TCR² Therapeutics Appoints Cell & Gene Therapy Manufacturing Veteran Peter Olagunju as Chief Technical Officer
July 20 2021 - 6:45AM
TCR2 Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: TCRR), a clinical-stage cell
therapy company with a pipeline of novel T cell therapies for
cancer patients with solid tumors, today announced the appointment
of Peter Olagunju as Chief Technical Officer where he will oversee
process development, manufacturing, quality control and technical
operations for the Company’s TRuC-T cell programs and emerging
pipeline.
“We are delighted to welcome Peter as our first
Chief Technical Officer for he brings tremendous execution
expertise at a time when TCR2 is scaling up cGMP manufacturing
capacity in preparation for expanded clinical trials and
commercialization,” said Garry Menzel, Ph.D., President and Chief
Executive Officer of TCR2 Therapeutics. “His breadth of
experience at several cell and gene therapy companies has given him
a deep understanding of the intricacies of CMC process, regulatory,
global logistics and commercial launch strategies. Importantly,
Peter has a proven track record of unifying leadership, passion and
vision, which will dovetail nicely with the TCR2 culture. We look
forward to Peter adding significant value to the company as we
prepare to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial for gavo-cel and bring
forward our solid tumor-focused pipeline and enhancements.”
Mr. Olagunju brings to TCR2 over 20 years of
experience in cell and gene therapy, clinical development, program
management, manufacturing and technical operations. Prior to
joining the Company, he was Senior Vice President of Technical
Operations at FerGene Inc., where he led the technical operations
function for the commercialization of a gene therapy for bladder
cancer. Before that, Mr. Olagunju was Vice President of Global
Patient Operations at bluebird bio, Inc., where he held several
roles of increasing responsibility and was the program lead and
functional head of manufacturing supporting the European approval
for ZYNTEGLO®, a transformational gene therapy for Transfusion
dependent Thalassemia. Earlier in his career, he held senior
positions in Commercial Technical Operations and served as the Head
of Quality at Dendreon Corp. and ZymoGenetics, Inc. Mr. Olagunju
holds an M.B.A. from the University of Washington and a B.S. in
Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“TCR cell therapies that can successfully evade
the tumor microenvironment represent one of the more significant
advancements in the immunotherapy field, especially those that can
provide clinical benefit in solid tumors,” said Mr. Olagunju. “TCR2
is building a fantastic organization. There is a unique combination
of talent, technology, passion and opportunity that has me excited
to join at this particular moment in time. We have a tremendous
path ahead to bring the novel TRuC therapeutic platform to oncology
patients and broaden global access to curative therapies.”
About TCR2
Therapeutics
TCR2 Therapeutics Inc. is a
clinical-stage cell therapy company developing a pipeline of novel
T cell therapies for patients suffering from solid tumors or
hematological malignancies. TCR2’s proprietary T cell
receptor (TCR) Fusion Construct T cells (TRuC®-T cells)
specifically recognize and kill cancer cells by harnessing
signaling from the entire TCR, independent of human leukocyte
antigens (HLA). In preclinical studies, TRuC-T cells have
demonstrated superior anti-tumor activity compared to chimeric
antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells), while secreting lower
levels of cytokine release. The Company’s lead TRuC-T cell product
candidate targeting solid tumors, gavo-cel, is currently being
studied in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to treat patients with
mesothelin-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ovarian
cancer, malignant pleural/peritoneal mesothelioma, and
cholangiocarcinoma. The Company’s lead TRuC-T cell product
candidate targeting hematological malignancies, TC-110, is
currently being studied in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to treat
patients with CD19-positive adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia
(aALL) and with aggressive or indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
For more information about TCR2, please
visit www.tcr2.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements and information within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal
securities laws. The use of words such as "may," "will," "could",
"should," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "believes,"
"estimates," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "endeavor,"
"potential," "continue" or the negative of such words or other
similar expressions can be used to identify forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not
limited to, express or implied statements regarding the therapeutic
potential of gavo-cel, timing for interim updates for the gavo-cel
and TC-110 clinical trials, expectations regarding manufacturing
plans and capabilities, future clinical development and
commercialization plans, the development of the Company’s TRuC-T
cells, their potential characteristics, applications and clinical
utility, and the potential therapeutic applications of the
Company’s TRuC-T cell platform.
The expressed or implied forward-looking
statements included in this press release are only predictions and
are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions,
including, without limitation: uncertainties inherent in clinical
studies and in the availability and timing of data from ongoing
clinical studies; whether interim results from a clinical trial
will be predictive of the final results of the trial; whether
results from preclinical studies or earlier clinical studies will
be predictive of the results of future trials; the expected timing
of submissions for regulatory approval or review by governmental
authorities, including review under accelerated approval processes;
orphan drug designation eligibility; regulatory approvals to
conduct trials or to market products; TCR2’s ability to maintain
sufficient manufacturing capabilities to support its research,
development and commercialization efforts, including TCR2’s ability
to secure additional manufacturing facilities; whether TCR2's cash
resources will be sufficient to fund TCR2's foreseeable and
unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure
requirements, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TCR2’s ongoing
operations; and other risks set forth under the caption "Risk
Factors" in TCR2’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, most
recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and its other filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. In light of these
risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events
and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur and
actual results could differ materially and adversely from those
anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. You
should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of
future events. Although TCR2 believes that the expectations
reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it
cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity,
performance or events and circumstances reflected in the
forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur.
Moreover, except as required by law, neither
TCR2 nor any other person assumes responsibility for the
accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements
included in this press release. Any forward-looking statement
included in this press release speaks only as of the date on which
it was made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or
revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required by
law.
Investor and Media Contact:
Carl MauchDirector, Investor Relations and
Corporate Communications(617) 949-5667carl.mauch@tcr2.com
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