Adaptimmune Announces Board Changes
28 October 2016 - 7:00AM
Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq:ADAP) (“Adaptimmune” or the
“Company”), a leader in T-cell therapy to treat cancer, today
announced changes to its Board of Directors with the appointment of
Giles Kerr and planned retirement of Ian Laing.
Appointment of Mr. Giles Kerr
Mr. Giles Kerr has been appointed as an independent
Non-Executive Director effective from November 1, 2016, following a
search process. Mr. Kerr will also serve as a member of the Audit
Committee.
Giles Kerr has substantial commercial and financial experience
gained from service on numerous public and private company boards
and as an audit partner. He has served as Director of Finance of
the University of Oxford since 2005. He also currently serves as a
Board member of public companies BTG plc (LSE:BTG), Paypoint plc
(LSE:PAY) and Senior plc (LSE:SNR) as well as several private
companies. Mr. Kerr previously served as Chief Financial Officer
and a Board member of Amersham plc, until its acquisition by GE
Healthcare in 2004, and as a director of Victrex plc and Elan
Corporation Inc. Prior to his role at Amersham, he was a National
Partner with Arthur Andersen. Mr. Kerr is an economics graduate of
the University of York, U.K., and a Fellow of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
“I am delighted to welcome Giles Kerr to the Board,” said Dr.
Jonathan Knowles, Adaptimmune’s Chairman. “We are very happy that
Giles has agreed to join Adaptimmune and believe that his extensive
knowledge of public company matters, including his healthcare
experience, will complement the skills and expertise of our other
Board members.”
“I am very pleased and excited to join Adaptimmune at this
interesting time,” commented Giles Kerr. “I believe that the
Company has huge potential and it has already achieved some
significant milestones. I am looking forward to working with the
team to support the next stage of development.”
Retirement of Mr. Ian Laing
Mr. Ian Laing has informed the Board that, having served as a
Non-Executive Director of Adaptimmune since December 2008, shortly
after the Company’s foundation, he intends to step down from the
Board on December 31, 2016.
Dr. Knowles said: “Ian Laing has strongly supported Adaptimmune
since its foundation and we are all grateful for his keen insights
and proactive participation in the dramatic progress of the last
few years. On behalf of the Board of Directors and management, I
would like to thank Ian warmly for his many significant
contributions to the Company and we all wish him every success in
his future endeavors.”
“I am more than grateful to Ian Laing for his invaluable support
and tireless service,” said James Noble, Adaptimmune’s Chief
Executive Officer. “Ian’s decision to retire from his public
company duties at Adaptimmune marks the end of an era, as he has
been a key supporter and investor since the inception of the
Company in 2008. Ian is one of the outstanding participants in the
Oxfordshire innovation ecosystem and his support for a number of
companies, including our predecessor firm, Avidex, has been a
critical factor in the success of science-based businesses in the
region.”
About AdaptimmuneAdaptimmune is a clinical
stage biopharmaceutical company focused on novel cancer
immunotherapy products based on its SPEAR® (Specific Peptide
Enhanced Affinity Receptor) T-cell platform. Established in 2008,
the company aims to utilize the body’s own machinery - the T-cell -
to target and destroy cancer cells by using engineered, increased
affinity TCRs as a means of strengthening natural patient T-cell
responses. Adaptimmune’s lead program is a SPEAR T-cell therapy
targeting the NY-ESO cancer antigen. Its NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell
therapy has demonstrated signs of efficacy and tolerability in
Phase 1/2 trials in solid tumors and in hematologic cancer types,
including synovial sarcoma and multiple myeloma. Adaptimmune has a
strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with
GlaxoSmithKline for the development and commercialization of the
NY-ESO TCR program. In addition, Adaptimmune has a number of
proprietary programs. These include SPEAR T-cell therapies
targeting the MAGE-A10 and AFP cancer antigens, which both have
open INDs, and a further SPEAR T-cell therapy targeting the MAGE-A4
cancer antigen that is in pre-clinical phase with IND acceptance
targeted for 2017. The company has identified over 30 intracellular
target peptides preferentially expressed in cancer cells and is
currently progressing 12 through unpartnered research programs.
Adaptimmune has over 250 employees and is located in Oxfordshire,
U.K. and Philadelphia, USA. For more information:
http://www.adaptimmune.com
Forward-Looking StatementsThis release contains
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA). These
forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties.
Such risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to
differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking
statements, and include, without limitation: the success, cost and
timing of our product development activities and clinical trials
and our ability to successfully advance our TCR therapeutic
candidates through the regulatory and commercialization processes.
For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could
cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed
in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to
our business in general, we refer you to our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
on August 8, 2016, and our other SEC filings. The forward-looking
statements contained in this press release speak only as of the
date the statements were made and we do not undertake any
obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect
subsequent events or circumstances.
Adaptimmune Contacts
Investor Relations
Will Roberts
T: (215) 825-9306
E: will.roberts@adaptimmune.com
Juli Miller, Ph.D.
T: (215) 825-9310
E: juli.miller@adaptimmune.com
Media Relations
Margaret Henry
T: +44 (0)1235 430036
Mobile: +44 (0)7710 304249
E: margaret.henry@adaptimmune.com
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