DEM BioPharma Appoints Wendy Young, Ph.D., to Scientific Advisory Board

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DEM BioPharma, Inc. (DEM Bio), an immune-oncology company developing therapies that target signals on cancer cells and myeloid phagocytes to eliminate cancer, today announced the addition of Wendy Young, Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board.

“At DEM Bio, our mission is to pioneer the next generation of immunotherapeutics. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Young whose extensive experience in drug discovery and passion for innovative research will no doubt prove to be invaluable as we continue to advance our platform and immuno-oncology drug target portfolio,” said Nenad Grmusa, CEO of DEM Bio.

“DEM Bio’s work developing immunotherapeutics to target novel innate immune system checkpoints has the potential to revolutionize cancer therapies,” said Dr. Young. “I am proud to be joining such an impressive team of industry experts and scientists dedicated to eliminating cancer.”

Wendy currently serves as an Advisor to Google Ventures, Board Director and Scientific Advisory Board Member of several biotech companies. Prior to her current roles, Wendy held the title of SVP of the Small Molecule Drug Discovery division at Genentech. Under her leadership, more than 25 clinical candidates in the areas of oncology, immunology, neurology and anti-infectives, progressed into clinical development. Additionally, Wendy led the BTK program and is co-inventor of fenebrutinib which is currently in Phase 3 trials for multiple sclerosis. Prior to joining Genentech, she held medicinal chemistry leadership roles at both Celera Genomics and Johnson & Johnson. Wendy is named as an inventor or author on more than 70 published patents and manuscripts. In 2018 she was inducted as an ACS Fellow for her lifelong service to chemistry, society and medicine, in 2019 she was highlighted as “One of the Top 20 Women in Biopharma” by Endpoints News and in 2020 she was awarded the prestigious Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership for outstanding achievements in Chemical Research Management. Wendy received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University and was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

About DEM BioPharma Inc.

DEM Bio is pioneering the next generation of immunotherapeutics that unleash the innate immune system to eliminate tumors by targeting ‘don’t eat me’ (DEM) and ‘eat me’ (EM) signals on cancer cells, macrophages and other myeloid effector cells. Founded by Longwood Fund, the company’s approach builds on the groundbreaking functional genomics research and discoveries in macrophage biology from its scientific co-founders: Drs. Jonathan Weissman and Kipp Weiskopf of the Whitehead Institute and Dr. Michael Bassik of Stanford University. The proprietary CHoMP™ platform (Co-culture with Human Myeloid Phagocytes) utilizes CRISPR-based functional genomic screens in human cancer cells and/or primary macrophages to discover and validate new DEM and EM signals that could profoundly induce and enhance cancer cell elimination through increased phagocytosis. For further information, see: https://dembiopharma.com/.

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