Gritstone Announces Promotions Within its Leadership Team
March 08 2021 - 8:00AM
Gritstone Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: GRTS), a clinical-stage
biotechnology company developing the next generation of cancer and
infectious disease immunotherapies, today announced two promotions
within its leadership team. Karin Jooss, Ph.D., previously the
company’s executive vice president of research and chief scientific
officer, has been appointed to the position of head of research and
development. Erin Jones, M.S., who served as the company’s
executive vice president of global regulatory affairs and quality,
has been appointed to the position of chief operating officer
(COO).
“We have multiplied the number of programs underway at
Gritstone, and the launch of our new infectious disease pipeline in
addition to our robust clinical oncology programs has required
intense efforts across the company, but in particular within
research and biomanufacturing,” said Andrew Allen, M.D., Ph.D.,
co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Gritstone. “I
am thrilled to have had the right strategic leaders within the
company to step into these important roles as we embark on the next
exciting chapter in Gritstone’s evolution.”
Dr. Allen continued, “Karin Jooss has led the research
organization to establish compelling pre-clinical data with our
technologies against COVID-19 and HIV infections. Her thought
partnership in the overall design of these programs encompassed
efficient proof-of-concept clinical trials intended to address
real-world patient needs. Erin Jones is a seasoned executive who
has already been running many critical operating functions,
including regulatory affairs, the entire quality organization (a
major component of biomanufacturing) and project leadership. In the
newly created position of COO, he will oversee all
biomanufacturing, in addition to his current roles.”
Karin Jooss, Ph.D., is the head of research and development. She
had most recently served as the executive vice president of
research and chief scientific officer at Gritstone since April
2016. Prior to Gritstone, from May 2009 to April 2016, Dr. Jooss
was the head of cancer immuno-therapeutics in the vaccine
immuno-therapeutics department at Pfizer, Inc., a public
pharmaceutical company, where she was also a member of the vaccine
immuno-therapeutics leadership team and served as head of the
immuno-pharmacology team with responsibilities including clinical
development. Prior to joining Pfizer, Dr. Jooss served as vice
president of research at Cell Genesys, Inc., from June 2005 to
April 2009, and as senior director of research at Cell Genesys from
July 2001 to June 2005. She is on the editorial board of Molecular
Therapy and the Journal of Gene Medicine and is a member of the
Immunology and Educational Committee of the American Society of
Gene & Cell Therapy and the Industry Task Force of the Society
for Immunotherapy of Cancer. Dr. Jooss serves on the board of
directors of Fate Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Jooss received her diploma
in theoretical medicine from the University of Marburg in Germany,
a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Marburg in
Germany and performed postgraduate work in gene therapy and
immunology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Erin E. Jones, M.S., is the chief operating officer. He had
served as Gritstone’s executive vice president of global regulatory
affairs and quality since May 2016. Prior to Gritstone, from July
2014 to April 2016, Mr. Jones served as vice president, global head
of regulatory affairs, medical writing, pharmacology and toxicology
at Puma Biotechnology, Inc., or Puma, a public biopharmaceutical
company. Prior to Puma, Mr. Jones served as director, regulatory
affairs at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. from July 2012 to July
2014. Earlier in his career, Mr. Jones held various positions at
Genentech, Inc., or Genentech, a biotechnology corporation and
subsidiary of Roche, including head of regulatory intelligence and
leader of the HER Franchise Regulatory Group. Mr. Jones received a
B.S. in microbiology and chemistry from the University of
Pittsburgh and an M.S. in computer systems from Pennsylvania State
University.
About GritstoneGritstone
Oncology (Nasdaq: GRTS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company, is
developing the next generation of immunotherapies against multiple
cancer types and infectious diseases. Gritstone develops its
products by leveraging two key pillars—first, a proprietary machine
learning-based platform, Gritstone EDGETM, which is designed to
predict antigens that are presented on the surface of cells, such
as tumor or virally-infected cells, that can be seen by the immune
system; and second, the ability to develop and manufacture potent
immunotherapies utilizing these antigens to potentially drive the
patient’s immune system to specifically attack and destroy
disease-causing cells. The company’s lead oncology programs include
an individualized neoantigen-based immunotherapy, GRANITE, and an
“off the shelf” shared neoantigen-based immunotherapy, SLATE, which
are being evaluated in clinical studies. The company also has a
bispecific antibody (BiSAb) program for solid tumors in lead
optimization. Within its infectious disease pipeline, Gritstone is
advancing CORAL, a COVID-19 program to develop a second-generation
vaccine with support from departments within the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation and a license agreement with La Jolla Institute for
Immunology. Additionally, the company has a global collaboration
for the development of a therapeutic HIV vaccine with Gilead
Sciences. For more information, please visit
gritstoneoncology.com.
Gritstone Forward-Looking
StatementsThis press release contains
forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to,
statements related to the potential of Gritstone’s therapeutic
programs. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks
and uncertainties that could cause Gritstone’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 Gritstone’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, Gritstone’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. Gritstone 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
Gritstone’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on
November 5, 2020 and any current and periodic reports filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Gritstone ContactsMedia:Dan Budwick1AB(973)
271-6085dan@1abmedia.com
Investors:Alexandra Santos Wheelhouse Life Science Advisors(510)
871-6161asantos@wheelhouselsa.com
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