HOOKIPA Appoints David R. Kaufman to its Board of Directors
April 25 2019 - 8:30AM
HOOKIPA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOK), a company developing a new
class of immunotherapeutics targeting infectious diseases and
cancers based on its proprietary arenavirus platform, today
announced the appointment of David R. Kaufman, M.D., Ph.D., to
its Board of Directors.
Dr. Kaufman currently serves as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of
The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute. Prior to
joining the Institute, he held several leadership positions at
Merck Research Laboratories, including Head of Translational
Oncology, Executive Director in Clinical Oncology and Associate
Director of the Merck Drug Development and Leadership Program. Dr.
Kaufman is a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for
Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), a not-for-profit medical
professional society dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes
by advancing the science and application of cancer immunotherapy.
He holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Virology & Immunology from The
Rockefeller University and received his M.D. from Weill Cornell
Medical College of Cornell University.
“I look forward to welcoming David onto HOOKIPA’s Board of
Directors. David’s expertise as an immunologist and in oncology
research and development will provide invaluable benefits in
helping us maximize the potential of our proprietary arenavirus
platform to target infectious diseases and cancers, two major areas
of global concern,” said Joern Aldag, CEO of HOOKIPA.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Kaufman said: “Joining
HOOKIPA at this pivotal moment in the Company’s evolution presents
an exciting opportunity. I look forward to collaborating with other
Board members and the Senior Management Team and hope to leverage
my medical knowledge and corporate experience to aid the
progression of HOOKIPA’s impressive pipeline of new
immunotherapeutics.”
As well as welcoming Dr. Kaufman, HOOKIPA bids farewell to
longstanding Board member Professor Paul-Henri Lambert. While
leaving the board, Paul-Henri Lambert will remain on the scientific
advisory board of the Company.
On Professor Lambert’s departure, HOOKIPA’s CEO Joern Aldag
commented: “I wish to thank Paul-Henri for his commitment to the
Company as a valuable member of the Board over the past six years.
With his deep scientific knowledge and broad experience, Paul-Henri
has contributed significantly to HOOKIPA’s success today.”
About HOOKIPAHOOKIPA Pharma
Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOK) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company
developing a new class of immunotherapeutics, targeting infectious
diseases and cancers based on its proprietary arenavirus platform
that is designed to reprogram the body’s immune system.
HOOKIPA’s proprietary arenavirus-based
technologies, VaxWave®*, a replication-deficient viral vector, and
TheraT®*, a replication-attenuated viral vector, are designed to
induce robust antigen specific CD8+ T cells and
pathogen-neutralizing antibodies. Both, VaxWave® and TheraT®, are
designed to allow for repeat administration while maintaining an
immune response. TheraT® has the potential to induce CD8+ T cell
response levels previously not achieved by other published
immuno-therapy approaches. HOOKIPA’s “off-the-shelf” viral vectors
target dendritic cells in vivo to activate the immune system.
HOOKIPA has successfully completed a Phase 1
trial of a VaxWave®-based prophylactic vaccine to protect against
cytomegalovirus infection and has started dosing patients in a
Phase 2 trial in cytomegalovirus-negative patients awaiting kidney
transplantation from cytomegalovirus-positive donors. To expand its
infectious disease portfolio, HOOKIPA has entered into a
collaboration and licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to
jointly research and develop functional cures for HIV and Hepatitis
B infections. HOOKIPA is building a proprietary immuno-oncology
pipeline by targeting virally mediated cancer antigens,
self-antigens and next-generation antigens.
TheraT® and VaxWave® are not approved anywhere
globally and their safety and efficacy have not been
established.
Find out more about HOOKIPA online at
www.hookipapharma.com.
*Registered in Europe; Pending in the US.
HOOKIPA Forward Looking
StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking
statements, including, but not limited to, statements related to
its board membership and potential growth and success driven by
such members. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial
risks and uncertainties that could cause HOOKIPA’s research and
clinical development programs, future results, performance or
achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or
implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and
uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in
the drug development process, including HOOKIPA’s programs’ early
stage of development, the process of designing and conducting
preclinical and clinical trials, the regulatory approval processes,
the timing of regulatory filings, the challenges associated with
manufacturing drug products, HOOKIPA’s ability to successfully
establish, protect and defend its intellectual property and other
matters that could affect the sufficiency of existing cash to fund
operations. HOOKIPA undertakes no obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well
as risks relating to the business of the company in general, see
HOOKIPA’s most recent Registration Statement on Form S-1 and any
current and periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
For further information, please
contact:HOOKIPANina WaibelHead of
Communications
Media
enquiries
Sue Charles/ Ashley TappInstinctif Partners+44
(0)20 7457 2020
Nina.Waibel@HookipaPharma.com
Hookipa@Instinctif.com
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