SAN DIEGO, Nov. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoSec Medical
Incorporated ("OncoSec" or "Company") (NASDAQ:ONCS), a company
developing DNA-based intratumoral cancer immunotherapies, today
announced the appointment of Daniel J.
O'Connor as CEO of the Company. His appointment is
effective immediately. Previously, on September 7, 2017, Mr. O'Connor joined the
Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Punit Dhillon, co-founder of OncoSec, will
continue to serve as the Company's President and a member of its
Board of Directors.
"We are pleased to welcome Dan to OncoSec at this important
time, and believe he is uniquely qualified to lead the company
through the successful completion of its phase 2b registration
directed trial, PISCES/KEYNOTE-695 in patients with unresectable
metastatic melanoma who have progressed or are progressing on an
anti-PD-1 therapy," said Avtar
Dhillon, Chairman of OncoSec. "Dan is a proven leader with a
strong track record of success and brings exceptional strategic and
operational expertise in building thriving, successful biopharma
companies."
"The Board and I want to thank Punit
Dhillon for the contributions he made to OncoSec which
positioned the Company for the next stage of growth and shareholder
value creation."
"Dan's history commercializing and licensing cancer
immunotherapy products is vital as we continue to progress our lead
melanoma program through clinical trials and registration," said
Punit Dhillon, President of OncoSec.
"I am excited to welcome Dan as OncoSec's CEO and look forward to
working with him to continue to advance the Company's intratumoral
cancer immunotherapies."
Mr. O'Connor has 20 years of executive, legal, and regulatory
experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including CEO and
other executive leadership positions at Advaxis, Inc., ImClone
Systems, Bracco Diagnostics, Inc., and PharmaNet (today, inVentiv
Health). Most recently, Mr. O'Connor was the President, Chief
Executive Officer and Director of Advaxis, Inc., located in
Princeton, NJ, from 2013 until
2017. As CEO of Advaxis, Mr. O'Connor uplisted Advaxis onto
NASDAQ and, in five years raised more than $250 million in funding, transforming it into a
patient-focused, fully-integrated, leading cancer immunotherapy
company with collaboration partners including Amgen Inc., Merck
& Co., Bristol Myers Squib and AstraZeneca.
At ImClone, Mr. O'Connor served as Senior Vice President,
General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary where he supported the
clinical development, launch, and commercialization of ERBITUX® and
resolved several critical corporate issues, including extensive
licensing negotiations, to facilitate ImClone's sale to Eli Lilly
in 2008. While at PharmaNet (today, inVentiv Health), Mr. O'Connor
served as General Counsel and was part of the senior leadership
team that grew the company from a start-up contract research
organization to a leader in clinical research.
Mr. O'Connor is a 1995 graduate of the Penn
State University's Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and currently serves as
a Special Advisor to its Dean. Mr. O'Connor graduated from
the United States Marines Corps Officer Candidate School in 1988
and was then commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marines,
attaining the rank of Captain and serving in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert
Shield. He received the National Service Metal and the
Southwest Asia Service Medal. He is a former New Jersey criminal prosecutor. In 2017, Mr.
O'Connor was appointed Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of
BioNJ, leveraging his experience to guide and support the
organization's mission of fostering the innovation of
research-based life science companies in the New Jersey region. In October 2017, Mr. O'Connor was appointed to
the New Jersey Biotechnology Task Force by Governor
Chris Christie.
"I am delighted to join Punit and the Company at this important
time and look forward to guiding the continued development of its
strong, intratumoral pipeline," said Dan
O'Connor. "I am eager to work with our Board, senior
management and the entire organization to execute on our promising
future, delivering on the Company's long-standing goal of
positively impacting the lives of patients with cancer. I believe
ImmunoPulse® IL-12 in late-stage melanoma, when used in combination
with pembrolizumab, can reshape the tumor microenvironment and
converting "cold" tumors to "hot," potentially improving clinical
outcomes in patients predicted to not respond to anti-PD-1
therapy."
About OncoSec Medical Incorporated
OncoSec is a biotechnology company developing DNA-based
intratumoral immunotherapies with an investigational technology,
ImmunoPulse®, for the treatment of cancer. ImmunoPulse is designed
to enhance the local delivery and uptake of DNA-based
immune-targeting agents, such as IL-12 (tavokinogene telseplasmid
[pIL-12] or "tavo"). In Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, ImmunoPulse®
IL-12 has demonstrated a favorable safety profile, evidence of
anti-tumor activity in the treatment of various solid tumors, and
the potential to reach beyond the site of local treatment to
initiate a systemic immune response. OncoSec's lead program,
ImmunoPulse IL-12, is currently in clinical development for
metastatic melanoma and triple-negative breast cancer. The
program's current focus is on the significant unmet medical need in
patients with melanoma who are refractory or have relapsed on
anti-PD-1 therapies. In addition to tavo, the Company is also
identifying and developing new immune-targeting agents for use with
the ImmunoPulse platform. For more information, please visit
www.oncosec.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995, including statements about OncoSec's business strategies,
including advancement of its lead melanoma program and its broader
clinical portfolio and plans to pursue collaborations with industry
partners, as well as the potential contributions and impact of new
directors on these strategies. In some cases, you can identify
forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "should",
"expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates",
"predicts", "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these
terms or other comparable terminology.
Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor
assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based on
management's current preliminary expectations and are subject to
risks and uncertainties, which may cause OncoSec's results to
differ materially and adversely from the statements contained
herein. Potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ from those predicted include, among others, the
following: the status, progress and results of clinical programs;
ability to obtain regulatory approvals for, and the level of market
opportunity for, OncoSec's product candidates; OncoSec's business
plans, strategies and objectives, including plans to pursue
collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements or
transactions; expectations regarding OncoSec's liquidity and
performance, including expense levels, sources of capital and
ability to maintain operations as a going concern; the competitive
landscape of OncoSec's industry; and general market, economic and
political conditions; and the other factors discussed in OncoSec's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its
annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2017.
Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. OncoSec
disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements
to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date
they are made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated
events.
CONTACT:
Investor Relations:
OncoSec Medical Incorporated
Phone: 855-662-6732
investors@oncosec.com
Media Relations:
OncoSec Medical Incorporated
Phone: 855-662-6732
media@oncosec.com
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SOURCE OncoSec Medical Incorporated