Achilles Therapeutics Strengthens Scientific Advisory Board with Appointment of Alena Gros, Ph.D. and Ben Creelan, M.D.
LONDON, Feb. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Achilles Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ:ACHL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing precision T cell therapies to treat solid tumors, today announced the appointment of Alena Gros, Ph.D. and Ben Creelan, M.D. to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
"We are very pleased to welcome leading experts Dr. Gros and Dr. Creelan to our Scientific Advisory Board. With two ongoing clinical trials, CHIRON in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and THETIS in melanoma, their extensive research experience and deep clinical expertise with cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of solid tumors will be invaluable as we continue to advance the clinical development of our personalized clonal-neoantigen T cell, or cNeT, therapies," said Dr. Sergio Quezada, Chief Scientific Officer at Achilles Therapeutics. "Dr. Gros' research expertise and understanding of neoantigen T cell responses, combined with Achilles' unique ability to track T cells following dosing, will be key to further understanding cNeT mechanism and potency. Dr. Creelan is a seasoned thoracic oncologist with significant clinical research experience in tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in NSCLC and is the Principal Investigator of our ongoing CHIRON study. He will provide instrumental clinical guidance and developmental support across our industry-leading clonal neoantigen cell therapy pipeline."
Dr. Alena Gros is an internationally recognized expert in cancer immunology and immunotherapy, and currently serves as Principal Investigator of the Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Group at Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) in Barcelona, Spain. Dr. Gros also leads translational research for the VHIO-BBVA Foundation's Comprehensive Program of Cancer Immunotherapy & Immunology (CAIMI). Her research focuses on better understanding naturally occurring T cell responses to cancer and developing novel personalized cancer immunotherapies. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Miguel Servet I Fellowship Award and the CCR Federal Technology Transfer Award. Dr. Gros holds a Ph.D. from the University of Barcelona, Spain and was a postdoctoral fellow and research fellow at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD.
Dr. Ben Creelan is a leading medical oncologist and clinical and translational research physician in the thoracic oncology department at Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL. He is an international expert in treating cancer patients through immunotherapeutic strategies with a particular focus on lung cancer. Dr. Creelan serves as Principal Investigator for numerous clinical trials and is the author or co-author of multiple publications in immunotherapy and thoracic oncology. Dr. Creelan received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, completed fellowships and residencies at Thomas Jefferson University and the University of South Florida Moffitt Cancer Center and has a master's degree in Clinical and Translational Research from the University of South Florida.
About Achilles Therapeutics
Achilles is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing precision T cell therapies targeting clonal neoantigens: protein markers unique to the individual that are expressed on the surface of every cancer cell. The Company has two ongoing Phase I/IIa trials, the CHIRON trial in patients with unresectable locally advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the THETIS trial in patients with recurrent or metastatic melanoma. Achilles uses DNA sequencing data from each patient, together with its proprietary PELEUS™ bioinformatics platform, to identify clonal neoantigens specific to that patient, and then develop precision T cell-based product candidates specifically targeting those clonal neoantigens.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements that are based on our management's belief and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements relate to future events or our future operational or financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we have no current intention of doing so except to the extent required by applicable law. You should therefore not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
Contacts:
Investors:
Achilles Therapeutics
Lee M. Stern, VP, IR & External Communications
[email protected]
LifeSci Advisors
John Mullaly
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Media:
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott, Sukaina Virji, Melissa Gardiner
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