Ex-Bristol R&D Chief to Helm Seattle Cancer Center -- Update
January 07 2020 - 3:03PM
Dow Jones News
By Melanie Evans
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center named former
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. executive Thomas Lynch Jr. as its next
president.
Dr. Lynch, who was Bristol's research and development chief,
will take the helm of the nationally-known cancer center on Feb. 1.
He will succeed Gary Gilliland, who announced plans to step down in
September after a four-year run as leader.
The Hutch, as the Seattle-based cancer center is informally
called, is known for its pioneering research into new kinds of
treatments, including cell and gene therapies. It reported
receiving $337 million in federal research funding in the fiscal
year ended June 30, more than other research centers designated as
National Cancer Institutes.
The cancer center, which counts 200 researchers on its staff and
has had three Nobel Prize laureates, had $714 million in revenue
last fiscal year.
Juno Therapeutics Inc., a biotech that developed a cellular
cancer therapy known as CAR-T, is among the companies with roots in
Fred Hutchinson research. Juno is now owned by Bristol.
Dr. Lynch -- a former executive at Massachusetts General
Hospital and the Yale Cancer Center -- has lengthy experience in
cancer-drug research. His work has included research using
molecular profiles to target treatment for lung-cancer
patients.
Dr. Lynch said in an interview he hopes to expand the cancer
center's research in lung and other solid-tumor cancers, while
pursuing a deeper understanding of the biology behind cancer.
"We're not going to cure cancer until we understand cancer better,"
he said.
He became Bristol's research-and-development chief in 2017, as
the company sought to recover from the unexpected failure of an
important study testing its immunotherapy drug Opdivo in untreated
lung-cancer patients
Dr. Lynch recently left the company after its $74 billion
acquisition of rival Celgene Corp.
Write to Melanie Evans at Melanie.Evans@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 07, 2020 14:48 ET (19:48 GMT)
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