-- World-Leading Expertise to Help Incysus Advance its Innovative Immunotherapy Programs --
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Aug. 24, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Incysus, Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering an innovative ?d T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of cancers, today announced the formation of its inaugural Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The newly formed SAB includes distinguished oncologists and immunologists who will provide perspectives on the research and development of cancer immunotherapies as the Company advances its initial programs for the treatment of leukemia & lymphoma and glioblastoma (GBM) to the clinic.
Inaugural SAB members include (https://www.incysus.com/about):
Lawrence Lamb, Jr., MN, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Director Cell Therapy Laboratory at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) who currently directs research programs for the evaluation and translation of ?d T cell-based therapies for GBM and leukemia. Dr. Lamb, who is also a collaborator and scientific co-founder of Incysus, will Chair the committee;
Bianca Santomasso, MD, PhD, a Neuro-Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York City, whose research focuses on examining mechanisms of resistance to GBM immunotherapy within the tumor microenvironment as well as using translational immune monitoring tools to identify predictors of toxicity and response after immunotherapy;
Bruce Levine, PhD, the Barbara and Edward Netter Professor in Cancer Gene Therapy, is the Founding Director of the Clinical Cell and Vaccine Production Facility (CVPF) in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Levine is a key innovator and thought leader in cellular immunotherapy and cell manufacturing;
Dieter Kabelitz, MD, Professor and Director of the Institute of Immunology at the University of Kiel; Dr. Kabelitz’s scientific expertise is in the field of the functional characterization of human T cells with a special focus on ?d T cells. Current projects aim to explore the potential of human ?d T cells for the immunotherapy of cancer;
- Marcela Maus, MD, PhD, the Director of Cellular Immunotherapy at the MGH Cancer Center in Boston. She is a member of the Center for Cancer Immunology and the Department of Medicine at the MGH, and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Maus’ laboratory is generating new forms of chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T) directed to new targets and bringing them to the clinical setting to treat patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.
Dr. Lamb, commented, “Current cell therapy approaches for cancer target specific molecules that are not expressed on the entire tumor, which reduces [the] disease burden, but does not eliminate all tumor cells. The unique feature of ?d T cell cancer immunotherapy is that the cells target surface proteins that are present as a result of a biological process inherent in all cancer cells. We are excited to move this technology forward with the help of an extraordinary group of experts in the growing field of immunotherapy.”
Dr. Maus, added, “New strategies for glioblastoma (GBM) are urgently needed, and I am excited to participate in the development and investigation of different T-cell subsets and other novel approaches that could advance the field and help patients.”
“We are honored to welcome these renowned scientists and physicians to our SAB,” said William Ho, Chief Executive Officer of Incysus. “Forming a scientific advisory board is another important milestone as we continue to build Incysus into an integrated, immuno-oncology company. The diverse expertise in immunology, gene therapy and oncology will support our goal to bring innovative therapies and new hope to cancer patients and their families.”
About Incysus, Ltd.
Incysus is a Bermuda incorporated company focused on delivering a novel off-the-shelf cell therapy for the treatment of cancer. By using genetically modified ?d T cells, our technology addresses the challenges that immunotherapies face targeting cold, low mutation, cancers. The Company’s immuno-oncology programs include activated and gene modified adoptive cellular therapies that protect cells from chemotherapy and allow novel combinations to disrupt the tumor microenvironment and more selectively target cancer cells.
Contact: Incysus, Ltd (646) 820-8474 info@incysus.com www.incysus.com
