for the treatment candidate.
Siegall co-founded Bothell-based Seagen in 1997 as Seattle Genetics. The company had four approved cancer drugs, which were aimed at Hodgkin lymphoma and bladder, breast and cervical cancer. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. on Thursday closed its $43 billion acquisition of Seagen.
David Epstein, a former Novartis executive, took over as CEO of Seagen in November 2022.
