IconOVir Bio, Inc.

None  Welcome to this week’s Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word—or the bad—from your shop to Max Bayer or Gabrielle Masson, and we will feature it here at the end of each week. TORL taps new CEO  TORL BioTherapeutics  Mark Alles, who’s spent the better part of the last four decades in biopharma leadership roles, has been named chairman and CEO of TORL BioTherapeutics. He’s replacing Dave Licata, who co-founded TORL and helped design its drug development framework. Licata will stick around TORL as a board member and the company’s president, while also taking on a new role as its CFO.  Alles has been a member of TORL’s board for two years and was named its executive chair in late 2022. Before that, he spent more than a decade at Aventis Pharmaceuticals and then another 15 years at Celgene, culminating in a stint as its CEO from 2016 until its acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2019.  He’s taking the helm as TORL plans to begin a phase 2 trial of its lead antibody-drug conjugate candidate, TORL-1-23, targeting multiple cancers. Meanwhile, the company is actively enrolling patients in phase 1 studies of a handful of other ADCs and monoclonal antibody therapies.  “TORL has rapidly realized significant success in identifying novel cancer targets, developing first-in-class antibody-based therapies directed at these targets, and with the support of our world-class investors, has recently advanced multiple products into Phase 1 studies,” said Dennis Slamon, M.D., Ph.D., TORL’s scientific founder. “We have reached a major inflection point where our opportunity to generate value for patients, our investors and our team made it both possible and important for us to build on the great work Dave has done by adding and appointing Mark Alles as Chairman and CEO.” Release  Insitro installs first CMO  Insitro  As Insitro inches closer to bringing its first artificial intelligence-discovered drug candidates into clinical trials, it has appointed its first-ever chief medical officer.   In the new role, S. Michael Rothenberg, M.D., Ph.D., will take charge of the company’s clinical development work, heading up translational biology and overseeing trial design and medical and regulatory affairs.  Rothenberg hails from Pfizer, where he spent the last four years carrying out similar responsibilities, including, most recently, as VP of early oncology development and clinical research. At the Big Pharma, he led early-phase trials of oncology and hematology therapies, including overseeing the initial first-in-human and proof-of-concept studies of the multiple myeloma drug now approved as Elrexfio. Release  Sanofi’s interim specialty care chief lands permanent role Sanofi Brian Foard has temporarily filled the role of chief of Sanofi’s specialty care global business unit since September, when former head Bill Sibold hit the exit to lead Madrigal Pharmaceuticals as CEO. Now, Foard has claimed the title on a permanent basis and will also join Sanofi’s executive committee. The exec has been with Sanofi since 2017 and was bumped up from his former slot as head of the specialty care business in North America and U.S. country lead. Before that, he bounced from head roles in dermatology and respiratory to immunology, among other positions. Foard is credited with overseeing launches of Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent across multiple indications and more than 50 countries worldwide, work that will “help to set our roadmap for the first- and best-in-class molecules we are preparing to launch in the coming years,” according to Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson. Release > FDA commissioner Robert Califf has selected his next chief of staff in Elizabeth “EJ” Jungman, who will leave her current role as the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s associate director for policy and director of the Office of Regulatory Policy. Jungman is taking over from Julie Tierney, who recently moved to a deputy director role at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Release  > Rare disease specialist BioMarin has a new CEO in Alexander Hardy and he appears to be shaking up his commercial team as the company announced its lead Jeffrey Ajer will leave the company by July. The disclosure, made via a short SEC filing, said Ajer would "step down" as the company's executive vice president and chief commercial officer in July and that the termination was “without cause." Fierce Pharma > Longtime Affimed CEO Adi Hoess, M.D., Ph.D., is hanging up the gloves after 13 years at the helm. The company tapped CMO Andreas Harstrick, M.D., to serve as interim CEO while it searches for a successor. Release  > Ginkgo Bioworks selected six executives from across the industry to make up its new Biopharma Advisory Board. The board now includes Kronos Bio CEO Norbert Bischofberger, Ph.D., global head of oncology and hematology at Novartis Jeff Legos, Ph.D., founding Alnylam chief John Maraganore, Ph.D, International Therapeutic Research Centers’ chief scientific officer Paolo Martini, Ph.D., IconOVir Bio head Mark McCamish, M.D., Ph.D., and former Kite Pharma CEO Christi Shaw. Release > PMV Pharmaceuticals is shaking up its clinical team with the appointment of two new leaders of the clinical program for its lead candidate, PC14586, which is set to begin a phase 2 study this quarter. Deepika Jalota, Pharm.D., and Marc Fellous, M.D.—PMV’s chief development officer and senior VP of clinical development and medical affairs, respectively—are taking the reins from Leila Alland, M.D., who is stepping down to pursue other opportunities but will remain an advisor to PMV. Release > Athira Pharma is now on the hunt for a new chief medical officer after Hans Moebius, M.D., Ph.D., stepped down to retire, effective Jan. 5. Moebius, who is staying on as a senior scientific advisor to Athira, was appointed CMO in 2019, following a nearly 30-year career in biopharma that included postings at Rodin Therapeutics, Allergan, Merz Pharmaceuticals, Novartis and more. Release  > CRISPR-focused cell therapy developer Caribou Biosciences has named its first chief technology officer: Tim Kelly, who previously served as CEO of Oxford Biomedica Solutions and COO of Homology Medicines and led technical operations at Sarepta, Shire, UCB and Biogen. Release  > Prolific startup starter Flagship Pioneering has promoted from within to name four new origination partners: Kyle Chiang, Ph.D., Molly Gibson, Ph.D., Armen Mkrtchyan, Ph.D., and Jacob Rubens, Ph.D. In their new roles, each will oversee a team tasked with creating and growing new biotech companies. Release  > Capstan Therapeutics tapped Ramin Farzaneh-Far, M.D., to be chief medical officer, following stints at Ra Pharmaceuticals, Akebia Therapeutics, Gilead Sciences and, most recently, RA Capital, where he’s been a venture partner since 2020. Capstan also promoted Miguel Arcinas, the biotech’s VP of corporate development since 2021, to the senior VP level. Release  > Celia Lin, M.D., stepped down from her post as chief medical officer of Vera Therapeutics. Taking over the role is Robert Brenner, M.D., who hails from Orionis Biosciences, while William Turner, formerly of Sierra Oncology, was named Vera’s chief development officer, with both appointments effective immediately. Release  > Maria Törnsén, most recently the chief commercial officer at Passage Bio, has been appointed president of the North America division at Calliditas Therapeutics. Her career also includes stops at Sarepta Therapeutics, Sanofi Genzyme and Shire. Release  > Zura Bio has found a new president and chief operating officer in Robert Lisicki, whose three-decade career in biopharma spans leadership roles at the now-Pfizer-owned Arena Pharmaceuticals, Regeneron, InCarda Therapeutics, Daiichi Sankyo and Amgen. Meanwhile, Kiran Nistala, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., has been tapped as the biotech’s chief medical officer and executive VP of development. Release  > AbbVie’s retired CMO Rob Scott has a new gig as CMO and head of R&D at Abionyx Pharma, where he will lead the team through pivotal trials for its lead sepsis candidate. Back at AbbVie, the medical chief held his role through major approvals including Skyrizi and Rinvoq. Release  > XOMA has selected Owen Hughes as its next CEO. Hughes—who held the top job at the biotech royalty aggregator on an interim basis for all of 2023—was previously CEO of Sail Bio and Cullinan Oncology, and chief business officer at Intarcia Therapeutics. Release  > Probiotics maker Pendulum Therapeutics tapped former Mayo Clinic medical director Adam Perlman, M.D., as chief medical officer. Now-retired CMO Orville Kolterman, M.D., led the selection of Perlman as his successor. Release > Nutcracker Therapeutics bumped up its executive VP of early R&D, Sam Deutsch, M.D., Ph.D., to the CSO role. Deutsch has been with Nutcracker since its beginnings in 2018 and will now lead the team through trialing its lead mRNA candidate, dubbed NTX-250. Release  > Central nervous system CRO Cognitive Research Corporation appointed Tom Zoda, M.D. Ph.D., as CEO. Zoda came from Apex Innovative Sciences and CenExel clinical research, where he served as chief operating officer. Release  

BOSTON, Jan. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, today announced the formation of its new Biopharma Advisory Board. This council of experts from across the biopharmaceutical industry will provide critical insight into the development of Ginkgo's core platform service offerings across target discovery, drug discovery, optimization, and manufacturing. The group, which will conduct regular meetings at Ginkgo and with its partners, includes (in alphabetical order): Continue Reading Ginkgo Bioworks Announces Inaugural Members of New Biopharma Advisory Board Norbert Bischofberger, PhD, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Kronos Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing medicines that target the deregulated transcription that is the hallmark of cancer and other serious diseases. Prior to Kronos, Dr. Bischofberger spent 28 years at Gilead, where he presided over the development and approval of more than 25 medicines for a range of serious conditions, including the transformation in the treatment of diseases such as HIV and viral hepatitis. Notably, he is one of the inventors of Tamiflu, an oral medication on the market for both the prevention and treatment of influenza A and B. Norbert was part of the core management team that grew Gilead from less than 50 employees with no revenues to 10,000 employees with $25B in revenue. Jeff Legos, PhD, MBA, is currently an Executive Vice President and Global Head of Oncology and Hematology at Novartis, where he leads development, registration, approval, and life cycle management for a clinical pipeline of 35+ assets across a broad range of cancers and blood disorders. Dr. Legos has a proven track record of successfully leading large multinational teams across all functions and stages of R&D in both his current and previous role as Vice President and Global Medicine Development Leader at GlaxoSmithKline, which has resulted in more than 30 global regulatory drug and companion diagnostic approvals. John Maraganore, PhD, served as the founding Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Alnylam from 2002 to 2021. Under his leadership, Alnylam helped lead the interventional RNA revolution by launching the first RNAi therapeutic medicine, ONPATTRO®, in 2018, followed by four more RNAi therapeutics through mid-2022. Dr. Maraganore was the chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) from 2017 to 2019 and is an active mentor to leaders across the biotechnology industry. John is the principal of JMM Innovation, and also serves as a Venture Partner for Arch Ventures and Atlas Ventures, an executive partner for RTW Investments, a senior advisor for Blackstone Life Sciences, and as an advisor for M28. Paolo Martini, PhD, is the Chief Scientific Officer of International Therapeutic Research Centers and the Founder of Rare Diseases at Moderna, where he previously worked on messenger RNA therapy for rare and orphan diseases. He has more than 20 years of experience in drug discovery working on molecular mechanisms underlying monogenic and multigenic metabolic and fibrotic disorders as well as hematologic malignancies. Mark McCamish, MD, PhD, is the President & Chief Executive Officer of IconOVir Bio, a preclinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the next generation of oncolytic virus therapy to improve the treatment of patients with cancer. He was previously the President & Chief Executive Officer of Forty Seven, which he led from a valuation of $169M to an acquisition by Gilead for $4.9B. Previously he has had extensive experience at multiple companies including Abbott, Amgen, and Novartis/Sandoz and is a renowned expert in biologic and biosimilars development and manufacturing. Christi Shaw is an Independent Director on the Boards of Beam Therapeutics, ReAlta Life Sciences, and Avantor. She previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Kite Pharma and as Senior Vice President at Eli Lilly & Company, where she was President of Lilly Bio-Medicines. Ms. Shaw has also held prominent leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson and Novartis where she served as US Country Head and President. Christi co-founded the More Moments More Memories Foundation which provides financial assistance to help cancer patients access potentially life saving clinical trials. Together, this council represents a wide breadth of technical experience and deep business expertise that will contribute to the development of Ginkgo's service offerings in Gene Therapy, Cell Therapy, RNA, Biologics, Process R&D and more. Over the past year, Ginkgo announced new R&D services collaborations with Boehringer Ingelheim, DARPA, Esperovax, Merck, Pfizer, Prokarium, Sensible, Synplogen, WARF, as well as advancements in its work with Novo Nordisk, Persephone Biosciences, and Synlogic. Ginkgo acquires and integrates new technologies to expand its horizontal platform, with past acquisitions serving to develop Ginkgo's capabilities in AAV and circular RNA. "The discovery and development of new medicines is critically important and incredibly challenging," said Jason Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks. "Advanced technologies in high throughput automation, synthetic biology, and more recently AI, have opened up possibilities for the development of novel modalities and exploration of more design space for the discovery and optimization of new targets and candidate therapies. It's an incredibly exciting time for the industry as these technologies come together at scale, and we're thrilled to have this group of luminaries as part of our inaugural cohort of advisors." "I'm excited to welcome this incredible deep bench of wisdom and creativity to the Ginkgo family," said Jennifer Wipf, SVP & Head of Commercial at Ginkgo Bioworks. "These leaders have shaped the modern vaccines and therapeutics landscapes by spearheading the discovery, testing, manufacturing, and deployment of entirely new modalities, and reinventing how researchers and drugmakers work with more familiar areas of medicine. I can't wait to see how their mentorship, insights, and provocations help our growing team reach new heights." "We live in a global, interconnected society, and therefore, we are all susceptible to the spread of novel infectious diseases. Now more than ever, the speed of drug discovery and development is important," said Norbert Bischofberger, Ginkgo Biopharma Advisory Board member. "Ginkgo's experience in accelerating biological R&D across modalities and their extensive work in biosecurity and epidemiology positions the company to make a meaningful impact. I look forward to supporting the growth of their team and offerings." "Ginkgo represents a huge opportunity for businesses who want to take new pharmaceuticals to market. By outsourcing risky R&D to a partner with unprecedented scale, companies can optimize their approach to new modalities and targets wherever they are in the pipeline," said John Maraganore, Ginkgo Biopharma Advisory Board member. "Our industry is at a pivotal moment. More and more of biopharma can leverage scale and AI to turn scientific uncertainty into predictable engineering, so I'm thrilled to be able to contribute to the energy and movement I saw firsthand when I spoke onstage with Jen at Ferment." To learn more about Ginkgo's biopharmaceutical services offerings, visit . About Ginkgo Bioworks Ginkgo Bioworks is the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, providing flexible, end-to-end services that solve challenges for organizations across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to pharmaceuticals to industrial and specialty chemicals. Ginkgo's biosecurity and public health unit, Concentric by Ginkgo, is building global infrastructure for biosecurity to empower governments, communities, and public health leaders to prevent, detect and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and concentricbyginkgo.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (formerly known as Twitter) (@Ginkgo and @ConcentricByGBW), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks and @ConcentricByGinkgo), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks) or LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the capabilities and potential success of Ginkgo's cell programming platform and its new Biopharma Advisory Board. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "can," "project," "potential," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) volatility in the price of Ginkgo's securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo operates and plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo's business, (ii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional business opportunities, (iii) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (iv) the uncertainty regarding the demand for passive monitoring programs and biosecurity services, (v) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations, (vi) our ability to realize the expected benefits of merger and acquisition transactions, (vii) the outcome of any legal proceedings against Ginkgo, including as a result of recent acquisitions, (viii) our ability to realize the expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry platform programs, (ix) our ability to successfully develop engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, and (x) the product development or commercialization success of our customers. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Ginkgo's quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on November 8, 2023 and other documents filed by Ginkgo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Ginkgo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Ginkgo does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations. GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR CONTACT: [email protected] GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA CONTACT: press@ginkgobioworks.com SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks

SAN DIEGO, Calif.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--IconOVir Bio, Inc. (IconOVir), a preclinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the next generation of oncolytic virus (OV) therapy to improve the treatment of patients with cancer, today announced that Mark McCamish, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of IconOVir, will present a corporate overview at the Jefferies Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT). About IconOVir IconOVir is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the next generation of oncolytic virus therapy to improve the treatment of patients with cancer. IconOVir’s proprietary oncolytic virus platform is based on technology developed by scientific founder Clodagh O’Shea, Ph.D., of the Salk Institute. It is designed to address key limitations of first- and second-generation oncolytic viruses and provide a personalized therapy for cancer patients. For more information, please visit www.iconovir.com and follow IconOVir on LinkedIn .