Professor Tamera Corte appointed Chief Clinical Advisor
Vectus Biosystems Limited (ASX: VBS) has appointed Professor Tamera Corte as its Chief Clinical Advisor, announced on 9 November 2026.
The appointment comes as the company advances its lead candidate, VB0004, towards a planned adaptive Phase Ib / IIa trial in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). It adds senior clinical expertise as the programme moves towards human trials.
Professor Corte is a respiratory physician and clinical researcher with extensive experience in interstitial lung disease (ILD), including IPF, the initial target indication for VB0004. Her role covers:
- Clinical and strategic advice on Vectus’ development programmes, with an initial focus on VB0004 in IPF
- Proposed responsibilities including advising on clinical trial design, patient selection, clinically relevant endpoints and engagement with investigators
Dr Tara Speranza, CEO & CTO
“We’re thrilled to have someone of Tamera’s calibre to provide key clinical, medical and strategic advice to us at Vectus. Her experience in treating patients with pulmonary fibrosis and evaluating investigational therapies will be particularly valuable…”
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A clinician with deep pulmonary fibrosis credentials
The announcement outlines the following credentials for Professor Corte:
- Director of Interstitial Lung Disease at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
- Clinical Professor at the University of Sydney
- Lead investigator of the Centre of Research Excellence in Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Chair of the Australasian Interstitial Lung Disease Registry
- Co-established the Pulmonary Fibrosis Australasian Clinical Trials Network
- Principal investigator in more than 40 commercially-sponsored ILD clinical trials
- Member of national and international committees involved in ILD clinical trials and treatment guidelines, with participation in global clinical trial steering committees
Her experience in trial design and with investigators bears directly on the areas she is proposed to advise on for the Phase Ib / IIa programme.
Professor Tamera Corte
“There remains a substantial need for additional treatment options for people living with pulmonary fibrosis. Developing new therapies requires carefully designed clinical studies that address both the underlying disease and outcomes that matter to patients…”
Understanding IPF and why trial design matters
Vectus describes IPF as a progressive, and often fatal, lung disease with significant unmet medical need. In an early-stage trial, the choice of endpoints (the health outcomes measured to judge whether a treatment works) and of which patients are enrolled shapes what the study can show.
Those are the areas on which Professor Corte is proposed to advise. VB0004 is a small-molecule vasoactive intestinal peptide mimetic and natriuretic peptide receptor C agonist, described by the company as a first-in-class antifibrotic candidate that has demonstrated the ability to reverse established fibrosis in preclinical models.
Vectus has completed Phase Ia studies, with a pharmacokinetic profile consistent with once-daily oral dosing. Efficacy in humans has not been established.
What happens next for VB0004
The company is also progressing the US regulatory pathway for VB0004. As announced on 30 September 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration granted Vectus’ request for a pre-Investigational New Drug Type B meeting.
The pre-Investigational New Drug Type B meeting is the first formal step on the US pathway, and the company has been finalising its meeting package with its US regulatory agent ahead of the written responses.
Upcoming items stated in the announcement:
- Written FDA responses on the proposed IPF development programme are expected by mid-November 2026. This feedback is expected to inform the company’s next clinical and regulatory steps.
- Vectus is preparing for a planned adaptive Phase Ib / IIa clinical trial of VB0004 in IPF.
Beyond IPF, the company is advancing a broader pipeline of antifibrotic assets targeting cardiovascular, renal and liver fibrosis, with a licensing agreement with an international biotechnology company covering one of its renal fibrosis assets.
The licensed renal fibrosis asset, VB4-P5, was exchanged for a 9.9% equity stake in a Nasdaq-listed company in April 2026, a structure that avoided shareholder dilution and left internal resources focused on VB0004.
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