Valion Bio, Inc. (formerly Tivic Health Systems, Inc.), a clinical-stage immunotherapeutics company developing Entolimod for Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) and oncology supportive care, recently announced the appointment of Melinda Lackey as General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs. Ms. Lackey brings nearly two decades of combined scientific and legal experience across clinical-stage biopharmaceutical development, intellectual property strategy, and Nasdaq public company governance, a profile built for Valion Bio’s current phase of growth.
Ms. Lackey joins from Alaunos Therapeutics, a clinical trial-stage oncology cell therapy company, where she served as Senior Vice President of Legal & Administration. In that role, she managed all legal and compliance functions for the publicly traded immunology company, navigating complex clinical development, regulatory strategy, and capital markets obligations. Prior to Alaunos, she served as Senior Legal Counsel at Kuur Therapeutics, a clinical trial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on cellular immunotherapies, where she developed expertise in the legal architecture of next-generation immunological platforms.
Before transitioning in-house, Ms. Lackey was an associate at Winston & Strawn LLP and Howrey LLP, two firms with nationally recognized intellectual property and life sciences practices, where she built a strong foundation in patent litigation and prosecution, IP portfolio strategy, and biopharmaceutical transactions. Her legal training is further distinguished by an early career as a Research Associate at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and a Research Technician at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. She holds her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center.
The appointment comes as Valion Bio is in the process of advancing Entolimod toward an FDA Animal Rule approval pathway for ARS, and scaling its wholly owned CDMO subsidiary Velocity Bioworks in San Antonio. Ms. Lackey’s transactional, IP, and public company governance experience positions her to support all of these workstreams simultaneously.
“Melinda’s appointment reflects Valion Bio’s direction. She has built her career at the intersection of cutting-edge immunotherapy and the legal strategy that protects it, from the bench at MD Anderson to senior legal leadership at a Nasdaq-listed cell therapy company. As we work to execute our capital raise, advance Entolimod through the Animal Rule pathway, and scale Velocity Bioworks, having an in-house General Counsel with her depth of scientific literacy, IP acumen, and public company experience is a strategic imperative,” said Michael K. Handley, Chief Executive Officer of Valion Bio, Inc.
Ms. Lackey commented, “I am excited to join Valion Bio at such a consequential moment in its evolution. The science behind Entolimod and Entolast is compelling, and the combination of a clinical-stage pipeline, a government-aligned countermeasures program, and a fully operational CDMO subsidiary creates a legal environment that demands both precision and creativity. I look forward to contributing to the company’s mission of activating innate immunity to protect and extend life.”
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