SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIR) today announced the appointment of Jennifer Towne, Ph.D., as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, effective November 6, 2023. Dr. Towne will be responsible for leading the Company’s research function from basic research through scale-up manufacturing and the introduction of drug candidates to clinical trials. She will report to Vir’s Chief Executive Officer Marianne De Backer, M.Sc., Ph.D., MBA, and will join the Company’s Executive Management Team.
“Jennifer brings more than two decades of deep immunology R&D experience that includes a proven track record of successfully developing breakthrough medicines and bringing multiple investigational new drug applications for innovative therapeutics forward,” said Dr. De Backer. “Her scientific and external innovation leadership experience combined with her expertise in antibodies, biologics and leading-edge computational tools will be critical to this role as we expand our aperture to focus on viral-associated diseases and immune targeting as new areas of growth, addressing patient need in infectious disease and beyond.”
Dr. Towne joins Vir from The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, where she spent nine years holding immunology research leadership roles of increasing responsibility within Research and Development. In her most recent role as Senior Vice President, Immunology Discovery and External Innovation, she was responsible for advancing disease understanding and development of innovative therapeutics across autoimmune and inflammatory diseases as well as for bringing the most promising early innovation into Janssen to support the immunology portfolio. Prior to Janssen, Dr. Towne held a variety of scientific roles during her 13 years at Amgen. During the course of her career, Dr. Towne led the development of 16 drug candidates from preclinical research to IND and clinical development.
“I’m honored to join Vir, a company with significant accomplishments to-date, an exceptional research team and world-class science,” said Dr. Towne. “I look forward to leading the team and building upon the Company’s strong scientific foundation to drive future growth opportunities and patient impact.”
Dr. Towne earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, and Microbiology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio. She also holds a bachelor’s in biochemistry and a bachelor’s in biology from the Department of Chemistry and Department of Biology at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA.
About Vir Biotechnology
Vir Biotechnology, Inc. is an immunology company focused on combining cutting-edge technologies to treat and prevent infectious diseases and other serious conditions. Vir has assembled two technology platforms that are designed to stimulate and enhance the immune system by exploiting critical observations of natural immune processes. Its current clinical development pipeline consists of product candidates targeting hepatitis B and hepatitis delta viruses and human immunodeficiency virus. Vir has several preclinical candidates in its pipeline, including those targeting influenza A and B, COVID-19, RSV/MPV and HPV. Vir routinely posts information that may be important to investors on its website.
Forward-Looking Statements
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