F-star Therapeutics, Inc.

BOSTON--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Valink Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (bsADCs) to transform the treatment of cancer and other diseases, has appointed Martin D. Williams as Chair of its Board of Directors. The company also named its Scientific Advisory Board, which assembles experts in the discovery, development, manufacture and commercialization of ADCs and bispecific therapeutics. “ We are thrilled to welcome Martin, whose expertise in strategy, development and partnering, and track record of leading multiple U.S. biopharmaceutical companies, will be instrumental to the next stages of Valink. He brings deep experience advancing a wide range of therapeutics from early development through regulatory approval and commercialization and developing industry partnerships that move promising medicines closer to patients. Martin’s career journey, which began in the UK before his move to the U.S. over 30 years ago, mirrors Valink’s roots as a University of Oxford spinout based in the U.S., with a strong UK presence,” said Arne Scheu, DPhil, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Valink. “ Furthermore, I am excited to announce our Scientific Advisory Board, which brings together a distinguished group of advisors who have been at the forefront of ADC and bispecific innovation and development.” Mr. Williams brings to Valink more than 35 years of experience in the global biopharmaceutical business, having closed more than $5 billion worth of corporate transactions, including numerous partnerships, M&A, and public and private financings. He recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Caraway Therapeutics, a venture-backed company developing therapeutics to modulate lysosomal function for neurodegenerative and rare diseases, through the company’s acquisition by Merck & Co. at the end of 2023. Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Tokai Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage oncology company; Chief Business Officer at Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, a leading RNAi company with programs in oncology; and Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice President for commercial and business development at Synta Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage public company focused on oncology and inflammation. Earlier in his career, he held various leadership positions and directed the development, commercialization and launch of several flagship brands for GSK, Hoffmann-La Roche and Lederle/Wyeth (now Pfizer), including GSK’s blockbusters Zantac® and Zofran®; Hoffmann La-Roche’s Xenical®; and Lederle/Wyeth’s global anti-infective portfolio, including Zosyn®/Tazocin®. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MS from the University of Manchester, UK. “ Valink has developed a compelling approach to realizing the unmet potential of ADCs to improve outcomes for patients with cancer and other diseases, which has been restricted by dose-limiting toxicities and the range of suitable targets. Their technology addresses a significant challenge to ADC innovation by enabling rapid and cost-effective generation and screening of bispecific ADCs, unlocking a vast range of target synergy and potentially bringing previously undruggable space within reach,” said Mr. Williams. “ I am excited to work closely with the Valink executive team and Board as the company builds on its discoveries and pursues its clinical aspirations.” Valink also announced the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board, initially consisting of: Sonia Quaratino, MD, PhD is Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Innate Pharma, a clinical-stage biotech utilizing monoclonal antibodies, multi-specific NK cell engagers and ADCs to develop immunotherapies for cancer. Her career spans over 25 years in basic research, clinical development and translational medicine across academia, biotech and global pharmaceuticals. She has held numerous leadership positions, including serving as CMO at Kymab (until its acquisition by Sanofi) and Georgiamune Inc, and was Professor of Immunology at the University of Southampton. Marc Damelin, PhD is Chief Scientific Officer at Alphina Therapeutics and an expert in oncology drug discovery and development. Previously he served as VP and Head of Biology at Mersana Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech developing ADCs to treat cancer. Prior to that he worked for a decade in ADC discovery and development in Pfizer's Oncology Research Unit. Robert Lutz, PhD , Chief Scientific Officer at leading ADC company Iksuda Therapeutics, is a recognized expert in ADC discovery and development. As VP of Translational R&D at ImmunoGen, he was responsible for bringing eight ADC product candidates into development and was the research lead for Kadcyla®, the first ADC to be approved for solid tumor indications. Antoine Awad , Principal Executive Officer of Synlogic, has extensive experience in CMC, bispecific drug development and partnerships. Prior to Synlogic, he held leadership positions at various biotechs, including Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, where he led CMC development, manufacturing and approval of ONIVYDE® for treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer and transitioned to Ipsen Bioscience to lead global commercial manufacturing of ONIVYDE®. Mihriban Tuna, PhD is Chief Executive Officer of Immutrin and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Cambridge Innovation Capital, a leading UK-based venture company focused on deep tech and life sciences. She previously served as Chief Scientific Officer at Adaptate Biotherapeutics (acquired by Takeda) and SVP, Drug Discovery at F-star Therapeutics, and was an early employee at Domantis Ltd. (acquired by GSK). Alexey A. Lugovskoy, PhD is President and Chief Executive Officer of Diagonal Therapeutics, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Atlas Ventures and Associate Editor of mAbs . He formerly served as Chief Operating Officer at Dragonfly, Chief Development Officer at Morphic, Vice President of Therapeutics at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals and Associate Director of Drug Discovery at Biogen. He joined Valink’s Board of Directors in 2023, and this additional appointment highlights a close collaboration between the Scientific Advisory Board, Board of Directors and leadership team. About Valink Therapeutics Valink Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of first-in-class bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (bsADCs) to transform the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Valink’s technology platform utilizes a modular assembly approach to rapidly generate bsADCs with therapeutic potential, testing drugs at unparalleled scale and speed to improve on the payload delivery and selectivity of conventional ADCs. The company is based in Boston, Massachusetts and has research and development operations in London, UK. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.valinktx.com or contact the company at connect@valinktx.com .

Alan Bash is joining Legend Biotech as its president of Carvykti , an unconventional, newly-created role to oversee the commercial future of the biotech’s sole marketed cell therapy, among other aspects. Legend is developing Carvykti in partnership with Johnson & Johnson , which reported $286 million in sales in the third quarter. The BCMA-targeted cell therapy is expected to grow into a blockbuster multiple myeloma treatment — in large part as a result of a label expansion to earlier-line patients in April. Legend said in its press release that Bash’s new role will be to oversee Carvykti’s “commercial, technical operations, and quality functions.” Despite impressive results reported from the drug’s clinical studies, Legend and J&J have struggled to meet the commercial demand for the cell therapy. Carvykti has pulled ahead in a field that includes Bristol Myers Squibb ’s Abecma . But it faces an up-and-coming challenger in Gilead and Arcellx : The two companies announced on Tuesday that they had dosed the first patient in a Phase 3 trial of their experimental cell therapy anito-cel , which they say does not come with certain neurotoxicities reported with Carvykti. Bash had joined targeted therapeutics biotech ZielBio as CEO in early 2023. Before that, he was briefly head of Checkmate Pharmaceuticals as the immuno-oncology biotech sold to Regeneron for $250 million in cash. — Lei Lei Wu → Novo Nordisk said in its Q3 report that North America head Doug Langa will step aside at the end of the year “in order to focus on personal priorities and take up a role as senior advisor to Novo Nordisk’s executive management.” Novo has installed corporate development chief Dave Moore as the head of US commercial operations, while CFO Karsten Munk Knudsen will orchestrate the Danish pharma’s corporate strategy. Two days after the FDA declared that Ozempic and Wegovy were available in all doses, Novo’s semaglutide was on the march again, generating positive results in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and setting up a possible showdown with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals in an indication also referred to as NASH. → Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel had been in charge of commercial operations since last December, when the company parted ways with chief commercial officer Arpa Garay . Bancel is now handing over those duties to president Stephen Hoge at Moderna, which made several other changes to its leadership team. Rose Loughlin , the SVP of research and early development, has been elevated to EVP of research. She came to Moderna from Biogen in 2016 as director of business development. Elsewhere, longtime GSK vet Jacqueline Miller has been promoted to CMO at the Covid vaccine titan after she had been SVP and therapeutic area head for infectious diseases. Finally, HR chief Tracey Franklin has expanded the scope of her responsibilities, becoming chief people and digital technology officer. She was chief HR talent and strategy officer at the end of her 14-year career at Merck . Moderna’s late entry into the RSV race produced only $10 million in third-quarter sales for the vaccine, miles behind the market leaders GSK and Pfizer , who haven’t exactly been scorching the nets themselves. But Moderna did turn in a profit as its shares $MRNA received a momentary boost before falling 3% on Thursday. → Axel Sven Malkomes will be the next CFO of German mRNA vaccine maker CureVac on Nov. 11. He succeeds Pierre Kemula , who just started his new CFO gig at Agomab . Malkomes is the ex-finance chief at two other German companies: Cardior Pharmaceuticals , the heart disease biotech that Novo Nordisk bought in March for $1.1 billion; and BioNTech ’s TCR partner Medigene . He’s also a board member at Cellectis . In July, CureVac said it would lay off 30% of its employees as GSK shelled out $429 million upfront for full control of the pair’s flu and Covid vaccine candidates. “It’s never nice to have this kind of news, but I do believe we need to do it now out of a position of financial strength,” CureVac CEO Alexander Zehnder told Endpoints News when the job cuts were announced. → Another notable CFO hire comes from Seaport Therapeutics , the Endpoints 11 winner that followed up its $100 million launch round with a $225 million Series B haul a few weeks ago. Lauren White had held this role for nine months at Elahere developer ImmunoGen , which was purchased by AbbVie for $10.1 billion . She landed her first CFO job at C4 Therapeutics in June 2021 after nine years at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research . Are IPO plans not far behind? Time will tell. “I’m enjoying my brief hiatus as a private CEO right now,” Seaport chief Daphne Zohar said in an interview with Endpoints. → Swedish rare disease specialist Sobi has nominated David Meek as chairman of the board. Not long after Meek’s departure as CEO of Mirati , Bristol Myers swooped in to buy the company and its KRAS drug Krazati to compete with Amgen ’s Lumakras in the space. Meek has also held the top spot at Ipsen and FerGene , and has board seats at uniQure and Cullinan Therapeutics . → Mene Pangalos is the newest board member at Quotient Therapeutics , a Flagship joint that debuted last year and teamed up with Pfizer in August. Since his retirement from AstraZeneca , Pangalos has picked up a board seat at Absci and will join the board of directors at Biogen in January. He’s also on the scientific advisory board at Demis Hassabis ’ Isomorphic Labs. (By the way, check out this week’s Q&A with Hassabis and Andrew Dunn from the Financial Times ’ Global Pharma and Biotech Summit.) → After losing its former CEO Raj Kannan back in July, I-Mab has now locked Sean Fu into the position. Fu has been serving in the interim since Kannan’s exit. Prior to I-Mab, Fu was operating partner of ABio-X and CEO of RVAC Medicines and GeneLeap . Earlier in his career, Fu was with Merck, where he helped lead the integration work of the company following its $42 billion merger with Schering-Plough . It’s been quite a year for I-Mab: Back in April, the company officially spun out its China operations into a new company, I-Mab Biopharma (Hangzhou) , in a bid to win over investors. → Verrica Pharmaceuticals CEO Ted White is out after data for its basal cell carcinoma candidate VP-315 failed to move the needle with investors and job cuts affected 47 staffers. Verrica also drastically reduced its sales presence for its molluscum contagiosum drug Ycanth , from 80 sales territories to 35. In walks Jayson Rieger as president and CEO, and John Kirby as interim finance chief to lead a “leaner and more efficient operating structure,” as chairman Paul Manning put it . Rieger has spent more than a decade with PBM Capital , while Kirby is the former CFO of Aceragen and Idera Pharmaceuticals . → London-based protein degradation biotech Kesmalea Therapeutics has recruited Robert Johnson to steer the Syncona -backed company as CEO. Johnson’s résumé includes stints as CEO of Adrestia Therapeutics (acquired by Insmed ) and co-founder and CBO of Boston-based gene therapy company Affinia Therapeutics . → ElevateBio ’s gene editing sub Life Edit has welcomed Amy Pooler as SVP of R&D. Pooler was VP of neuroscience and head of research in her tenure with Sangamo Therapeutics . While ElevateBio has made eye-popping financing rounds routine, Life Edit formed separate partnerships with Moderna and Novo Nordisk in quick succession last year. → Acumen Pharmaceuticals ’ regulatory affairs leader Janice Hitchcock will retire “at the end of the year,” and Amy Schacterle has been named chief regulatory officer & head of quality at the Alzheimer’s biotech. Schacterle and Acumen president/chief development officer Jim Doherty were colleagues at Sage Therapeutics — Schacterle recently left Sage as part of the latest wave of job cuts after the company said it would no longer develop zuranolone for major depressive disorder. Acumen is testing its monoclonal antibody sabirnetug in patients with early Alzheimer’s. → The latest hires at Dublin-headquartered SynOx Therapeutics are based in the US: Medical chief Elyse Seltzer held multiple roles at GSK and is the former chief development officer at UroGen Pharma , while chief commercial officer Robert Francomano was appointed to the same position at Stemline Therapeutics and Sellas Life Sciences . “We are thrilled to welcome Elyse and Robert to the SynOx leadership team as we continue to work to strategically build out our presence within the key US market,” CEO Ray Barlow said in a statement . SynOx’s $92 million Series B includes a $17 million extension from Gilde Healthcare . → MaaT Pharma has recruited Eric Soyer to succeed Siân Crouzet as finance chief. Crouzet spent the last eight years as CFO and will now be MaaT Pharma’s chief of staff. Soyer had been CFO and COO at another French biotech, Erytech Pharma . His new company’s lead program MaaT013 is in a Phase 3 study for acute graft-versus-host disease. → Frits van Alphen has replaced Gerald Parzmair as chief development officer of Memo Therapeutics , a Swiss biotech that pulled together a total of $49 million for its Series C. After eight years at Novartis , van Alphen would go on to be CMO of Vifor Pharma from 2008-13 and Swiss-based Inositec , the undercard in Vifor’s M&A spree that included Sanifit in late 2021. He also worked for Roche as global head of product development excellence in between these two CMO gigs. → Synthetic lethality player Tessellate BIO has selected Lara Boyd as CBO. Boyd had a six-year run with Takeda partner F-star Therapeutics and was elevated to VP, head of business development & corporate strategy in May 2023. Former F-star boss Eliot Forster chairs the board at Tessellate BIO, which raised $8 million in seed funding from BioGeneration Ventures and Forbion . → La Jolla, CA-based I&I biotech CalciMedica has tapped Stephen Bardin as CFO, replacing interim finance chief Daniel Geffken . Earlier this year, Peer Review covered Bardin’s departure as CFO of atai Life Sciences , a position now held by Anne Johnson . He’s also worked for Myovant Sciences as director of corporate development and BridgeBio as SVP of finance and operations. → Joe Truluck has turned in his resignation as CFO of Adial Pharmaceuticals , and Vinay Shah will replace him on Nov. 16. We told you about Shah’s last CFO appointment at Virpax Pharmaceuticals in June 2023 and he’s had the same title at Aravive . Truluck will stay with Adial as a consultant until March 31. → Claudia Lopez has joined Seattle-based breast cancer biotech Atossa Therapeutics as VP, clinical product development. Lopez led the clinical development team at another AbbVie M&A pickup , Landos Biopharma , and the 16-year Takeda vet also spent two years with Arena Pharmaceuticals . → Tony Gibney has been named chairman of the board at Clearside Biomedical , which unspooled positive Phase 2b data last month for its suprachoroidal injection of axitinib called CLS-AX in patients with wet AMD. Gibney tackled the role of chief business & strategy officer at Iveric Bio until it was sold to Astellas last year for $5.9 billion. → Radiotherapy specialist Actinium Pharmaceuticals has elected June Almenoff to the board of directors. Almenoff, a GSK alum and the ex-president/CMO at Furiex Pharmaceuticals , is also on the boards of Avalo Therapeutics and Tenax Therapeutics . → Heron Therapeutics has reserved a seat on its board of directors for Liquidia CFO and COO Michael Kaseta . Before his gig with Liquidia, Kaseta was CFO at Aerami Therapeutics and Aralez Pharmaceuticals , as well as North American CFO, global services over a decade with Sanofi .

DUBLIN--( BUSINESS WIRE )--The "CD137 Antibodies Clinical Trials & Market Opportunity Insight 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. CD137, also known as 4-1BB, has emerged as a promising target for cancer immunotherapy in recent years. The potential of CD137-targeted therapies lies in their ability to stimulate and expand cytotoxic T cells leading to improved tumor cell killing and long-lasting immune memory. As a result, the field has gained attention from researchers and pharmaceutical companies alike, with several research publications hinting at a promising future for this cancer therapeutic approach. Moreover, data emerging from early clinical trials have already begun demonstrating therapeutic benefits, providing real-time validation of CD137-targeted drug development. With no licensed medications currently on the market, CD137-targeted therapies are still in their infancy. Nonetheless, there is an abundance of candidates in the pipeline in different phases of clinical development, with phase 2 being the highest. Several major pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms, including BioNTech, Genmab, Adagene, and Shanghai Henlius Biotech, are actively pursuing drug development programs after recognizing the potential of this target. This presents a significant opportunity for both established players and newcomers in the field of immuno-oncology. The ability of CD137-targeted treatments to get past some of the drawbacks of existing immunotherapies, like immune checkpoint inhibitors, is one of their main advantages. Although checkpoint inhibitors have fundamentally altered the way that cancer is treated, only a small percentage of patients and cancer types respond well to them. The range of individuals who can benefit from immunotherapy may be increased by CD137 agonists, which may enhance or supplement the effectiveness of these currently available treatments. The most advanced CD137-targeted therapies in clinical development are agonistic antibodies. The intended effect of these compounds is to stimulate T cell survival, proliferation, and effector activities via activating CD137 signaling. Regarding anti-tumor effectiveness and safety characteristics, early clinical trials have produced encouraging results. YH004, ADG106, ADG206, and ATOR-1017 are a few CD137 agonistic antibodies that are now undergoing clinical trials. There have been challenges, nevertheless, such as dose-limiting hepatotoxicity seen in certain candidates. Due to this, other strategies are being investigated that might provide better safety and efficacy profiles, such as bispecific antibodies and tailored ligands. Combining CD137-targeted therapies with other immunomodulatory drugs is one highly intriguing area of investigation. CD137 agonists have been shown to have synergistic benefits when paired with checkpoint inhibitors, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or even radiation therapy, according to preclinical research and early phase clinical evidence. These combination approaches may result in more potent and more persistent anti-tumor responses, which would fulfill the unmet demand for efficient treatments for malignancies that are challenging to treat. The market potential for effective CD137 antibodies is significant, considering the wide range of applications of CD137-targeted treatments in cancer. New and efficient treatment modalities are highly sought after, as the global market for cancer immunotherapy is expected to grow to many billions of dollars in the next several years. A sizeable portion of this market may be taken up by CD137-targeted treatments, especially if they show greater efficacy and can treat conditions where immunotherapies have not been very successful. Furthermore, the versatility of CD137 as a target extends beyond oncology. Recent studies point to possible uses in transplantation, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders, and infectious diseases. This wide-ranging therapeutic potential could open up additional market opportunities for drug developers, willing to explore these indications. Despite the promising outlook, several challenges need to be addressed in the development of CD137-targeted therapies. These include optimizing dosing regimens to balance efficacy and safety, identifying predictive biomarkers for patient section, and developing strategies to overcome potential resistance mechanisms. Overcoming these hurdles will be crucial for the successful translation of CD137-targeted therapies from bench to bedside. In conclusion, CD137-targeted therapies represent a significant opportunity to transform treatment of cancer and various other diseases involving the immune system. The increasing comprehension of CD137 biology, in conjunction with developments in antibody engineering and combination strategies, offers a robust basis for novelty in this domain. CD137-targeted therapies have the potential to fill a significant gap in the medical community and gain a significant portion of the cancer immunotherapies market, which presents a strong case for development and innovation. CD137 Antibodies Clinical Trials & Market Opportunity Insight 2027 Report Highlights: Currently No Drug Commercially Available In Market More Than 80 Drugs In Clinical Trials Highest Clinical Trials Phase: Phase II (7 Drugs) CD137 Drugs Market Opportunity In Initial 24 Months Of Launch: > US$ 400 Million Global & Regional Trends (Clinical & Commercial) CD137 Inhibitors Clinical Trials Insight By Company, Country, Indication & Phase CD137 Therapeutic Approaches By Antibodies Classification Role Of CD137 & Clinical Progress By Indication Key Topics Covered: 1. Brief Introduction To CD137 1.1 Clinical Overview 1.2 Biological History Of CD137 1.3 CD137 Hosting An Era Of Agonists Over Antagonists 1.4 Bi-Directional Signaling In CD137 2. Global CD137 Antibody Market Outlook 2.1 Current Research & Market Scenario 2.2 Future Commercialization Opportunities 3. CD137 Antibody Clinical Developments by Regions 3.1 China 3.2 US 3.3 South Korea 3.4 Europe 3.5 Australia 4. Role Of CD137 & Clinical Progress By Indication 4.1 Cancer 4.1.1 Leukemia 4.1.2 Lymphoma 4.1.3 Lung Cancer 4.1.4 Melanoma 4.1.5 Breast Cancer 4.1.6 Colorectal Cancer 4.2 Autoimmune & Inflammatory Diseases 4.3 Microbial Infections 4.3.1 Viral Infections 4.3.2 Bacterial infections 5. Global CD137 Antibodies Clinical Trials Overview 5.1 By Company 5.2 By Country 5.3 By Indication 5.4 By Phase 5.5 By Patient Segment 6. CD137 Inhibitors Clinical Trials Insight By Company, Country, Indication & Phase 6.1 Research 6.2 Preclinical 6.3 Phase I 6.4 Phase I/II 6.5 Phase II 7. CD137 Targeting Proprietary Technology Platforms By Companies 8. CD137 Therapeutic Approaches By Antibodies Classification 8.1 Monoclonal Antibody Based Strategies 8.2 Bispecific Antibody Centered Approaches 8.3 Trispecific Antibody Established Strategies 8.4 Tetraspecific Antibody Strategies 9. Combination Therapies With CD137 Antibodies 10. Competitive Landscape ABL Bio Adagene Alligator Bioscience BeiGene Bicycle Therapeutics BioNTech Biotheus Crescendo Biologics Eutilex F-star Therapeutics Genmab I-MAB Biopharma Lyvgen Biopharma OriCell Therapeutics Pieris Pharmaceuticals Shanghai Henlius Biotech Sichuan Baili Pharmaceutical SystImmune For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/uh1uil About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.