Aravive Appoints Dr. Robert B. Geller as Chief Medical Officer
July 05 2022 - 9:07AM
Aravive, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARAV, “the Company”), a late clinical-stage
oncology company developing targeted therapeutics to treat
metastatic disease, today announced the appointment of Dr. Robert
B. Geller as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Geller is a medical
oncologist with over 30 years of drug development experience
leading all aspects of clinical and medical affairs, including
commercialization preparedness and launch of novel therapeutics.
Dr. Geller will play a critical role in progressing Aravive’s
portfolio of programs in ovarian, renal and pancreatic cancers.
“Dr. Geller is a great addition to the management
team as we near completion of the global registrational Phase 3
trial in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, accelerate the ccRCC
development program, and prepare to file our first BLA end of
2023,” stated Gail McIntyre, Ph.D., DABT, Chief Executive Officer
of Aravive. “Dr. Geller’s wealth of experience in clinical
development and medical affairs, including direct involvement with
the FDA across the entirety of drug development, submission and
approval, rounds out our internal capabilities and helps to
maximize the probability of success of batiraxcept.”
“I feel very fortunate and proud that I am able to
join Aravive at this critical juncture, as the company nears key
value inflection points,” stated Dr. Robert B. Geller, Chief
Medical Officer of Aravive. “As a medical oncologist, I have
devoted my career to caring for patients, and developing and
commercializing new therapies for cancer patients. Based upon the
clinical data to date on batiraxcept, I am convinced that
batiraxcept has the potential to meet the high unmet medical needs
of patients with advanced cancers, and potentially become a
best-in-class medicine across a range of tumors, including ovarian,
renal and pancreatic cancer, which require new treatment
approaches.”
Dr. Geller started his academic career as the
Director of the Stem Cell Transplant program at the University of
Chicago and as the Director of the Leukemia Service and Director of
the Unrelated Transplant Program, Emory University. He then
transitioned to community practice where he focused on the
development of clinical pathways for patients with hematologic
malignancies and solid tumors, and the expansion of community-based
clinical research programs. After over two decades in clinical
practice, he then transitioned to the biopharmaceutical industry,
where he held positions in medical affairs and clinical development
at Alexion, Heron Therapeutics, and most recently as Senior Vice
President (Medical Affairs) at Coherus Biosciences where he was
involved in the clinical development and successful
commercialization of both their biosimilar franchise and their
immune-oncology pipeline. Dr. Geller has authored over 200
publications and abstracts and has served as reviewer for numerous
medical journals. Dr. Geller earned Bachelor and Master of Science
degrees in Physics at MIT and Medical Doctor degree from Harvard
Medical School. Dr. Geller completed a medical residency at the
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Medical Oncology
Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center. Dr Geller is a
Diplomat in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology with the
American Board of Internal Medicine.
About AraviveAravive, Inc. is a
late clinical-stage oncology company developing targeted
therapeutics to treat metastatic disease. Our lead product
candidate, batiraxcept (formerly AVB-500), is an ultra-high
affinity decoy protein that binds to GAS6, the sole ligand that
activates AXL, inhibiting metastasis, tumor growth, and restoring
sensitivity to anti-cancer agents. Batiraxcept has been granted
Fast Track Designation by the U.S. FDA and Orphan Drug Designation
by European Commission in PROC. Batiraxcept is in an active
registrational Phase 3 trial in platinum resistant ovarian cancer
(NCT04729608), a Phase 1b/2 trial in clear cell renal cell
carcinoma (NCT04300140), and a Phase 1b/2 trial in pancreatic
adenocarcinoma (NCT04983407). The Company is based in Houston,
Texas and received a Product Development Award from the Cancer
Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in 2016.
Additional information at www.aravive.com.
Forward Looking StatementsThis
press release includes forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 on
our current expectations and projections about future events. In
some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by
terminology such as “may,” “should,” “potential,” “continue,”
“expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,”
“estimates,” and similar expressions and include statements
regarding Dr. Geller playing a critical role in progressing
Aravive’s portfolio of programs in ovarian, renal and pancreatic
cancers, Dr Geller’s wealth of experience in clinical development
and medical affairs helping to maximize the probability of success
of batiraxcept for all shareholders, and the potential of
batiraxcept to meet the high unmet medical needs of patients with
advanced cancers, and potentially become a best-in-class medicine
across a range of tumors, including ovarian, renal and pancreatic
cancer, which require new treatment approaches. Forward-looking
statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions, are not
guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result
of various factors, including, but not limited to, risks and
uncertainties related to: the ability of Dr. Geller to make the
anticipated contributions, the ability to report data from the
current clinical trials in accordance with current timelines, the
data from patients treated in the future with batiraxcept being
consistent with the results reported, the ability to enroll the
expected number of patients, the impact of COVID-19 on the
Company's clinical strategy, clinical trials, supply chain and
fundraising, the Company's ability to expand development into
additional indications, the Company's dependence upon batiraxcept,
batiraxcept’s ability to have favorable results in clinical trials,
the clinical trials of batiraxcept having results that are as
favorable as those of preclinical and clinical trials, the ability
to receive regulatory approval, potential delays in the Company's
clinical trials due to regulatory requirements or difficulty
identifying qualified investigators or enrolling patients; the risk
that batiraxcept may cause serious side effects or have properties
that delay or prevent regulatory approval or limit its commercial
potential; the risk that the Company may encounter difficulties in
manufacturing batiraxcept; if batiraxcept is approved, risks
associated with its market acceptance, including pricing and
reimbursement; potential difficulties enforcing the Company's
intellectual property rights; the Company's reliance on its
licensor of intellectual property and financing needs. The
foregoing review of important factors that could cause actual
events to differ from expectations should not be construed as
exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with statements that
are included herein and elsewhere, including the risk factors
included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2021, the Company’s Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q, the Company’s recent Current Reports on Form 8-K and
subsequent filings with the SEC. Except as required by applicable
law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any
forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise.
Contact:Marek Ciszewski, J.D.Vice
President, Investor RelationsMarek@Aravive.com(562) 373-5787
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