Valion Bio Appoints Veteran Counsel Ahead of Entolimod FDA Animal Rule Push
Valion Bio promoted Melinda Lackey, a biopharma attorney with nearly 20 years of IP and Nasdaq governance experience, to General Counsel and SVP of Legal Affairs. This bolsters legal support as the company advances Entolimod™ through an FDA Animal Rule approval pathway for ARS and scales its Velocity Bioworks CDMO.
1. Appointment of Melinda Lackey as General Counsel
Valion Bio named Melinda Lackey as General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs on May 4, 2026, to oversee legal, compliance and IP strategy across its clinical-stage immunotherapeutics pipeline.
2. Extensive Biopharma and Governance Experience
Lackey brings nearly two decades of combined clinical-stage biopharma development, patent litigation and Nasdaq governance experience, having held senior legal roles at Alaunos Therapeutics, Kuur Therapeutics and major law firms focusing on life sciences IP.
3. Strategic Role in Drug Development and CDMO Scaling
Her appointment aims to support Entolimod™ advancement through the FDA Animal Rule pathway for acute radiation syndrome and to manage legal and compliance workstreams as Valion Bio scales its Velocity Bioworks contract development and manufacturing operations.