Dr. Alexander Schmidt Appointed Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development of the Gates Medical Research Institute

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) today announced the appointment of Alexander Schmidt, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Head of Development, effective April 1, 2025. He has been serving as interim CMO and Head of Development since January 1, 2025.

Dr. Schmidt joined the Gates MRI in 2018 as Head of Translational Science and Clinical Development Leader and later went on to become Head of Vaccine Development where he has played a key role in the development of the investigational M72/AS01E tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, which is currently being evaluated in a multi-country Phase 3 trial.

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Schmidt's continued leadership as our CMO, allowing him to build upon the strong impact he's had on our organization since joining in 2018," said Patrice Matchaba, MD, Chief Executive Officer of the Gates MRI. "Dr. Schmidt has over 20 years of experience in vaccine development and brings a deep understanding of global health, epidemiology, and clinical development to address the high unmet need for solutions to diseases that continue to threaten the Global South. His leadership in the development and advancement of our M72/AS01E TB vaccine candidate has been invaluable, and we look forward to his guidance as the Phase 3 trial continues while advancing work across all of our research priorities."

"I am excited to have the opportunity to continue my work with the Gates MRI and to contribute to addressing important global health needs," said Alexander Schmidt, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development of the Gates MRI. "I look forward to working with my colleagues, our funders, and our partners around the world as we aim to reduce the burden of TB, malaria, and other health problems worldwide."

Dr. Schmidt is a pediatrician and virologist by training. He spent the first ten years of his research career in the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He then moved into the biopharmaceutical industry where he served as Director and Senior Director in Clinical Research and Translational Science at GSK Vaccines, leading clinical development programs for dengue, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus vaccines.

The Gates MRI is an affiliate of the Gates Foundation.

The Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI)

The Gates Medical Research Institute is a non-profit medical research organization dedicated to the development and effective use of novel biomedical interventions addressing substantial global health concerns, for which investment incentives are limited, such as malaria and tuberculosis. For further information please visit www.gatesmri.org.

For more information, contact:
media@gatesmri.org

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SOURCE The Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI)