- Appointment Follows Recent Recruitment of Senior Antibody IndustryLeaders and Highlights OBT's Growth Into a Leading Oncology-FocusedTherapeutic Antibody Company
Advertisement
Oxford BioTherapeutics (OBT) has today announced the appointment of DrMichael Moore as non-executive Chairman. Dr Moore brings considerableexpertise and experience to OBT at an exciting phase in the Company'sdevelopment, as it capitalises on partnerships with GSK, Amgen, Medarex andBiosite to build a broad pipeline of therapeutic antibodies in oncology.
Advertisement
Dr Moore has several decades of senior management experience in thebiotechnology sector and joins the Board of OBT following five years at UKbiotechnology company, Piramed Limited, where he was CEO until itsacquisition by Roche in 2008. Prior to joining Piramed, Dr Moore was CSO andResearch Director of Xenova Group plc. During a distinguished career he hasalso held senior academic positions at the Paterson Institute for CancerResearch, Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK and the Brunel Institute ofCancer Genetics and Pharmacogenomics where he is still Professor Associate.
Today's announcement follows OBT's recent recruitment of a number ofother senior industry leaders in the biologics field and heralds anotherimportant milestone for the Company, as it matures into a global leader inthe rapidly developing oncology therapeutic antibody sector. The companyrecently announced the appointment of Jim Cornett, Chief Operating Officer,Mike Gresser, Chief Scientific Officer, and Jon Terrett, VP Oncology, to leadits US R&D operations.
Dr Moore commented, "I am delighted to join Oxford BioTherapeutics atthis exciting time in the Company's development. I have been highly impressedby OBT's scientific and commercial approach and am very pleased to join theother distinguished members of the OBT Board and management, as we worktogether to set the strategic framework for the Company's continued growthand success."
Oxford BioTherapeutics' CEO, Dr Christian Rohlff, welcomed Michael to theCompany, commenting, "I am delighted that a biotechnology industry veteranwho has made such a distinguished contribution to the field of targeted drugdiscovery has agreed to join the OBT board. I have no doubt that Michael willbring great value to the Company by virtue of his considerable experience andtrack record at successful and innovative companies in the sector."
OBT's impressive target discovery and therapeutic antibody capabilitiesled to a recent partnership with GSK which was announced in May 2009. The GSKpartnership is focused on the discovery, development and commercialisation ofnovel, therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of primary, metastatic andrecurring forms of cancer.
OBT's antibody programs involve novel therapeutic targets that werediscovered using the Company's proprietary OGAP(R) database. The Company'srecent rapid progress is based on its unique in-house capabilities in thediscovery of novel targets for oncology combined with the expertise of itspartners, Medarex and Amgen, in the development of antibody therapeutics tocreate an exciting pipeline of innovative first-in-class therapeutics for thetreatment of cancer. Through these collaborations, OBT has access to the twoleading technologies for generating fully human monoclonal antibodies.
In addition, OBT collaborates with Biosite Inc., a wholly ownedsubsidiary of Inverness Medical Innovations, for the identification of novelprotein-based disease markers for several cancer indications and for thedevelopment of companion diagnostic products aimed at improving thediagnosis, prognosis and treatment options for patients with cancer.
Michael Moore
Dr Moore was most recently Chief Executive Officer and Director ofPiramed Ltd, a UK-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery anddevelopment of small molecule drugs targeting specific isoforms of the PI3kinase super-family for cancer and immune-inflammatory disease. Piramedconcluded a major collaboration with Genentech in November 2005 and thecompany was acquired by F Hoffmann-La Roche in an all-share transaction inMay 2008. He is also Associate Professor at the Brunel Institute of CancerGenetics and Pharmacogenomics, a post he has held since 1997. Prior tojoining Piramed, Dr Moore held several progressive positions at Xenova Groupplc (1988-2003), including Chief Scientific Officer and Research Director. Heheld a tenured Cancer Research Campaign Special Appointment at the PatersonInstitute for Cancer Research, Christie Hospital, Manchester from 1980-1988,was Honorary Reader in Immunology and Oncology at the University ofManchester Medical School from 1986-1988, and Editor-in-Chief of the BritishJournal of Cancer from 1983-1988. Dr. Moore received his PhD (Faculty of PureScience) and DSc (Faculty of Medicine) from Nottingham University and hasmore than 150 scientific publications. He is a Fellow of the Royal College ofPathologists.
About Oxford BioTherapeutics
Oxford BioTherapeutics (OBT) is focused on the development of targetedantibody medicines for oncology. OBT's strategy is to develop innovativeantibody-based cancer drugs, with integrated diagnostics, against noveltargets that it has discovered in its unique OGAP(R) proteomic database. OBTis in an unrivalled position to convert its novel targets into a successfultherapeutic pipeline through its alliances with the world leaders in antibodydevelopment (Medarex, Biosite and Amgen). OBT's current antibody pipeline isexpected to deliver innovative and cost-effective medicines to fulfil majorunmet patient needs in the field of cancer. OBT, a privately held company,was formed in 2004 and is based near Oxford, UK.For further information, please see http://www.OxfordBioTherapeutics.com For further information, please contact: Oxford BioTherapeutics Dr Christian Rohlff Chief Executive Officer Tel: +44(0)1235-861770 [email protected] Citigate Dewe Rogerson David Dible, Amber Bielecka Tel: +44(0)207-638-9571 [email protected]
SOURCE Oxford BioTherapeutics (OBT)
