Celularity Appoints Andrew L. Pecora, M.D., F.A.C.P., C.P.E., as President
FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Sept. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celularity Inc. (NASDAQ:CELU), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing off-the-shelf placental-derived allogeneic therapies, today announced the appointment of Andrew L. Pecora, M.D., F.A.C.P., C.P.E., as President effective today. Reporting to Robert J. Hariri, M.D., Ph.D., Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Pecora will provide senior leadership to advance Celularity's clinical pipeline toward U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, including responsibility for preclinical and clinical development and regulatory affairs.
"It is with great pleasure that we announce Andrew's appointment as Celularity's President," said Dr. Hariri. "Building on our recent Nasdaq listing, Andrew's proven track record as an executive leader in biotechnology and healthcare innovation, delivery and reimbursement will help take Celularity to the next level as we advance our clinical pipeline of next-generation placental-derived cellular therapeutic candidates. Andrew and I trained together at the Weill Cornell Medical Center and have worked in cellular medicines on parallel paths for over 30 years," Dr. Hariri continued.
Dr. Pecora commented, "I am excited to take on this new role at Celularity. I have been very impressed by the early clinical insights and underlying translational science of these novel, placental-derived, off-the-shelf cellular medicines. The potential of Celularity's clinical pipeline, including its CYNK-101, CyCART-19 and APPL-001 programs, is tremendous. I look forward to providing leadership and strategic vision, working with Bob and his team to realize the potential of these novel allogeneic cell therapies for patients with cancer, infectious disease and degenerative disease."
Dr. Pecora is an award-winning clinician, scientist, and healthcare executive and innovator, with a track record of success leading biotechnology companies to pioneer novel cellular medicines. He is among the world's foremost experts in blood and bone marrow stem cell transplantation, drug development, and the advancement of novel cell therapies. Dr. Pecora previously served as President of the Physician Enterprise, Chief Innovations Officer, and the Institutional Research Official of Hackensack Meridian Health. There, he oversaw more than 7,500 physicians as well as the business and clinical operations of the John Theurer Cancer Center and clinical and basic research of the Center for Discovery and Innovation. Dr. Pecora also is a Professor of Medicine and Oncology at Georgetown University.
Dr. Pecora is Founder and serves as Chairman of Cota, Inc., a real-world evidence-based data and analytics company focused on leveraging information technology and big data analytics to bridge the gap between precision medicine and population-based health outcomes and to accelerate the development of innovative medicines for patients with difficult to treat diseases.
Prior to Cota, Dr. Pecora served as Co-Founder, Chair and CEO of Progenitor Cell Therapy (PCT), an internationally recognized cellular medicine cGMP manufacturing company. He facilitated the purchase of the Dendreon, Inc., which ultimately led to the FDA approval of PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T), the first FDA approved cell therapy used to treat certain men with advanced prostate cancer. Dr. Pecora eventually led the sale of PCT to Caladrius Biosciences, and co-led multiple public and private capital raises that exceeded USD 500 million.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Pecora was Founder and Chairman of Amorcyte, Inc., a clinical-stage cell therapy company focused on developing novel treatments for cardiovascular disease. At Amorcyte, Dr. Pecora led the capital raise, preclinical and clinical development efforts for AMR-001, a cellular therapy product candidate for vascular injury, through Phase 1 development. This work led to Amorcyte's sale to Caladrius Biosciences, where Dr. Pecora led the regulatory and clinical development efforts for Amorcyte through Phase 2 development and facilitated a Phase 3 registration trial in Japan.
Dr. Pecora has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and holds over 50 patents, many involving cellular medicines. He has led numerous clinical trials in cancer and other diseases serving as principal investigator. He also has served on national and international steering committees, and contributed to international guidelines for development of cellular medicines, FDA regulatory approval and commercialization standards, including FACT-ISCT International Standards for Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy Production, Processing and Administration. An award-winning healthcare executive, he was recognized in 2019 by Modern Healthcare as one of the top 50 influential clinical healthcare executives.
About Celularity (NASDAQ:CELU)
Celularity, Inc. (NASDAQ:CELU) headquartered in Florham Park, N.J., is a clinical stage biotechnology company leading the next evolution in cellular medicine by developing off-the-shelf placental-derived allogeneic cell therapies, including unmodified natural killer (NK) cells, genetically-modified NK cells, T-cells engineered with a CAR (CAR T-cells), and mesenchymal-like adherent stromal cells (ASCs) targeting indications across cancer and infectious and degenerative diseases. In addition, Celularity manufactures innovative biomaterials derived from the postpartum placenta. Celularity believes that by harnessing the placenta's unique biology and ready availability, it can develop therapeutic solutions to address significant unmet global needs for effective, accessible and affordable therapies. To learn more, visit celularity.com.
Celularity Investor Contacts:
Carlos Ramirez
Celularity Inc.
[email protected]
Celularity Media Contact:
Jason Braco, Ph.D.
LifeSci Communications
[email protected]
