DiscGenics Inc., a Salt Lake City-based company focused on degenerative diseases of the spine, has announced a leadership transition.
Co-founder Flagg Flanagan is retiring as board chairman and CEO after 18 years of service, to be succeeded by Dr. Najeeb Thomas as chairman and Robert Wynalek as interim CEO. Dr. Kevin T. Foley will continue to serve as chief medical officer and a member of the board.
DiscGenics is a privately held, late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company developing regenerative cell-based therapies for musculoskeletal degeneration. The company said the leadership transition is designed to support its continued advancement through late-stage clinical development and preparations for potential commercialization.
The company said Flanagan’s vision, perseverance and commitment were instrumental in advancing DiscGenics’s first product candidate, IDCT (rebonuputemcel), from an early scientific concept into a Phase III clinical program. IDCT is an allogeneic, injectable discogenic progenitor cell therapy for symptomatic lumbar disc degeneration.
Flanagan will remain a member of the company’s board.
“Flagg recognized the transformative potential of IDCT and had the determination to advance it from an early scientific concept into a pivotal Phase III clinical program,” Thomas said. “His contribution to DiscGenics over nearly two decades has been extraordinary. This transition preserves the benefit of his experience while providing the focus, accountability, and strategic oversight the company needs for its next stage of development.”
“It has been the privilege of my career to help build DiscGenics and advance IDCT to this important stage,” Flanagan said. “I am proud of what our team has accomplished and remain deeply committed to the company, our mission, and the patients we hope to serve. I look forward to continuing to support DiscGenics as a member of the board.”
Thomas is an internationally recognized neurosurgeon and experienced investor in early-stage technology, biotechnology, and medical device companies, with several successful exits and a record of leading fundraising rounds. He is managing member of Southern Brain & Spine and co-founder, chairman and medical director of Crescent City Surgical Centre. He also serves on Geneoscopy’s board and as director and vice chairman of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Foundation.
Since joining DiscGenics as chief operating officer and a member of the board in 2010, Wynalek has helped lead nearly every aspect of the company’s development, including clinical operations, manufacturing, quality, regulatory execution and corporate strategy.
“DiscGenics has significant momentum, a deeply committed team and a clear set of priorities,” Wynalek said. “I am honored to serve as interim CEO and will remain focused on disciplined execution of our pivotal Phase III program, clinical manufacturing, and the operational and regulatory work needed to advance IDCT toward commercialization.”
Foley, a DiscGenics co-founder, is a practicing neurosurgeon, medical technology entrepreneur and internationally recognized innovator in minimally invasive spine surgery. He serves as chairman of Semmes-Murphy Neurologic & Spine Institute and is a tenured professor of neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and biomedical engineering at the University of Tennessee. He has more than 190 issued U.S. patents.
