PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tmunity Therapeutics, Inc., a private clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on saving and improving lives by delivering the full potential of next-generation T cell immunotherapy, today announced the appointment of Graeme Bell as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Vice President. Mr. Bell formerly served in CFO roles at Intellia Therapeutics, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, and at Merck & Co., Inc. in US and UK operations.
“Graeme’s broad and deep experience in the biopharma industry — and his distinguished track record of leadership in finance, commercial operations and investor relations — will be invaluable to Tmunity as we invest in business growth and advance our pipeline of next-generation T cell immunotherapies,” said Usman “Oz” Azam, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tmunity. “Graeme’s extensive knowledge in finance and proven success in deal-making will be a tremendous asset to Tmunity as we continue to create and pursue strategic business opportunities that align with our vision.”
In his role at Tmunity, Mr. Bell will be responsible for all aspects of the company’s financial operations, including relationships with the capital markets. He will also oversee IT and other operational aspects, and work closely with the University of Pennsylvania and external partners.
“Tmunity is one of the most exciting companies I have encountered, with the potential to change the course of treatment for many cancers and other serious diseases,” said Mr. Bell. “I look forward to joining the Tmunity management team and working with an esteemed group of colleagues who have unrivaled cell and gene therapy expertise and are committed to developing the next generation of personalized therapies for patients.”
During his tenure with Intellia Therapeutics, Mr. Bell held the position of CFO and was also responsible for operations, IT and investor relations. Prior to Intellia, he was CFO and oversaw operations at Anacor Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Bell also previously served as CFO at Merck & Co., Inc. in US and UK operations and held finance positions of increasing responsibility in manufacturing, commercial and corporate functions.
“I am delighted that Graeme has joined the Tmunity management team. His diverse background in finance across big pharma and small biotech, coupled with his global expertise in capital markets, comes at the right time as we accelerate investment into our clinical research programs and begin commercial planning,” said Carl H. June, MD, Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the Perleman School of Medicine, and Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Bell holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Durham (UK) and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
About Tmunity Therapeutics
Tmunity is a private clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on saving and improving lives by delivering the full potential of next-generation T cell immunotherapy to patients with devastating diseases. Integrating a foundational collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and the groundbreaking scientific, clinical and manufacturing expertise and demonstrated track record of its founders (Carl June, MD; Bruce Blazar, MD; Bruce Levine, PhD; Yangbing Zhao, MD, PhD; Jim Riley, PhD; and Anne Chew, PhD), Tmunity represents a new center of gravity in translational T cell medicine. The company is developing a diversified portfolio of novel treatments that exhibit best-in-class control over T cell activation and direction in the body, with an initial focus in cancer with two programs currently in the clinic. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Tmunity utilizes laboratories and production facilities at Penn and its own dedicated cGMP manufacturing facility in Norristown, PA, to pursue process improvement and production scale-up in support of clinical development of its T cell therapies. For more information, visit www.tmunity.com.
