September 29, 2014 LEXINGTON, MA -- ImmuneXcite, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a next generation immunotherapy platform to generate new targeted immunotherapies for cancer employing a unique neutrophils-initiated immune response, today announced that Dr. Alan E. Smith CBE, FRS, Ph.D., has joined the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Smith is joining an esteemed group of scientists including Prof. Gerald Fink, Prof. Drew Pardoll, Prof. Charles Drake, and Prof. Frank Austen. Dr. Smith is the former Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Genzyme Corporation, a position in which he served from September 1996 until December 2011.
Yaniv Bejerano, co-founder and chief executive officer of ImmuneXcite, stated, “We are pleased to welcome Dr. Smith to our Scientific Advisory Board. His extensive scientific experience as well as his network within our industry will be invaluable as we move the Company’s mAbXcite immunotherapy constructs toward IND (Investigational New Drug) filings and apply the technology to partners’ molecules of interest.”
Prior to Genzyme, Dr. Smith was the vice president and scientific director of Integrated Genetics, a company that was acquired by Genzyme in 1989. From October 1980 to October 1984, Dr. Smith served as Head of The Biochemistry Division of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, England. Dr. Smith holds a B.A. from Christ’s College, Cambridge and a Ph.D. from the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England.
“I am delighted to join ImmuneXcite’s Scientific Advisory Board at this exciting time,” said Dr. Smith. “The Company’s unique mAbXcite immunotherapy technology and approach of targeting cancer cells for destruction by engaging neutrophils, the bodies most abundant and potent white blood cells, which are not typically involved in cancer immunotherapy, is an innovative approach that holds the future promise of a novel immunotherapy for patients with cancer.”
Dr. Smith continued, “Most immunotherapies directly target the patient’s T-cells, which are part of the adaptive immune system, to fight the disease. In contrast, the mAbXcite platform initially activates neutrophils, which are part of the innate immune system, that then interact with other immune cells to achieve a robust anti-tumor response. This revolutionary technology can be applicable in addition to antibodies to other scaffolds that do not have the capability to interact with immune cells. I look forward to bringing my expertise to assist in the achievement of the Company’s growth goals.”
About ImmuneXcite, Inc.
ImmuneXcite is a privately held biotech company located in Lexington, Massachusetts that is developing the next generation of immune-activating therapies for oncology utilizing a novel immunotherapy platform technology (mAbXcite). ImmuneXcite is pursuing a lead mAbXcite compound for two high unmet medical need cancer indications. This bold concept has been recognized and supported by the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center, Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT, the U.S. Department of Defense, Massachusetts Life Science Center, National Cancer Institute, and private investors. For more information about ImmuneXcite, visit: www.immunexcite.com
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