Dr. Steven O’Day Named Agenus Chief Medical Officer
November 05 2020 - 8:00AM
Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ: AGEN), an immuno-oncology company with an
extensive pipeline of checkpoint antibodies, cell therapies,
adjuvants, and vaccines designed to activate immune response to
cancers and infections, today announced the appointment of Dr.
Steven O’Day, MD, as its Chief Medical Officer.
“We welcome Dr. O’Day as we take our lead candidates to BLA and
advance several of our novel therapies into advanced phases of
clinical development,” said Garo Armen, PhD, Chairman and CEO of
Agenus. “Dr. O’Day’s pioneering record in the development of I-O
therapies and cancer treatments will be invaluable as we implement
rapid and innovative clinical trials for approval.”
Dr. O’Day’s leadership in the immuno-oncology field spans three
decades. He was part of a small group of investigators to treat the
first patients with the first checkpoint antibody, an anti-CTLA-4
molecule, ipilimumab. He presented the seminal data at the plenary
session at ASCO in 2010 which demonstrated the curative potential
of anti-CTLA-4 and its long and durable survival benefit in
patients with metastatic melanoma. These data led to the FDA
approval of ipilimumab the following year. Dr. O’Day will be
presenting clinical outcomes on our next-generation anti-CTLA-4
molecule, AGEN1181, at SITC 2020 starting on November 11th.
“Agenus is the most innovative company in this field with
platforms and capabilities that have produced an outstanding
pipeline of clinical and preclinical agents. I am excited to join
Agenus’ pathbreaking scientific and clinical team. We share a bold
vision for the future,” Dr. O’Day said. “Together, we will
accelerate optimal combination treatments for patients with cancer.
This is a transformative period in the company’s history, and I am
thrilled to join the team.”
Dr. O’Day has been a principal investigator for more than 200
clinical trials, including international pivotal trials in which he
has held leadership roles. He currently serves as Executive
Director of the John Wayne Cancer Institute and Cancer Clinics at
Providence St. John’s Health Center and Director of the Melanoma
and Cutaneous Oncology Research Center. After receiving his BA in
chemistry from Williams College, Dr. O’Day was selected as a
visiting scholar in philosophy and medical ethics at Oxford
University. He received his MD and completed his Internal Medicine
Residency at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine followed
by a Medical Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Fellowship at the
Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.
About AgenusAgenus is a clinical-stage
immuno-oncology company focused on the discovery and development of
therapies that engage the body's immune system to fight cancer. The
Company's vision is to expand the patient populations benefiting
from cancer immunotherapy by pursuing combination approaches that
leverage a broad repertoire of antibody therapeutics, adoptive cell
therapies (through its AgenTus Therapeutics subsidiary), and
proprietary cancer vaccine platforms. The Company is equipped with
a suite of antibody discovery platforms and a state-of-the-art GMP
manufacturing facility with the capacity to support clinical
programs. Agenus is headquartered in Lexington, MA. For more
information, please visit www.agenusbio.com and our Twitter handle
@agenus_bio. Information that may be important to investors will be
routinely posted on our website and Twitter.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release
contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the
safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws, including
statements regarding anticipated therapeutic benefit, clinical
development and regulatory plans and timelines. 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 our most recent Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. 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 Inc. Caroline
Bafundo 212-994-8209Caroline.Bafundo@agenusbio.com
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