Harbour BioMed, the Hong Kong-listed biopharmaceutical company focused on antibody therapeutics, appointed Dr. Lloyd Klickstein as Scientific Advisor for Immunology effective June 28, 2026. The appointment brings deep clinical expertise and drug-development credentials to the Cambridge, Massachusetts-headquartered firm as it seeks to expand its immunology pipeline, which includes programs spanning from preclinical to late-stage clinical development across autoimmune, inflammatory, and metabolic disease areas.
The company announced the move on June 28, with Dr. Jingsong Wang, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Harbour BioMed, stating that Klickstein's experience in translational science and novel therapeutic target identification would be instrumental in advancing the immunology franchise. Wang noted that Klickstein's tenure at Novartis, where he led the New Indications Discovery Unit within the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, would prove especially valuable. No external search firm was mentioned in the announcement. Klickstein said in his statement that Harbour BioMed's proprietary antibody discovery platforms offered significant potential to address unmet needs in immunological diseases, describing the appointment as occurring at an exciting growth stage for the company.
Klickstein holds degrees from Tufts University and Harvard University, where he received both his M.D. and Ph.D. The 35-plus year veteran of medicine maintained a clinical practice in rheumatology while leading a National Institutes of Health-funded basic science laboratory at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital before transitioning to industry. His pharmaceutical career spans multiple major organizations and therapeutic modalities. He spent more than a decade at Novartis in leadership roles focused on translational medicine and musculoskeletal diseases before moving to resTORbio, where he served as chief scientific officer. He later held the position of chief innovation officer at Adicet Bio, which acquired resTORbio. Most recently, Klickstein co-founded Versanis Bio, where he held multiple executive leadership positions before Eli Lilly completed its acquisition in August 2023 for up to $1.925 billion. Klickstein currently serves as president and chief executive officer of Koslapp Therapeutics, a privately held company focused on cancer prevention.
Harbour BioMed, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under ticker 02142, operates research and development centers across Cambridge, Rotterdam, and Shanghai. The company has built its platform on proprietary antibody technology, including its Harbour Mice transgenic platform that generates fully human monoclonal antibodies in conventional and heavy chain-only formats. The firm has also developed bispecific antibody technology called HBICE, which enables immune cell engagement for tumor-killing effects beyond traditional combination approaches. In recent years, Harbour BioMed has pursued a strategy combining internal research and development, strategic partnerships with multinational pharmaceutical companies including Bristol Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca, and selective acquisitions. The company's pipeline includes batoclimab, an anti-FcRn monoclonal antibody in late-stage clinical development for autoimmune diseases, along with preclinical programs in metabolic and central nervous system disorders.
The appointment reflects Harbour BioMed's intent to deepen scientific leadership in immunology at a time when its immunology pipeline is maturing. The company faces intensifying competition in antibody therapeutics from both established pharmaceutical companies and well-funded biotechnology firms, yet Klickstein's specific expertise in identifying and validating novel immunological targets, combined with his track record advancing molecules from discovery through clinical development, appears designed to accelerate program progression. His simultaneous role as CEO of Koslapp suggests the Harbour BioMed position is advisory rather than full-time executive, which may limit his direct involvement in day-to-day operations. The appointment nonetheless signals the company's confidence in its antibody discovery capabilities and its intention to leverage external scientific expertise to strengthen competitive positioning in immunology.
