BRISBANE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Maverick Therapeutics, Inc., a private biopharmaceutical company pioneering conditionally active bispecific T cell targeted immunotherapies, today announced the promotion of Jeremiah Degenhardt, Ph.D. to Vice President, Translational Oncology & Bioinformatics, as well as the appointment of three immuno-oncology experts to its Scientific Advisory Board.
“It’s a thrill to recognize Jeremiah’s outstanding track record of critical contributions that have helped shape a robust translational plan for our lead COBRATM program candidates MVC-101 and MVC-280, both of which are on schedule to begin Phase 1/2 clinical trials in 2021,” said Jim Scibetta, Chief Executive Officer, Maverick Therapeutics. “We welcome the scientific insight, energy, talent and leadership that Jeremiah brings to the executive team. In addition, we’re delighted to have three highly respected clinicians from world renowned academic institutions join our Scientific Advisory Board; each bringing their unique experience as lead investigators in groundbreaking cancer immunotherapy trials to Maverick. Our internal team working in collaboration with our external advisors further positions us to achieve the ultimate validation of our COBRA technology and brings us closer to our end goal of developing breakthrough bispecific T cell engaging therapies for patients with solid tumor cancers.”
Jeremiah Degenhardt, Ph.D. joined Maverick Therapeutics in 2017 as Director of Bioinformatics. As Vice President of Translational Oncology & Bioinformatics, Dr. Degenhardt will continue to lead the development and implementation of translational scientific strategies for Maverick’s clinical stage programs, which focus on supporting clinical development through patient selection and demonstrating COBRA proof of mechanism. Dr. Degenhardt will oversee the development of preclinical and clinical bioanalytical assays and advancement of the internal bioinformatics pipelines for target discovery, selection and data processing. With more than 10 years of experience, Dr. Degenhardt has expertise in next-generation sequence (NGS) analysis, high performance computing systems, target discovery, evaluation of mechanisms of resistance and biomarker discovery. He holds a Ph.D. in Biological Statistics and Computational Biology from Cornell University, where he studied theoretical population genetics and genome evolution under the mentorship of Professor Carlos D. Bustamante.
Learn more about the new Scientific Advisory Board appointees, here: https://www.mavericktx.com/about/#scientific-advisory-board
About MVC-101
Maverick Therapeutics’ lead program candidate, MVC-101, is a proprietary COBRA™ molecule designed to target the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), a protein expressed on both malignant and healthy tissues. MVC-101 regressed established human tumors in several preclinical models. Exposures of MVC-101 at efficacious relative to tolerated doses in safety studies demonstrates an increased therapeutic index compared to standard T cell engagers. MVC-101 is designed to be a universal solution for patients with EGFR expressing solid tumor cancers. EGFR is expressed on a wide range of solid tumor cancers, including but not limited to colorectal, head & neck, renal, pancreatic, cervical and non-small cell lung cancers. Maverick expects to initiate a Phase 1/2, Open Label, Dose Escalation Study of MVC-101 in Q1 2021.
About MVC-280
Maverick Therapeutics’ second program candidate, MVC-280, is a proprietary COBRA™ molecule designed to target B7H3 (CD276). B7H3 is expressed in a broad range of malignant and healthy tissues, similar to EGFR. MVC-280 regressed established tumors in several preclinical models. It is cross-reactive to its target protein expressed on mouse tissues, creating an opportunity to measure both efficacy and relative safety in the same preclinical model and use that data to calculate a therapeutic index. MVC-280 is designed to be a universal solution for patients with B7H3 expressing solid tumor cancers. B7H3 is expressed on a wide range of solid tumor cancers, including but not limited to prostate, renal, triple negative breast, head & neck, ovarian and urothelial cancers. Maverick expects to initiate a Phase 1/2, Open Label, Dose Escalation Study of MVC-280 in H2 2021.
About Maverick Therapeutics
Maverick Therapeutics is establishing itself as the leader in the race to apply T cell therapy to solid tumor cancers by focusing deep integrated expertise in drug development to design and deliver a pioneering immunotherapy platform. Maverick’s highly innovative COBRA™ therapeutic platform is the most mature, conditionally active bispecific T cell engaging platform designed to eliminate solid tumors. With COBRA, T cell activation and resulting cell killing only take place where it is needed - in tumors. This unique design delivers the long sought trifecta in cancer care; high specificity, high potency and reduced toxicity. Founded in 2016, Maverick is led by a team of leading experts in protein engineering and T cell therapeutic research and development. In early 2017, Maverick announced $125 million of committed funding from Takeda Pharmaceuticals (“Takeda”), MPM BioVentures 2014 and MPM Capital’s UBS Oncology Impact Fund. For further information, please visit www.mavericktx.com.