Pyxis Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: PYXS) today announced the departure
of Ronald Herbst, Ph.D., as the Company’s Chief Scientific Officer
and the appointment of Jan Pinkas, Ph.D., currently Senior Vice
President, Preclinical Research & Development, to the position
of Chief Scientific Officer. The management changes are effective
as of April 12, 2022.
“Ronald’s passion, expertise and exceptional scientific
leadership have been fundamental to Pyxis Oncology’s growth since
its founding as an IO-focused target discovery company. The legacy
and impact of his work has enabled Pyxis Oncology to successfully
transition to a clinical stage company with our expansion into the
ADC modality,” said Lara Sullivan, M.D., President and Chief
Executive Officer. “I am incredibly proud of the remarkable
research team that Ronald has built, and I know he will continue to
be successful in his future endeavors.”
Dr. Sullivan continued, “I am excited for Jan to assume a larger
leadership role at this important time for our company. His
experience in preclinical and clinical development will be
invaluable as we continue to mine the Pfizer FACT ADC platform and
advance new therapeutics for those suffering from
difficult-to-treat cancers. As we continue to grow, our expert team
of leaders will steward our strategy of building a multi-asset
multi-modality diversified oncology company."
Dr. Pinkas said, “I am eager to take on this expanded role as we
are poised to deliver multiple potential catalysts over the next
several months. I look forward to working with the talented team at
Pyxis Oncology to continue building a deep pipeline of research and
preclinical programs that will support the development of a range
of novel and exciting therapeutics with significant potential to
help underserved patients.”
Dr. Herbst added, “When I joined Pyxis Oncology in 2019, my goal
was to lay a strong scientific foundation and lead our evolution to
a clinical-stage company. Having accomplished that, the time is now
right for me to take the next step in my own career journey. It has
truly been a privilege to work with such a remarkable team of
scientists and I look forward to following the Company’s progress
and supporting Jan through this transition.”
Jan Pinkas, Ph.D., SVP, Chief Scientific
OfficerDr. Pinkas joined Pyxis Oncology in August 2021 as
Senior Vice President, Preclinical Research & Development,
responsible for leading all preclinical initiatives. Prior to Pyxis
Oncology, Dr. Pinkas spent ten years at Magenta Therapeutics where,
most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, Translational
Sciences. In this role, he was responsible for establishing a new
translational sciences department to support programs as the
company transitioned from preclinical research and IND-enabling
studies to late-stage clinical development. Before Magenta
Therapeutics, Dr. Pinkas served in increasingly progressing roles
at ImmunoGen, Inc., most recently serving as Vice President,
Translational Research & Development, where he led groups
responsible for preclinical R&D-related pharmacology, toxicity
and pharmacokinetic activities to support molecules from
early-stage research to IND, as well as molecules advancing to
pivotal clinical development. Earlier in his career, he served in
scientist roles focused on oncology research at Amgen, Inc. and
Genzyme Corporation.
Dr. Pinkas conducted his postdoctoral research in the Department
of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. He earned his Ph.D. in
molecular and cellular biology at the University of Massachusetts,
Amherst and served as a research assistant in pediatric hematology
and oncology at the University of Maryland Medical School. Dr.
Pinkas obtained his B.A. in biology from The Johns Hopkins
University.
About Pyxis Oncology, Inc. Pyxis Oncology, Inc.
is a multi-asset, multi-modality company focused on defeating
difficult to treat cancers and improve patient lives. By leveraging
our fully integrated research, development and commercial
capabilities, our expert team is efficiently building a diversified
portfolio of next-generation therapeutics. Pyxis Oncology’s
therapeutic candidates are designed to directly kill tumor cells,
and to address the underlying pathologies created by cancer that
enable its uncontrollable proliferation and immune evasion. Since
its launch in 2019, Pyxis Oncology has developed a broad portfolio
of novel antibody-drug conjugate, or ADC, product candidates, and
monoclonal antibody, or mAb, preclinical discovery programs that it
is developing as monotherapies and in combination with other
therapies. To learn more about Pyxis Oncology visit
www.pyxisoncology.com.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release
contains forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe
harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. These statements are
often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “aim,”
“believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,”
“intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “objective,” “ongoing,” “plan,”
“potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “to be,” “will,”
“would,” or the negative or plural of these words, or similar
expressions or variations, although not all forward-looking
statements contain these words. We cannot assure you that the
events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking
statements will be achieved or occur and actual results could
differ materially from those expressed or implied by these
forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute
to such differences include, but are not limited to, those
identified herein, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk
Factors” set forth in the Company's most recent Annual Report on
Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the SEC. These risks are
not exhaustive. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it
is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor
can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the
extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause
actual results to differ materially from those contained in any
forward-looking statements. In addition, statements that “we
believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on
the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information
available to us as of the date of this press release, and while we
believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such
statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our
statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an
exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available
relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain,
and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these
statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation
to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances after the date of such statements.
Pyxis Oncology Contact:Courtney DuganVice
President, Head of Investor Relations & Corporate
Communications(617) 500-8872ir@pyxisoncology.com
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