HANGZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hangzhou Qihan Biotech Co., Ltd. ("Qihan" or "Qihan Biotech" or "the Company"), an industry leader in applying multiplexable genome editing technology to cell therapies and organ transplantation, is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Carl June as Cell Therapy Chair of its Scientific Advisory Board. In this capacity, Dr. June will oversee strategic scientific initiatives and provide critical guidance on the development of innovative therapies. As a world-renowned scientific leader in the field of immunotherapy, Dr. June’s innovative and groundbreaking work in cancer immunotherapy, particularly CAR-T, has been transformative, offering new hope for patients with previously untreatable cancers.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Carl June to our Scientific Advisory Board,” said Dr. Luhan Yang, the Co-founder and CEO of Qihan Biotech. “Dr. June’s expertise in the field of immunotherapy will be invaluable as we continue to advance our genetically modified immune cell therapies. We look forward to leveraging his insights as we aim to develop allogeneic cell and gene therapy (CGT) to deliver medicine to patients in need.”
“We are honored that Dr. Carl June, a true pioneer in the field of immunocell therapy, has agreed to Chair our Cell Therapy Advisory Board,” said Steven Holtzman, the Executive Chair of Qihan Biotech. “Dr. June’s decision to advise and collaborate with us is a major endorsement of the quality and potential of the cell therapy drug discovery and development platform and organization Luhan has built at Qihan.”
Dr. Carl June gained international recognition for his pioneering work in Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, a groundbreaking approach where a patient's T-cells are genetically modified to target and eliminate cancer cells. He maintains a research laboratory that studies various mechanisms of lymphocyte activation that relate to immune tolerance and adoptive immunotherapy for cancer and chronic infection. The CAR T cells invented in the June laboratory were awarded “Breakthrough Therapy” status by the FDA for acute leukemia in children and adults in 2014 and have now been FDA approved for 6 different indications. He has published more than 500 manuscripts and is the recipient of numerous prizes and honors, including election to the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. By translating his laboratory findings into clinical treatments, Dr. June has played a pivotal role in the approval of immunotherapies that have revolutionized cancer care. His work continues to shape the future of cellular immunotherapy and lays the foundation for advancements in gene editing and personalized medicine.
“I am excited to join Qihan’s Scientific Advisory Board,” said Dr. Carl June. “I look forward to collaborating with the team to contribute to developing groundbreaking treatments that can benefit patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases.”
About Qihan Biotech
Qihan Biotech is a biotechnology company applying genome editing technology to develop novel cell therapies and organs for transplantation. The company's mission is to use high-throughput, multiplexable genome editing combined with expertise in transplantation immunology to create immunologically privileged allogeneic cells and xenogeneic organs for use as therapies to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, organ failure, and other complex medical conditions. With a vision to create a world in which cell and organ therapies are universally available to patients, Qihan Biotech has raised two financing rounds. It has multiple products at different stages of development, including QN-019a, which had already received IND approval from China NMPA to treat CD19-positive relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Qihan's deep scientific experience and technology advancements have enabled the company to create cutting-edge cell therapy products. Qihan Biotech is headquartered in Hangzhou, China. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.qihanbio.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This release contains statements including, but not limited to, Qihan’s research development and/or relevant programs, its past, ongoing, and planned research studies, and the potential of Qihan’s research candidate. These and any other statements in this release are based on Qihan management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk that Qihan’s research program may not warrant further development, the risk that results observed in prior studies of Qihan’s research candidates will not be observed in ongoing or future studies involving these candidates, the risk of a delay or difficulties in the developing or transforming of Qihan’s research candidates, the risk that Qihan may cease or delay the research development of any of its candidates for a variety of reasons. Qihan is providing the information in this release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Information concerning therapies and related products contained herein is not intended as medical advice.
