JACKSONVILLE, Fla.,
May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- TapImmune Inc. (NASDAQ: TPIV), a clinical-stage
immuno-oncology company, today announced that it has assembled a
Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) composed of leading experts in the
field of immuno-oncology and cell therapy and that will become
effective in conjunction with the proposed merger between the
Company and Marker Therapeutics, Inc. The goal of the SAB will be
to support the continued clinical development of the Company's
transformative, non-genetically engineered, multi-antigen T cell
therapy platform. Foundational members of the SAB include senior
medical scientists from the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at
Baylor College of Medicine, including
its founding Director and former President of the American Society
for Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) and of the International Society
for Cell Therapy, Malcolm K.
Brenner, M.D., Ph.D. Joining Dr. Brenner are colleagues
Helen E. Heslop, M.D., D.Sc. (Hon),
the current president of ASGCT, and Cliona M. Rooney, Ph.D., who collectively laid
the foundation and were the first to validate the use of
antigen-specific T cell transfer to prevent and cure viral
malignancies in stem cell transplant patients.
![From left to right: Dr. Malcolm Brenner, Helen Heslop, & Cliona Rooney From left to right: Dr. Malcolm Brenner, Helen Heslop, & Cliona Rooney](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692238/TapImmune_Inc_Malcom_Brenner_Helen_Heslop_Cliona_Rooney.jpg)
Peter Hoang, President and CEO of
TapImmune, stated, "I am absolutely delighted and humbled to have
the support and commitment of world leaders in the advancement of
immunotherapy such as Malcolm
Brenner, Cliona Rooney and
Helen Heslop to help us advance our
platform. Dr. Brenner is a household name within the CAR-T and TCR
field for his pioneering work in advancing T cell therapies. As the
founding Director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, he
created one of the world's foremost institutions in the field of T
cell therapies, and he is among the field's most prominent and
well-regarded thought leaders based on his scientific and
translational studies."
"Dr. Heslop is the current President of the American Society for
Gene and Cell Therapy and a key investigator in the translation of
the science of immunology from the laboratory into the clinic. She
is one of the field's best-known experts in developing methods and
procedures for generating cytotoxic T cell lymphocytes that can be
used to drive life-changing therapeutic results for patients. Dr.
Rooney is a global leader in the field of T cell-based therapy,
authoring many seminal studies in virus and non-virus-associated
malignancies. Her work has helped change the lives of hundreds of
patients while meaningfully advancing the science of cancer
treatment."
"We're proud to attract such world-leading advisors as we seek
to transform the field of cell therapy for cancer. Our highly
differentiated platform, which has generated potentially
groundbreaking efficacy and safety results in early clinical
trials, originated with this team at Baylor
College of Medicine. I have tremendous respect for Drs.
Brenner, Heslop, and Rooney and I'm honored to be able to access
their unmatched expertise and experience, helping to ensure that
the value our T cell therapies can deliver for patients is
effectively validated in future clinical studies. We look forward
to moving ahead with their support as the proposed merger is
completed."
SAB Member Bios:
Malcolm K. Brenner, M.D.,
Ph.D.
Dr. Brenner is the founding director of the Center for Cell and
Gene Therapy and the Fayez Sarofim Distinguished Service Professor
at Baylor College of Medicine in the
Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Human and Molecular
Genetics. He is also a member of the Texas Children's Cancer and
Hematology Center, the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center,
and the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor. Over
the past 30 years, Dr. Brenner has devoted his career as a
physician-scientist to the field of stem cell transplantation
through the therapeutic use of T cell immunologic approaches and
genetic engineering strategies. He served as Editor-in-Chief of
Molecular Therapy and as former President of the American Society
for Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) and International Society for
Cell Therapy. Dr. Brenner has earned widespread recognition for his
scientific achievements and leadership in the field, including the
ASGCT Outstanding Achievement Award, Human Gene Therapy's Pioneer
Award, and the American Society of Hematology Mentor Award. Most
recently Dr. Brenner has been elected to the prestigious National
Academy of Medicine for his contributions. He obtained his BA and
medical degrees as well as his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in the UK where he became a
fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and the Royal College
of Physicians. Dr. Brenner is a co-founder of ViraCyte, LLC.
Helen E. Heslop, M.D., D.Sc.
(Hon)
Dr. Heslop is Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Director
of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist
Hospital, and Texas Children's Hospital. She is the Dan L. Duncan
Chair and the Associate Director of Clinical Research at the Dan L.
Duncan Cancer Center. Trained as a physician-scientist, Dr. Heslop
is a prominent figure engaged in translational research focusing on
adoptive T cell immunotherapy to improve hematopoietic stem cell
transplantation and cancer therapy. In collaboration with Drs.
Brenner and Rooney, her initial studies were the first to
demonstrate the feasibility of using EBV-specific T cells to
prevent and treat EBV-associated malignancy in stem cell transplant
patients, thereby validating the safety and efficacy of adoptive T
cell transfer as a therapeutic modality. Dr. Heslop was a Doris
Duke Distinguished Clinical Research Scientist and serves as the
current President elect of the American Society for Gene and Cell
Therapy (ASGCT) and a past President of the Foundation for
Accreditation of Cell Therapy (FACT) and the American Society of
Blood and Marrow Transplantation. She received her M.B.ChB, M.D.
and D.Sc. (Hon) in Hematology from the University of Otago in
New Zealand. Dr. Heslop is a
co-founder of ViraCyte, LLC.
Cliona M. Rooney,
Ph.D.
Dr. Rooney is a Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics,
Molecular Virology and Microbiology, and Immunology and Director of
Translational Research Laboratories at the Center for Cell and Gene
Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Rooney is renowned virologist and immunologist who, in
collaboration with Drs. Heslop and Brenner, was the first to
demonstrate that antigen-specific T cells generated in the
laboratory could prevent and cure viral-associated malignancies in
humans following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. She has
been key in extending this successful strategy to develop and
clinically test a range of post-transplant viral infections and
diseases. Dr. Rooney serves on the Editorial Boards for several
scientific journals, including Molecular Therapy, Cytotherapy,
Molecular and Cellular Therapies. Dr. Rooney holds a Ph.D. in
immunology from the University of
Cambridge and a B.Sc. in Genetics from the University of
East Anglia in England. Dr. Rooney is a co-founder of
ViraCyte, LLC.
About TapImmune Inc.
TapImmune Inc. is a leader in the development of novel
immunotherapies for cancer, with multiple Phase 2 and Phase
1b/2 clinical studies currently
ongoing for the treatment of ovarian and breast cancer. The
Company's peptide or nucleic acid-based immunotherapeutic products
comprise multiple naturally processed epitopes (NPEs) that are
designed to comprehensively stimulate a patient's killer T cells
and helper T cells, and to restore or further augment antigen
presentation using proprietary nucleic acid-based expression
systems. This unique approach can produce off-the-shelf T cell
vaccine candidates that elicit a broad-based T cell response and
can be used without respect to HLA type. The Company's technologies
may be used as stand-alone medications or in combination with other
treatment modalities. TapImmune has announced a proposed merger
with Marker Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held clinical stage
developer of a transformative, non-genetically engineered,
multi-antigen T cell therapy platform, which will add a significant
portfolio of clinical-stage cell therapies to create a leading
immuno-oncology pipeline.
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Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer
This release
contains forward-looking information within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in
this news release concerning the Company's expectations, plans,
business outlook or future performance, and any other statements
concerning assumptions made or expectations as to any future
events, conditions, performance or other matters, are
"forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are by
their nature subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors
which could cause actual results to differ materially from those
stored in such statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors
include, but are not limited to the results of the Phase 2 clinical
trials, the ability to obtain regulatory approval of TPIV200, the
Company's ability to raise future financing for continued
development and the ability to successfully commercialize TPIV200
as well as the risks and uncertainties set forth in the Company's
most recent Form 10-K, 10-Q and other SEC filings which are
available through EDGAR at www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no
obligation to update the forward-looking statements.
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SOURCE TapImmune Inc.