WOBURN, Mass., July 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Replimune Group, Inc. ( REPL), a biotechnology company developing oncolytic immuno-gene therapies derived from its Immulytic™ platform, today announced the strengthening of its executive team with the appointment of Andrea Pirzkall, M.D. as Replimune’s Chief Medical Officer effective August 31st, 2020.
“We are very excited to have Andrea join the Replimune team as we aggressively advance our pipeline,” said Philip Astley-Sparke, Chief Executive Officer of Replimune. “Andrea brings a unique profile and skill set in oncology with a track record of success in advancing cancer drugs through all stages of development, including in immuno-oncology, combined with a multi-disciplinary clinical background prior to moving to industry.”
Dr. Pirzkall commented, “It is a privilege to be joining Replimune at this very exciting period in the Company’s growth. The data presented for RP1 in Replimune’s lead indications of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and anti-PD-1 relapsed/refractory melanoma and emerging data in other solid tumors are very promising. With initial RP2 data expected later this year and with the initiation of clinical development of RP3, it is a transformational time for Replimune and I am very excited to be joining the team. The Replimune team has built a great platform of HSV-based oncolytic immune-gene therapies with a growing pipeline of assets and I look forward to helping advance them to potentially becoming a next corner stone of immuno-oncology treatment regimens.”
As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pirzkall will lead clinical development of Replimune’s pipeline of next-generation oncolytic immuno-gene therapies for the treatment of cancer. Dr. Pirzkall brings to Replimune over 13 years of biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry experience. Prior to joining Replimune, Dr. Pirzkall served as Executive Director of Clinical Development at BeiGene, Ltd., a publicly traded commercial-stage biotechnology company where she provided strategic oversight of, and worked closely with cross-functional teams in the US, China and Europe, on the development of tislelizumab (anti-PD1) and other pipeline agents, with a focus on thoracic indications, and including several pivotal studies of which an initial two in non-small cell lung cancer achieved positive outcomes earlier this year. She served also as the global clinical development lead on the BeiGene/Celgene joint development committee. Prior to BeiGene, Dr. Pirzkall was a Principal Medical Director at Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. During her 10-year tenure, she held increasing roles of responsibility and, as a Clinical Development Team Leader, worked with multiple cross-functional teams on the development of novel biologic agents (signaling pathway inhibitors, anti-angiogenesis, immunotherapy) in early to late stage development in oncology. Prior to her career in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Pirzkall trained in radiation oncology and completed her dissertation at the University Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center (dkfz). Following a fellowship in Medical Physics/Radiation Oncology at the University San Francisco (USCF), Andrea held academic positions at UCSF, including Associate Adjunct Professorships in Radiation Oncology, in Radiology, and in Neurosurgery, where she helped pioneer the use of advanced imaging modalities to guide focal therapeutic interventions and to assess responses to standard of care and novel targeted therapies. Dr. Pirzkall holds a Doctor of Medicine from Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Germany.
About Replimune
Replimune Group, Inc., headquartered in Woburn, MA, was founded in 2015 to develop the next generation of oncolytic immune-gene therapies for the treatment of cancer. Replimune is developing novel, proprietary therapeutics intended to improve the direct cancer-killing effects of selective virus replication and the potency of the immune response to the tumor antigens released. Replimune’s Immulytic™ platform is designed to maximize systemic immune activation, in particular to tumor neoantigens, through robust viral-mediated immunogenic tumor cell killing and the delivery of optimal combinations of immune-activating proteins to the tumor and draining lymph nodes. The approach is expected to be highly synergistic with immune checkpoint blockade and other approaches to cancer treatment. Replimune intends to progress these therapies rapidly through clinical development in combination with other immuno-oncology products with complementary mechanisms of action. For more information, please visit www.replimune.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding the advancement of our clinical trials, our plans to initiate new clinical trials, our goals to develop and commercialize our product candidates and other statements identified by words such as “could,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “should,” “will,” “would,” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Forward-looking statements are not promises or guarantees of future performance, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. These factors include risks related to our limited operating history, our ability to generate positive clinical trial results for our product candidates, the costs and timing of operating our in-house manufacturing facility, the timing and scope of regulatory approvals, changes in laws and regulations to which we are subject, competitive pressures, our ability to identify additional product candidates, political and global macro factors including the impact of the coronavirus as a global pandemic and related public health issues, and other risks as may be detailed from time to time in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our actual results could differ materially from the results described in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements.
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