NEWARK, DE — Corrixr Therapeutics appointed oncology drug-development executive Nancy Whiting as board chair as the preclinical genetic-medicine company prepares CXR101 for a regulatory filing and initial human testing in squamous cell cancers.
Whiting succeeds Janice E. Nevin, who will remain on Corrixr’s board after retiring as president and chief executive officer of ChristianaCare on Sept. 1. Jenn Schwartz, Nevin’s successor at ChristianaCare, will also join the board, preserving the health system’s role as Corrixr’s founding institutional investor and partner.
Whiting has served as chief executive officer of Recludix Pharma for five years. She previously spent more than 15 years at Seagen, including as executive vice president of corporate strategy and executive vice president of clinical development.
Her appointment comes as Corrixr advances CXR101 toward an investigational new drug application and first-in-human proof-of-mechanism trials. The company did not disclose a timetable for either milestone.
“Nancy brings to the board the extensive oncology development and commercial experience Corrixr needs as it moves toward the clinic,” Nevin stated.
Whiting described the program as having the potential to follow the development path of other oncology medicines she has helped advance, while noting that Corrixr is entering a more demanding stage of clinical and regulatory execution.
Corrixr is developing CXR101 to target NRF2, a transcription factor that the company identifies as persistently overactive in lung, head and neck, and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.
Rather than attempting to inhibit NRF2 protein activity with a small molecule, CXR101 is designed to disrupt the genetic mechanism that sustains NRF2 activity. The treatment is delivered locally through ionizable lipid nanoparticles, according to the company.
Corrixr contends that the approach could affect tumor survival, proliferation, immune evasion and metabolic activity while limiting systemic exposure. Those claims remain subject to clinical testing because CXR101 has not yet entered human trials.
The company originated from ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute and remains privately held. Financial terms tied to Whiting’s appointment were not disclosed.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.