ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NeoImmuneTech, Inc., a clinical-stage T cell-focused biopharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of Byung Ha Lee, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) effective March 1st, 2021. Dr. Lee brings extensive scientific experience to the leadership team, with over 15 years of diverse drug development experience. In this new role, Dr. Lee will lead the effort to further demonstrate the scientific strength and maximize the scientific value of the Company’s products.
“Dr. Lee has been an integral part of our company’s success thus far, and we look forward to his continued scientific leadership as our company moves into the next phase of development and growth,” said Se Hwan Yang, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of NeoImmuneTech (NIT). “The scientific merit of our lead drug candidate, NT-I7, is much attributed to the strong leadership Dr. Lee has provided to NIT over the past 5 years, and I have great confidence that he will continue to enhance the scientific value of our assets as the company’s CSO.”
“I’m excited to partner with this impressive leadership team and provide guidance for the company’s scientific strategy in the development of our assets,” said Dr. Lee. “I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to build out the scientific strategy of NT-I7 throughout my years at NIT and look forward to the opportunity to further drive the value of the product through scientific achievements and advancements.”
Dr. Lee joined NIT in 2016 as a Principal Scientist and was promoted to the position of Director of R&D in 2019, where he has been successfully leading the development of comprehensive pre-clinical and biomarker strategies for NIT’s NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa), the first-in-class clinical-stage long-acting human IL-7. Prior to joining NIT, Dr. Lee held research leadership positions including Project Leader at Samsung Biomedical Research Institute and at Genexine. Dr. Lee earned his Ph.D. degree in Medical Sciences in Immunology and Microbiology from the University of Florida, College of Medicine, and completed his post-doc at NIH/NIAID.
About NT-I7
NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa) is the only clinical-stage long-acting human IL-7, and is being developed for oncologic and immunologic indications, in which T cell amplification and increased functionality may provide clinical benefit. IL-7 is a fundamental cytokine for naïve and memory T cell development and for sustaining immune response to chronic antigens (as in cancer) or foreign antigens (as in infectious diseases). NT-I7 exhibits favorable PK/PD and safety profiles, making it an ideal combination partner. NT-I7 is being studied in multiple clinical trials in solid tumors and as a vaccine adjuvant. Studies are being planned for testing in hematologic malignancies, additional solid tumors and other immunology-focused indications.
About NeoImmuneTech
NeoImmuneTech, Inc. (NIT) is a clinical-stage T cell-focused biopharmaceutical company, dedicated to expanding the horizon of immuno-oncology and enhancing immunity to infectious diseases. NIT is led by the scientific founder and inventor of NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa) and complemented by a strong executive team with rich industry experience at companies such as Novartis, BMS, GSK, Pfizer, Amgen, Eli Lilly, MedImmune/AstraZeneca and PwC. NIT is expanding rapidly in personnel and operations, as well as partnering with industry and academic leaders to investigate NT-I7 as monotherapy and in combination with various immunotherapeutics. For more information, please visit www.neoimmunetech.com.
