PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OncoMyx Therapeutics, a privately held oncolytic immunotherapy company, today announced the appointment of Charles (Chuck) M. Baum, M.D., Ph.D., as chairperson of the company’s board of directors. Dr. Baum is currently president and chief executive officer of Mirati Therapeutics, which develops novel therapeutics that target the genetic and immunologic drivers of cancer. He has more than 25 years of experience leading the clinical development of precision oncology drugs, including axitinib (Inlyta®), crizotinib (Xalkori®), sunitinib (Sutent®), and temozolomide (Temodar®).
“We cannot think of a better person to chair our board of directors than Chuck Baum, who led Mirati Therapeutics in building an impressive oncology therapeutics pipeline and a strong leadership team,” said Steve Potts, Ph.D., MBA, cofounder and chief executive officer of OncoMyx. “Chuck is also a classically trained immunologist, who built one of the earliest immuno-oncology programs in pharma and has successfully developed several targeted cancer therapies through clinical trials to market. His guidance and expertise in the development of targeted cancer therapies will be very valuable as OncoMyx is preparing to advance into clinical trials our first multi-armed myxoma virotherapy for cancer with a novel precision medicine and pan-tumor treatment approach.”
“OncoMyx has assembled the top oncolytic virus team with extensive experience in advancing targeted cancer treatments, immunotherapies, and virotherapies and successfully bringing new cancer drugs to market,” said Dr. Baum. “Oncolytic viruses are an extremely promising therapeutic approach to expanding the patient population that can benefit from immunotherapies, and OncoMyx’s myxoma platform has numerous best-in-class advantages for multi-armed, systemically-delivered oncolytic immunotherapies.”
At Mirati, Dr. Baum built a world-class precision oncology leadership team, took the company public on Nasdaq, and focused the company on targeted development of receptor tyrosine kinase and histone deacetylase inhibitors in various cancers. Prior to joining Mirati in 2012, he was at Pfizer since 2003, serving in roles of increasing responsibility including as Senior Vice President for Biotherapeutic Clinical Research within Pfizer’s Worldwide Research and Development division; Vice President and Head of Oncology Development; and Chief Medical Officer for Pfizer’s Biotherapeutics and Bioinnovation Center. Dr. Baum serves on the board of directors the BCTG Acquisition Corp and is a member of the scientific advisory board for ALX Oncology. Dr. Baum served on the board of directors of Array BioPharma and Immunomedics until each company was acquired for $11 billion by Pfizer, Inc. and $21 billion by Gilead Sciences, Inc., respectively. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. in immunology from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and completed his post-graduate training at Stanford University. Dr. Baum has published more than 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts and holds a number of patents and patent applications.
About OncoMyx Therapeutics
OncoMyx Therapeutics develops oncolytic immunotherapies based on the myxoma virus (MYXV) platform to orchestrate an immune response to better treat cancer. Successful immuno-oncology (IO) cancer treatment generally requires combination therapy, and oncolytic viruses (OVs) have the potential to be a safe and effective complement to other immunotherapy approaches. The company’s MYXV platform, exclusively licensed from Arizona State University, is poised to be a best-in-class OV approach, and the top OV team has assembled around MYXV to create important new therapeutic options for cancer patients. For more information, please visit www.oncomyx.com and connect with the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.
