LONDON & HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cell Medica (or ‘the Company’), a leader in cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, today announced the appointment of Luis Borges, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer. Luis will spearhead the Company’s global research group, including teams in London, Zurich and Houston. Luis brings extensive knowledge of cancer immunotherapy from twenty years of experience in the field, including senior positions at Five Prime Therapeutics and Amgen, where he played a senior role in the discovery and development of several blockbuster drugs and therapeutic candidate molecules.
The Company has significantly expanded its pre-clinical pipeline through partnerships with Baylor College of Medicine in the field of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and with University College London for engineered T cell receptors (TCRs). Luis will assume responsibility for the Company’s pre-clinical and early product development activities and will join the steering committees managing Cell Medica’s research collaborations.
Gregg Sando, Cell Medica’s Chief Executive Officer, commented:
“Luis has extensive experience working with different technologies to develop drugs which activate and target the human immune system to treat cancer. His proven R&D management expertise will accelerate and de-risk our product generation capabilities.”
Dr Luis Borges, Cell Medica’s Chief Scientific Officer, added:
“This is a remarkable time for the cellular immunotherapy industry. Cell Medica is well-positioned with advanced and differentiated technologies, which have the potential to make a real difference for cancer patients, and I look forward to joining a senior team which is committed to achieving this objective.”
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Notes to Editors
Dr Luis Borges has extensive experience in the research and development of cancer immunotherapies within successful biotech companies. Luis joins Cell Medica from Five Prime Therapeutics, where he served as Senior Vice President, Research and was instrumental in refocusing the product pipeline on cancer immunotherapy. During his previous twelve years at Amgen, Luis was involved in several successful hematology and oncology drug development programs. Luis began his career at Immunex, an innovative immunology-based biotech company, which was acquired by Amgen. Luis’s scientific and drug development research has included various technologies based on antibodies, and work with different immune cells including T cells, NK cells, and dendritic cells. Dr Borges earned his doctorate in Pathology at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA. His work has been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals.
About Cell Medica
Cell Medica is committed to transforming patients’ lives through developing the significant therapeutic potential of cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer. In collaboration with our strategic partners, Cell Medica is developing a range of products using three proprietary technology platforms including activated T cells, chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and engineered T cell receptors (TCRs). Our lead product, CMD-003, is being tested in an international Phase II trial for the treatment of cancers associated with the oncogenic Epstein Barr virus. We are working with the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of North Carolina to develop next generation CAR-modified NKT cells including an off-the-shelf product. In the field of engineered TCRs, we are collaborating with University College London to develop the Dominant TCR technology platform. Cell Medica is headquartered in London with subsidiaries in Zurich and Houston.
