Ex-Bristol R&D Chief to Helm Seattle Cancer Center -- Update

By Melanie Evans

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center named former Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. executive Thomas Lynch Jr. as its next president.

Dr. Lynch, who was Bristol's research and development chief, will take the helm of the nationally-known cancer center on Feb. 1. He will succeed Gary Gilliland, who announced plans to step down in September after a four-year run as leader.

The Hutch, as the Seattle-based cancer center is informally called, is known for its pioneering research into new kinds of treatments, including cell and gene therapies. It reported receiving $337 million in federal research funding in the fiscal year ended June 30, more than other research centers designated as National Cancer Institutes.

The cancer center, which counts 200 researchers on its staff and has had three Nobel Prize laureates, had $714 million in revenue last fiscal year.

Juno Therapeutics Inc., a biotech that developed a cellular cancer therapy known as CAR-T, is among the companies with roots in Fred Hutchinson research. Juno is now owned by Bristol.

Dr. Lynch -- a former executive at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Yale Cancer Center -- has lengthy experience in cancer-drug research. His work has included research using molecular profiles to target treatment for lung-cancer patients.

Dr. Lynch said in an interview he hopes to expand the cancer center's research in lung and other solid-tumor cancers, while pursuing a deeper understanding of the biology behind cancer. "We're not going to cure cancer until we understand cancer better," he said.

He became Bristol's research-and-development chief in 2017, as the company sought to recover from the unexpected failure of an important study testing its immunotherapy drug Opdivo in untreated lung-cancer patients

Dr. Lynch recently left the company after its $74 billion acquisition of rival Celgene Corp.

Write to Melanie Evans at Melanie.Evans@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 07, 2020 14:48 ET (19:48 GMT)

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