CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Infinity
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: INFI) announced today that it has
added to its Board of Directors, expanded its clinical leadership
team, and established a Scientific Advisory Board.
"We are pleased to announce the appointment of David Beier, J.D. to our Board of Directors,"
said Adelene Perkins, Chief
Executive Officer and Chair of Infinity Pharmaceuticals. "David's
deep insights on healthcare policy, economics and drug pricing,
together with his perspectives as an advisor to the Parker
Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, will be invaluable as we
advance IPI-549, a potentially first-in-class immuno-oncology
medicine."
"We are also thrilled to have Dr. Marie-Louise Fjällskog, join
the exceptional clinical team at Infinity and to recognize the
contributions of Dr. Suresh
Mahabhashyam, in the development of IPI-549," Ms. Perkins
continued. "In addition, we are delighted to announce the
establishment of a Scientific Advisory Board with key
immuno-oncology thought leaders, including Dmitry Gabrilovich, M.D., Ph.D., Roy Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., Stephen Hodi, M.D., and David Munn, M.D. The depth of their collective
clinical oncology experience, especially in the rapidly-evolving
field of immuno-oncology, will be critical as we generate important
data on IPI-549 this year and determine the optimal path forward
for this first-in-class product candidate."
David Beier, J.D., is a Managing
Director of Bay City Capital and brings a wealth of experience to
the Infinity Board. David serves as an advisor to the Parker
Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, a Senior Fellow at the
USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy
& Economics and as a member of the Board of Directors of Arcus
Biosciences, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals and the California
Life Sciences Association. He also serves as an appointee of
Governor Brown on the California State Government Organization and
the Economy Commission. Having spent two decades as part of the
senior management teams for Amgen and Genentech, he brings
invaluable perspective regarding strategy for entrepreneurial
biotechnology firms and the industry in general as a globally
recognized leader in health care policy, regulatory affairs,
healthcare economics, and pricing. Mr. Beier also previously served
in the White House during the Clinton Administration as a Chief
Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President.
"Infinity has a tremendous team, including top-tier
investigators, advisors, board, and management," said Mr. Beier. "I
look forward to working with them to optimize the value of IPI-549
for patients and shareholders, based on important data being
generated on IPI-549 this year."
Marie-Louise Fjällskog M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed as Vice
President of Clinical Development and will play an integral role in
the expanded clinical development of IPI-549. Dr. Fjällskog is an
Associate Professor of Oncology at Uppsala
University, Sweden, and has
over twenty-five years of experience in clinical oncology,
translational research, and drug development. She joins Infinity
from the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, where she
served as a Clinical Program Leader, Translational Clinical
Oncology, and as the global lead for several immuno-oncology
programs, including those targeting CSF-1 and PD-1.
In addition, Suresh Mahabhashyam,
M.D., M.P.H., has been promoted to Vice President, Safety and
Risk Management. Dr. Mahabhashyam has over 20 years of experience
in medical practice and epidemiology with the last decade focused
on drug development at Infinity, Alexion and Allergan.
"Infinity has a significant opportunity with IPI-549, which
represents a novel approach within immuno-oncology and is the only
selective PI3K-gamma inhibitor in clinical development. I am
excited to join the company at this time and to work with the team
to bring this potentially transformative treatment through clinical
development, and to patients," said Dr. Fjällskog.
Infinity has also established a Scientific Advisory Board of
thought leaders in the field of immuno-oncology to complement the
expertise of its clinical investigators. Their collective input
will be invaluable in analyzing the breadth of IPI-549 clinical and
translational data being generated this year. Infinity's Scientific
Advisory Board's initial members include:
- Dmitry Gabrilovich, M.D., Ph.D.,
is a thought leader in myeloid cell biology and serves as the
Christopher M. Davis Professor in Cancer Research and Program
Leader, Immunology, Microenvironment, and Metastasis at the Wistar
Institute in Philadelphia and as
the Wistar Professor at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory
Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Gabrilovich was one
of the discoverers of cells that are now called myeloid-derived
suppressor cells (MDSCs), and his group characterized a number of
molecular mechanisms regulating expansion and function of these
cells. He established the role of antigen-specific mechanisms of
regulation of T-cell tolerance mediated by MDSCs and provided the
first evidence that MDSCs can be therapeutically targeted in
patients. His group also demonstrated that dendritic cells in
tumor-bearing mice, as well as in cancer patients, are functionally
impaired.
- Roy Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., is a
leader in lung cancer treatment and research and is the Ensign
Professor of Medicine, Professor of Pharmacology, Chief of Medical
Oncology, Director of the Thoracic Oncology Research Program, and
Associate Director for Translational Research at the Yale Cancer
Center (YCC) and Yale School of
Medicine. Dr. Herbst has led the development of targeted and
immunologic agents for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Dr.
Herbst's laboratory work has focused on immunotherapy angiogenesis;
dual epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/vascular endothelial
growth factor receptor (VEGFR) inhibition in NSCLC and targeting
KRAS-activated pathways. His research has explored predictive
biomarkers for the use of immunotherapy agents and is he serves as
one of the principal investigators of the NCI lung cancer master
protocol (Lung MAP).
- Stephen Hodi, M.D. is an
internationally recognized leader in the development of immune
therapy and melanoma therapeutics and is especially renown for the
clinical development of checkpoint inhibitors. Dr. Hodi is the
Director of the Melanoma Center and the Center for Immuno-Oncology
at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, the Sharon
Crowley Martin Chair in Melanoma at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,
and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical
School. He led the first human trial of ipilimumab, which
blocks the CTLA-4 checkpoint, and later led its phase III
registration trial, which was the first study to show a survival
advantage for a melanoma drug and led to FDA approval. He also is a
key investigator in the clinical development of the second family
of checkpoint inhibitors, which block PD-1 and PD-L1, and has led
pioneering, investigator-initiated trials combining immune
checkpoint blockade with cytokines and the first combination of
immune checkpoint blockade with anti-angiogenesis agents.
- David H. Munn, M.D., is a
pioneer in T cell activation and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)
research, serves as Professor of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at
the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta
University, and is a member of the Georgia Cancer Center. Dr. Munn
and colleagues were the first to identify the role of IDO in
immunologic tolerance and its importance for tumor immunology. His
laboratory focuses on basic research in tumor immunology and on
translation to Phase 1/2 clinical trials for cancer immunotherapy
in children and studies the regulation of T cell activation by
tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the
setting of cancer, and the molecular links among IDO, Tregs,
antigen-presenting cells, and immunoregulatory checkpoints (PD-1,
CTLA-4 and PTEN).
About Infinity
Infinity is an innovative
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to advancing novel cancer
treatments. Infinity is advancing IPI-549, a potentially
transformative immuno-oncology approach that aims to reprogram
tumor-associated macrophages by selectively inhibiting PI3K-gamma.
A Phase 1/1b study in approximately
200 patients with advanced solid tumors is ongoing. For more
information on Infinity, please refer to Infinity's website at
www.infi.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include those
regarding the therapeutic potential of PI3K-gamma selective
inhibition and IPI-549, clinical trial plans regarding IPI-549, and
the company's ability to execute on its strategic plans. Such
statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ
materially from the company's current expectations. These factors,
risks and uncertainties include: Infinity's results of clinical
trials and preclinical studies; the content and timing of decisions
made by the U.S. FDA and other regulatory authorities; Infinity's
ability to obtain and maintain requisite regulatory approvals and
to enroll patients in its clinical trials; unplanned cash
requirements and expenditures; development of agents by Infinity's
competitors for diseases in which Infinity is currently developing
or intends to develop IPI-549; Infinity's ability to obtain,
maintain and enforce patent and other intellectual property
protection for IPI-549; and those risks and uncertainties described
in greater detail under the caption "Risk Factors" included in
Infinity's quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November
7, 2017, and other filings filed by Infinity with the SEC. Any
forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak
only as of the date hereof, and Infinity expressly disclaims any
obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact:
Stephanie
Ascher, Stern Investor Relations, Inc.
212-362-1200 or Stephanie@sternir.com
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SOURCE Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.