ExpreS2ion strengthens its organization to further accelerate its pipeline project development
Hørsholm, Denmark, January 11, 2021 – ExpreS2ion Biotech Holding AB hereby announces that its affiliate ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies ApS (“ExpreS2ion") is reorganizing the company’s top management to reflect its increased strategic focus on pipeline development. Several appointments within research and development will ensure the advancement of ExpreS2ion’s development projects towards clinical investigations, with the first fully controlled project being the unique Her2-cVLP breast cancer project. This project will be in-licensed from ExpreS2ion’s joint venture AdaptVac ApS (“AdaptVac”) and developed under its new designated project code name ES2B-C001.
With effect from February 1, 2021, ExpreS2ion has recruited Dr. Mette Thorn as Vice President of Preclinical Development, and Dr. Lars J. Petersen as Medical Director, Oncology. From within, Dr. Max M. Søgaard will assume the position of Vice President, R&D and Technology. Furthermore, ExpreS2ion will refocus existing key roles in research and development and clinical planning/management. These organizational changes are made to facilitate the further advancement of the company’s pipeline development projects, with clinical trials planned within the next 1-2 years for COVID-19, breast cancer, influenza and malaria.
Dr. Wian de Jongh, CSO & Co-Founder of ExpreS2ion, will now focus full-time on his role as CEO of AdaptVac and therefore leave his position as CSO of ExpreS2ion. At the same time, he will join a newly established Scientific Advisory Board that will advise ExpreS2ion in matters related to the company’s overall scientific direction.
The organizational changes are thus implemented through a combination of recruitments and promotions of existing employees and consultants. The added personnel costs due to these changes are well within the financial planning set forth in the prospectus published in connection with ExpreS2ion’s oversubscribed rights issue that was conducted in October 2020.
ExpreS2ion’s CEO Bent Frandsen comments:
“Throughout 2020, ExpreS2ion has achieved substantial progress towards establishing a strong pipeline of innovative vaccine projects based on our own ExpreS2 platform and, when relevant, our joint venture AdaptVac’s cVLP platform. Currently, our pipeline includes projects for COVID-19 (licensed to Bavarian Nordic), breast cancer, influenza and malaria, and we plan to conduct or support clinical studies for all of these projects in the next couple of years. To execute on this crucial next step of our ambitious strategy, we are now strengthening our organizational structure within project management, science & technology, preclinical development and clinical planning/management. Further key recruitments and/or refinements of roles may occur as we come closer to conducting and supporting multiple clinical programs. We certainly have an exciting and promising 2021 ahead of us, as we continue to fight some of the most important global health challenges of our time.”
ExpreS2ion’s CEO Bent Frandsen adds:
“With Dr. Wian de Jongh being able to increase his focus on advancing our joint venture partner AdaptVac’s operations, while also becoming a member of our Scientific Advisory Board, he will continue to be closely linked to ExpreS2ion and the scientific direction of the company. This is important, as Wian has been an outstanding asset for ExpreS2ion throughout the company’s history, including co-inventing our unique ExpreS2™ technology, as well as playing a major role in initiating and managing the COVID-19 vaccine project.”
Dr. Wian de Jongh adds:
“I’m extremely proud of how far ExpreS2ion has come since our beginnings in 2010. The malaria and COVID-19 vaccines in clinical development clearly demonstrate the amazing scientific talents of our team. I now look forward to focusing on AdaptVac’s ground breaking technology and vaccine programs, while continuing to support ExpreS2ion as part of the Scientific Advisory Board.”
Short biographies of the new amendments to the management team
Dr Mette Thorn, Vice President of Preclinical Development
Dr. Thorn holds a PhD in Immunology, and a MSc in Chemical Engineering, from the Technical University of Denmark. She has 20 years of preclinical development and management experience, among others in vaccine development within cancer and infectious diseases. Mette has extensive research science experience from Biotech and Pharma, including Astion Pharma, SSI, Symphogen, Novo Nordisk, Bioneer, Biocare, and CBio.
Dr Lars Jelstrup Petersen, Medical Director, Oncology
Dr. Petersen is MD (Medical Doctorate) and holds a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree in immuno-pharmacology from the University of Copenhagen and Certificate in Business Administration (CBA) from AVT Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark. He has more than 20 years of drug development experience and has served as clinical development executive in Genmab, Abbott, Cytovac, ROS Therapeutics, and 2APharma, as well as a long academic career being Clinical Professor (Chair) in Nuclear Medicine from Aalborg University, Denmark.
Dr. Max M. Søgaard, Vice President, R&D and Technology
Dr Søgaard holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University College London, UK, and a MSc in Molecular Biology from the University of Aarhus, Denmark. He has 20 years of scientific research and process development experience, having served the last 8 years at ExpreS2ion in roles from Sr. Scientist (Downstream) to VP, and prior to that 12 years of academic research focused on structural biology and molecular biophysics with an emphasis on infectious diseases applications. Max heads the internal R&D to extend ExpreS2ion’s unique capabilities and know-how in applying the ExpreS2™ technology for customers and own vaccine development.
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Svensk Kapitalmarknadsgranskning AB
Telefon: +46 11 32 30 732
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This press release constitutes inside information that ExpreS2ion Biotech Holding AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation 596/2014. The information was sent for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at the time stated by the Company’s news distributor, Cision, at the publication of this press release.
For further information about ExpreS2ion Biotech Holding AB, please contact:
Bent U. Frandsen, CEO
Telephone: +45 4256 6869
E-mail: buf@expres2ionbio.com
About ExpreS2ion
ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies ApS is a fully owned Danish subsidiary of ExpreS2ion Biotech Holding AB with company register number 559033-3729. ExpreS2ion has developed a unique technology platform, ExpreS2, for fast and efficient non-clinical development and production of complex proteins for new vaccines and diagnostics. ExpreS2 is regulatorily validated for clinical supply. The platform includes functionally modified glycosylation variants for enhanced immunogenicity and pharmacokinetics. Since 2010, the Company has produced more than 300 proteins and 40 virus-like particles (VLPs) in collaboration with leading research institutions and companies. Since 2017, ExpreS2ion develops novel VLP based vaccines through its joint venture AdaptVac ApS. For additional information, please visit www.expres2ionbio.com and www.adaptvac.com.
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