LEXINGTON, Mass., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Agenus Inc.
(NASDAQ: AGEN), an immuno-oncology (I-O) company developing
antibodies, including checkpoint inhibitors and other checkpoint
modulators and cancer vaccines, today announced the appointment of
James Gorman, M.D., Ph.D. as the
Company's Vice President of Strategic Planning and Portfolio
Management. Dr. Gorman has a wealth of industry experience in
implementing innovative strategic initiatives, portfolio
prioritization and corporate development.
"Dr. Gorman's stellar scientific and medical background,
entrepreneurial accomplishments and deep understanding of how to
leverage our diverse portfolio of I-O assets, will be instrumental
at this stage of our company's development," said Garo H. Armen, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of
Agenus. "In this new role, he will lead the Company's strategic
planning and portfolio management activities and will be
responsible for the integration of corporate strategy across
pre-clinical and clinical development, alliances and strategic
funding."
Dr. Gorman joins Agenus with almost 20 years of experience in
portfolio management, global pharmaceutical licensing and corporate
development. He made his mark early on with Abbott Laboratories,
where he was responsible for identifying, recommending and
coordinating the strategy to grow Abbott's biologics business.
There he championed and executed the acquisition of Humira®, a
blockbuster anti-TNF antibody with annual sales of over
$14 billion in 2015, which earned him
the Abbott President's Award. More
recently he was the Co-Founder, CEO and CMO of BioAssets
Development Corporation (BDC), an antibody therapeutics business,
which he shepherded from concept to a structured buyout by Cephalon
Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Gorman was also the Co-Founder, CEO and CSO of
121 Bio, LLC, a biopharmaceutical company with an I-O focus.
"I am excited to join Agenus as its lead checkpoint modulators
enter clinical development, and its rich pipeline of immune
therapies offers the real opportunity to develop novel proprietary
combination therapies to address major unmet needs," said Dr.
Gorman. "I look forward to working with the Agenus team to
select and advance the most compelling products to clinical use and
commercial success."
Dr. Gorman obtained his M.D. degree and his Ph.D. degree in
Immunology from Harvard University as a
trainee in the Harvard Medical School M.D./Ph.D. Program. During
his training, he conducted research in the laboratory of the
distinguished Professor Frederic Alt
specializing in molecular genetics and antibody formation,
developing new genetic engineering techniques and reagents
adopted by many other labs worldwide. He graduated summa cum
laude from Yale University with
B.A. and M.S. degrees in Biology.
About Agenus
Agenus is an immuno-oncology company focused on the discovery
and development of revolutionary new treatments that engage the
body's immune system to benefit patients suffering from cancer. By
combining multiple powerful platforms, Agenus has established a
highly integrated approach for the discovery, development and
manufacture of monoclonal antibodies that modulate targets of
interest. In addition, the Company's cancer vaccine program
includes three proprietary platforms focused on individualized and
off-the-shelf vaccines uniquely designed for each patient. Agenus'
broad portfolio of novel checkpoint and other immuno-modulatory
monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and adjuvants work in combination
to provide the opportunity to create best-in-class therapeutic
regimens. The Company has formed collaborations with Merck and
Incyte to discover and develop multiple checkpoint antibodies. For
more information, please visit www.agenusbio.com; information that
may be important to investors will be routinely posted on our
website.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements that
are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the federal
securities laws, including statements regarding Dr. Gorman's
anticipated contributions to the Company. These forward-looking
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties
include, among others, the factors described under the Risk Factors
section of Agenus' Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on August 4, 2016. Agenus
cautions investors not to place considerable reliance on the
forward-looking statements contained in this release. These
statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and
Agenus undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements,
other than to the extent required by law. All forward-looking
statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this
cautionary statement.
Contact:
Agenus:
Agenus Inc.
Michelle Linn, 781-674-4541
michelle.linn@agenusbio.com
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SOURCE Agenus Inc.