BOSTON & GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sensei Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on the discovery and development of next generation therapeutics for cancer, today announced the appointment of Deneen Vojta, M.D. to its Board of Directors. Dr. Vojta brings over 25 years of experience in business development, entrepreneurship and health systems.
“Dr. Vojta is a significant addition to our Board of Directors at an important time for Sensei and we are thrilled to be able to benefit from her strategic leadership expertise in the healthcare industry,” said John Celebi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sensei Biotherapeutics. “Through her leadership and strategic experience gained as Executive Vice President for Global Research & Development at UnitedHealth Group and as Chief Medical Officer of both Health Partners and the Frankford Health System, Dr. Vojta will offer a valuable perspective as we continue to advance our pipeline of novel next-generation immunotherapies.”
“I am excited to join Sensei’s Board of Directors as the company continues to make marked progress both clinically and operationally,” said Deneen Vojta, M.D. “Sensei’s robust pipeline based on its unique ImmunoPhage platform may allow us to execute on the promise of personalized cancer therapies. I look forward to working closely with the Board and management team to bring Sensei closer to realizing the goal of transforming the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.”
Dr. Vojta brings experience as an entrepreneur, and strategic leader in the healthcare industry. She has a successful track record of accelerating the design, execution and scaling of disruptive programs, products and services and has built multiple businesses with successful exits. Dr. Vojta joined UnitedHealth Group in 2006 after the company acquired MYnetico, a digital disease management company that she founded and served as CEO. Dr. Vojta began her career at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) where she was a resident in Pediatrics and a fellow in Hematology & Oncology. Subsequently, she launched a CHOP’s pediatric hospitalist program. Currently, Dr. Vojta serves on the governance board of Childrens’ Minnesota and the advisory board of The Center for Health Incentives & Behavioral Economics at Penn Medicine. In 2014, she was an Emmy ® Award winner and in 2013, a CES® Innovation Design and Engineering Innovation Honoree. Dr. Vojta holds a M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine, and a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from University of Pittsburgh.
About Sensei Biotherapeutics
Sensei Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and delivery of next generation of immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. The company has developed a proprietary bacteriophage-based platform, ImmunoPhage™, that enables the rapid generation of immune activating therapeutic agents that fully engage the immune system. Using the ImmunoPhage™ platform, Sensei is developing a library of ImmunoPhage, called Phortress™, to target multiple tumor-associated antigens to create a personalized yet off-the-shelf cocktail approach for treating cancer patients. The platform enables efficient, scalable and cost-effective manufacturing to support all of Sensei’s clinical programs. The company’s most advanced immunotherapy, SNS-301, a first-in-class ImmunoPhage™ targeting the tumor antigen Aspartyl beta Hydroxylase (ASPH), is currently in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck. Earlier stage programs include SNS-401, a ImmunoPhage™ cocktail for the treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma, and SNS-VISTA, an antibody-based therapeutic targeting an immune checkpoint gene that inhibits anti-tumor immune responses called V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA). For more information, please visit www.senseibio.com, and follow us on Twitter @SenseiBio and on LinkedIn.