HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arcus Biosciences, Inc. (NYSE:RCUS), an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company working to create best-in-class cancer therapies, today announced that David Lacey, M.D. has joined the Company’s Board of Directors. Dr. Lacey has had a distinguished academic and highly accomplished biopharmaceutical industry career discovering and creating life-changing and critical quality of life improvement therapies for patients.
“Over the years, I have had the privilege of working closely with David in multiple capacities,” said Terry Rosen, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Arcus. “From our early days as collaborators when I was at Tularik and as long-term colleagues at Amgen, I realized that David personifies what drives the biotechnology industry---he is highly innovative, is able to recognize extraordinary opportunities and has a humanity and empathy that are always patient focused. His wealth of scientific, leadership and life experiences provide him with unique knowledge and wisdom that will be invaluable to Arcus as it moves towards late-stage development and commercialization but retains an emphasis on breakthrough discovery. David’s advice and perspectives were central in the formation and success of Flexus and the subsequent founding of Arcus, and his involvement with the Arcus team since our inception as a member of our Scientific Advisory Board positions him to genuinely impact the strategic decisions and direction of the Company to ultimately provide benefit to patients.”
“It has been quite motivating to advise a company that so highly values a long-term commitment to and investment in pioneering drug discovery and development and fully leveraging the potential of its clinical portfolio for the treatment of cancer,” said Dr. Lacey. “Arcus has created a world-class R&D engine, underpinned by a team of successful industry veterans, and I am excited to be a part of this team as it continues to move toward its vision of delivering a sustainable pipeline of therapies that provide transformational therapeutic benefit.”
During his 17-year tenure at Amgen, Dr. Lacey oversaw Amgen’s Discovery Research organization during a key period in the company’s history, leading more than 1,200 scientists across a portfolio of drug discovery and development projects in the therapeutic areas of hematology/oncology, inflammation, metabolic disorders, and neuroscience. At Amgen, Dr. Lacey helped make significant advancements in the understanding of bone biology, playing a fundamental role in the discovery of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and in the understanding of the RANK/RANK ligand pathway in bone metabolism that paved the way for the development of Prolia® (denosumab) for osteoporosis and XGEVA® for cancer-related bone diseases, which had combined annual sales of more than $2 billion. Denosumab has received a number of awards including the US 2011 Prix Galien award for best new biotechnology product. Dr. Lacey also initiated the clinical studies of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), which ultimately was approved as Kepivance® (palifermin) for chemotherapy patients with severe oral mucositis. Prior to joining Amgen, Dr. Lacey was on the faculty at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri where he taught pathology residents and medical students, performed professional medical service in anatomic pathology, and pursued NIH-funded research in bone cell biology.
Dr. Lacey received his bachelor’s degree in biology and his M.D. degree from the University of Colorado where he served as Chief Resident of Anatomic Pathology in his final year of training. He is board certified in anatomical pathology. Dr. Lacey currently serves as a Board member for several biotech companies and acts as an esteemed advisor to a number of academic institutions, biotechnology companies, and venture capital firms.
About Arcus Biosciences
Arcus Biosciences is an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company leveraging its deep cross-disciplinary expertise to discover highly differentiated therapies and to develop a broad portfolio of novel combinations addressing significant unmet needs. AB928, the first and only dual A2a/A2b adenosine receptor antagonist in the clinic, is being evaluated in several Phase 1b/2 studies across multiple indications, including prostate, colorectal, non-small cell lung, pancreatic, triple negative breast and renal cell cancers. AB680, the first small-molecule CD73 inhibitor in the clinic, is in Phase 1 development for first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer. AB154, an anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody, is in Phase 2 development for first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in combination with zimberelimab and AB928. Zimberelimab (AB122), Arcus’s anti-PD1 monoclonal antibody, is being evaluated in a Phase 1b study as monotherapy for cancers with no approved anti-PD1 treatment options, as well as in combinations across the portfolio. For more information about Arcus Biosciences, please visit www.arcusbio.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained herein, including, but not limited to, the statements regarding Arcus’s vision, strategy and plans, are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause Arcus’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the inherent uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including the duration and/or severity of the outbreak and actions by government authorities to slow the spread of the virus, the inherent uncertainty associated with pharmaceutical product development and clinical trials, the emergence of adverse events or other undesirable side effects, and changes in the competitive landscape for our programs. Risks and uncertainties facing Arcus are described more fully in Arcus’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Arcus disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update, supplement or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
Source: Arcus Biosciences
