SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IconOVir Bio, Inc. (IconOVir), a preclinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the next generation of oncolytic virus (OV) therapy to improve the treatment of patients with cancer, today announced the appointment of Julia (Julie) Maltzman, M.D., as its Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Maltzman brings over three decades of experience as a distinguished medical oncologist with deep scientific and clinical knowledge of drug development in the oncology space and significant leadership experience overseeing all aspects of clinical, medical and regulatory affairs. At IconOVir, Dr. Maltzman will lead all activities associated with the clinical development of the IconOVir’s emerging OV-based therapeutic pipeline, including clinical development, clinical operations, medical affairs and pharmacovigilance activities.
“We are thrilled to welcome Julie to our team as we prepare to advance ICVB-1042, our lead product candidate, into first-in-human Phase 1 studies next year,” said Mark McCamish, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of IconOVir. “Julie is an accomplished leader in oncology drug development, and we believe that her extensive clinical experience, coupled with her background as a medical oncologist, will be instrumental in our efforts to unlock the full potential of ICVB-1042, while also supporting the growth of our broader OV-based therapeutic pipeline. We look forward to benefiting from Julie’s leadership as we finalize the design of our Phase 1 trials, continue preparations to become a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and advance our mission to cure cancer and restore life to every patient, everywhere.”
Dr. Maltzman joins IconOVir from Genentech, where she most recently served as Franchise Head, Vice President and Global Head of Gastrointestinal (GI) and Cancer Immunotherapy. In this role, Dr. Maltzman provided enterprise-level strategic and operational development leadership for late-stage GI and cancer immuno-oncology combinations across all tumor types worldwide. Prior to joining Genentech, she was a Vice President of Clinical Development at Nektar Therapeutics, where she led clinical development and pharmacovigilance, setting strategy and direction for several clinical development teams in oncology. Before that, Dr. Maltzman held positions of increasing responsibility at Gilead Sciences, Morphotek, Inc. and Glaxo Smith Kline, in addition to holding a faculty appointment at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Maltzman received her B.A and M.D. from the University of Colorado. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Hospital, and her fellowship in hematology/oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
“It is an honor to join IconOVir at such a pivotal time in its growth as it prepares to initiate Phase 1 clinical trials evaluating ICVB-1042 in patients with solid tumors,” said Dr. Maltzman. “IconOVir’s unique modular approach to developing the next generation of OV therapy has the potential to transform the landscape of cancer therapy and the lives of countless patients currently suffering from these diseases. I look forward to bringing my experience as a medical oncologist and drug developer to IconOVir and supporting the expansion and acceleration of IconOVir’s pipeline to bring novel therapies to the patients that inspire our work.”
About IconOVir
IconOVir is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the next generation of oncolytic virus therapy to improve the treatment of patients with cancer. IconOVir’s proprietary oncolytic virus platform is based on technology developed by scientific founder Clodagh O’Shea, Ph.D., of the Salk Institute. It is designed to address key limitations of first- and second-generation oncolytic viruses and provide a personalized therapy for cancer patients. For more information, please visit www.iconovir.com and follow IconOVir on LinkedIn.
