CHARM Therapeutics Appoints Dr Erkut Bahceci as Chief Medical Officer
PRESS RELEASE
CHARM Therapeutics Appoints Dr Erkut Bahceci as Chief Medical Officer
LONDON – 8 September 2025 -- CHARM Therapeutics (“CHARM”, “The Company”), announces the appointment of Dr Erkut Bahceci as Chief Medical Officer. Erkut’s appointment follows CHARM’s $80 million Series B financing, co-led by NEA and SR One, to advance its next generation menin inhibitor into clinical development.
As Chief Medical Officer, Erkut will lead clinical development strategy and execution as CHARM advances its lead menin inhibitor, a potential new treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), toward first-in-human studies, with clinical development expected to start in 2026.
Erkut brings more than two decades of experience in hematology, oncology, and stem cell transplantation. He has led global drug development programs through early and late-stage trials, including regulatory submissions and approvals in oncology. He joins CHARM from BlueSphere Bio, where he served as Chief Medical Officer, overseeing clinical development in hematologic malignancies, rare diseases, and solid tumors.
Prior to BlueSphere Bio, Erkut served as Senior Vice President and Head of Oncology Development at Takeda Oncology, and as Vice President Medical Science-Hematology at Astellas Pharma US, where he led the clinical development of gilteritinib. He also held senior medical leadership roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb and Bayer HealthCare.
Erkut earned his Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Marmara University.
Gary Glick, Executive Chair of CHARM Therapeutics, said: “We welcome Erkut to CHARM at an important time for the Company. Our next-generation menin inhibitor, discovered using our proprietary protein–ligand co-folding platform, DragonFold, is designed to overcome resistance mutations and deliver deeper, more durable responses for patients with AML. Erkut’s leadership experience in oncology drug development and regulatory strategy will be critical as we move into the clinic.”
Dr. Erkut Bahceci, Chief Medical Officer at CHARM Therapeutics, added: “CHARM’s approach to next generation menin inhibition offers potential to address all known resistance mutations. I am excited to be working with the team to advance this exciting approach into clinical development to deliver meaningful benefit for patients with AML.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
CHARM Therapeutics
Dr Beverley Carr, Chief Business Officer
ICR Healthcare
Amber Fennell / Jessica Hodgson / Davide Salvi
Phone: 44 (0)20 3709 5700
About CHARM Therapeutics
Founded by Laksh Aithani and David Baker, CHARM Therapeutics is a biotechnology company pioneering the next generation of precision oncology treatments through its proprietary AI-driven drug discovery platform.
CHARM's lead program is a next-generation menin inhibitor for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Unlike first-generation menin inhibitors that rapidly lose potency due to menin resistance mutations, CHARM's candidates are specifically designed to maintain potency against all known clinical resistance mutations, potentially delivering the durable responses that patients desperately need.
Based in Cambridge and London, CHARM has raised over $150 million from leading international investors including New Enterprise Associates (NEA), SR One, OrbiMed, F-Prime and Khosla Ventures. The company is advancing its lead menin inhibitor candidate toward clinical development in early 2026.
For more information, please visit: www.charmtx.com
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