PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Century Therapeutics, developer of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived allogeneic cell therapies for cancer, today announced the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to include several renowned experts in the fields of developmental and stem cell biology, genetics, and immuno-oncology. The SAB will work closely with Century as it develops off-the-shelf iPSC-derived adaptive and innate immune effector cell therapies to treat hematologic and solid malignancies.
“We are privileged to welcome these distinguished scientists as inaugural members of our Scientific Advisory Board,” said Lalo Flores, PhD, CEO at Century Therapeutics. “Their expertise in disciplines central to the control of cellular differentiation and lymphocyte function as applied to the field of immuno-oncology will bring external scientific and clinical-translational perspectives to help guide Century in the development and expansion of our allogeneic cell therapy technology.”
Century’s President of R&D, Hy Levitsky, M.D., said, “We’re looking forward to leveraging the deep scientific expertise and insights this elite group brings to bear on the design and development of both iPSC-derived CAR-NK and CAR-T cell products.”
Century’s Scientific Advisory Board members are:
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Hiromitsu Nakauchi, MD, PhD
Dr. Nakauchi is a scientific co-founder of Century Therapeutics. He is Professor, Department of Genetics at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University. His research focuses on using immunology, molecular biology, cell biology, and developmental engineering to create effective stem cell therapies. He earned his medical degree from Yokohoma City University School of Medicine and a PhD in immunology from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine. -
Ellen Rothenberg, PhD
Dr. Ellen Rothenberg is the Albert Billings Ruddock Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Rothenberg’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms that dictate the developmental lineage choice as hematopoietic stem cells differentiate into T lymphocytes. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. -
Barbara Kee, PhD
Dr. Barbara Kee is Professor of Pathology at the University of Chicago. Dr. Kee studies transcriptional control of the development of natural killer (NK) cells, innate-like T lymphocytes, and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) as compared to that of cells of the adaptive immune system (T and B cells) and understanding how alterations in these pathways lead to disease such as autoimmunity, asthma, and leukemia. She received both her undergraduate degree and PhD in immunology from the University of Toronto. -
Cameron Turtle, MBBS, PhD
Dr. Turtle is an Associate Member of the Clinical Research Division and the Anderson Family Endowed Chair for Immunotherapy at Fred Hutch. Dr. Turtle studies how immune T cells can be engineered to fight hematologic malignancies and leads multiple clinical trials of CD-19-targeted CAR-modified T-cell therapies for patients with B-cell malignancies. He received his MBBS from the University of Sydney, Australia and his PhD from the University of Queensland, Australia. -
Greg Delgoffe, PhD
Dr. Delgoffe is Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Delgoffe researches the impact of the tumor microenvironment on T cell subsets that infiltrate the tumor and how these tumor cells promote an immunosuppressive environment from the modulation of metabolism. He received his BS from Western Michigan University and his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University.
In addition to the creation of the science-focused SAB, Century will also convene a disease-focused clinical advisory board to be chaired by Dr. Marcela Maus who is a scientific co-founder of Century Therapeutics.
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Marcela Maus, M.D., Ph.D
Dr. Maus is the Director of Cellular Immunotherapy at the Massachusetts General Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She received her MD and PhD from The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and Oncology Fellowship at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her research focuses on using genetic engineering techniques to re-direct T cells to find and kill tumor cells, while sparing healthy tissues; using T cells as delivery vehicles for other drugs, and using drugs to help T cells work against tumors. She has also led several clinical trials of novel CAR-T therapies in the treatment of patients with both hematologic and solid-tumor malignancies.
About Century Therapeutics
Century Therapeutics is harnessing the power of stem cells to develop curative cell therapy products for cancer that overcome the limitations of first-generation cell therapies. Our genetically engineered, universal iPSC-derived immune effector cell products (NK, T, DC and macrophage) are designed to specifically target hematologic and solid tumor cancers. Our commitment to developing off-the-shelf cell therapies will expand patient access and provides an unparalleled opportunity to advance the course of cancer care. Century was launched in 2019 by founding investor Versant Ventures in partnership with Fujifilm and Leaps by Bayer. For more information, please visit www.centurytx.com.
