HOUSTON, Feb. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Marker
Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:MRKR), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology
company specializing in the development of next-generation T
cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological
malignancies and solid tumor indications, today announced the
appointment of Mythili Koneru, M.D.,
Ph.D. as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development. In this role,
she will be responsible for clinical development strategy, clinical
study design, and medical oversight of the Company's therapeutic
product candidates. Dr. Koneru joins Marker Therapeutics from Eli
Lilly and Company, where she served most recently as Associate Vice
President of Immuno-Oncology.
"We are pleased to welcome an executive with Mythili's extensive
experience and expertise in the immunotherapy and cell therapy
field," said Peter L. Hoang,
President and Chief Executive Officer. "Her impressive background
in translational medicine and immuno-oncology, her proven
leadership in clinical trial design and drug development, and her
extensive patient care experience, will be invaluable in
advancing our pipeline of next-generation T cell therapy
candidates. We look forward to her many contributions to our
future success."
In her previous role as Associate Vice President of
Immuno-Oncology at Eli Lilly and Company, Dr. Koneru designed
early-stage clinical trials for hematologic and solid tumor
malignancies and was instrumental in developing clinical trial
protocols, serving as medical lead for trial conduct. She has also
served as Senior Medical Director of Early Phase Clinical
Development at Eli Lilly before she was promoted to her most recent
position. Prior to Eli Lilly, Dr. Koneru was an Oncology Fellow in
the laboratory of Dr. Renier
Brentjens at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where
she developed adoptive T cell therapies in both leukemia and solid
tumor malignancies in early phase clinical trials.
Dr. Koneru earned a B.A. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from
the University of Chicago, a Ph.D. in
Biomedical Research: Tumor Immunology from New
York University, and an M.D. from the Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School.
About Marker Therapeutics, Inc.
Marker
Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company
specializing in the development of next-generation T cell-based
immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and
solid tumor indications. Marker's cell therapy technology is based
on the selective expansion of non-engineered, tumor-specific T
cells that recognize tumor associated antigens (i.e. tumor targets)
and kill tumor cells expressing those targets. Once infused into
patients, this population of T cells attacks multiple tumor targets
and acts to activate the patient's immune system to produce broad
spectrum anti-tumor activity. Because Marker does not genetically
engineer its T cells, when compared to current engineered CAR-T and
TCR-based approaches, its products (i) are significantly less
expensive and easier to manufacture, (ii) appear to be markedly
less toxic, and (iii) are associated with meaningful clinical
benefit. As a result, Marker believes its portfolio of T cell
therapies has a compelling therapeutic product profile, as compared
to current gene-modified CAR-T and TCR-based
therapies.
Marker is also advancing a number of innovative peptide- and
gene-based immuno-therapeutics for the treatment of metastatic
solid tumors, including the Folate Receptor Alpha program (TPIV200)
for breast and ovarian cancers and the HER2/neu program
(TPIV100/110) for breast cancer, currently in Phase II clinical
trials. In parallel, we are developing a proprietary DNA expression
technology named PolyStart™ that can enhance the ability of the
immune system to recognize and destroy diseased cells.
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Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer
This release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of
the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this news release concerning the
Company's expectations, plans, business outlook or future
performance, and any other statements concerning assumptions made
or expectations as to any future events, conditions, performance or
other matters, are "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking
statements include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs,
projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning,
among other things: our research and development activities
relating to our multi-tumor antigen specific T cell therapies; our
TPIV200 and TPIV100/110 programs and our PolyStart™ program; the
effectiveness of these programs or the possible range of
application and potential curative effects and safety in the
treatment of diseases; and, the timing and success of our clinical
trials, as well as multi-tumor antigen specific T cell clinical
trials conducted by our collaborators. Forward-looking statements
are by their nature subject to risks, uncertainties and other
factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from
those stated in such statements. Such risks, uncertainties and
factors include, but are not limited to the risks set forth in the
Company's most recent Form 10-K, 10-Q and other SEC filings which
are available through EDGAR at www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no
obligation to update our forward-looking statements whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the
date of this press release.
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SOURCE Marker Therapeutics, Inc.