AC Immune SA announced the appointment, as of January 1st, 2024, of Dr. Madiha Derouazi as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Derouazi succeeds the former CSO, Dr. Marie Kosco-Vilbois, who is retiring and will remain with AC Immune as an expert consultant in immunology to ensure continuity and a smooth transition. Dr. Madiha Derouazi, an accomplished immunologist, joins from Speransa Therapeutics where she had been CEO since inception in 2021, leading development of a novel platform of prophylactic vaccines.

Previously, she founded AMAL Therapeutics in 2012, an immuno-oncology company developing a new generation of therapeutic cancer vaccines, and served as CEO and CSO of the company until 2022. Dr. Derouazi led AMAL?s acquisition by Boehringer Ingelheim for EUR 425 million in 2019. She holds a PhD in Cellular Biotechnology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne which was followed by postdoctoral work concentrating on tumor immunology and vaccine development.