– USA, PA – Immunome, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMNM), a biopharmaceutical company that utilizes its human memory B cell discovery engine platform to discover and develop first-in-class antibody therapeutics, today announced the appointment of Dr. Franklyn Prendergast, M.D., Ph.D., to its Board of Directors.
Dr. Prendergast is a renowned medical and academic research professional who received the 2019 Mayo Distinguished Alumni award and has over 45 years of association with the Mayo Foundation.
“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Prendergast to Immunome’s Board of Directors as we continue to attract a rich team of distinguished thought leaders to help drive the development of our antibody therapies,” said CEO, Dr. Purnanand Sarma. “Dr. Prendergast’s experience will be invaluable in our mission to discover and develop novel antibody therapeutics for diseases with high unmet medical need.”
Concurrent with the appointment of Dr. Prendergast, long-term Director Dr. Michael Widlitz will be stepping down.
“Immunome’s management and Board of Directors would like to thank Dr. Widlitz for his service, and we are delighted to continue to work with him in his new role as Advisor, Medical Affairs,” said Dr. Sarma.
About Dr. Franklyn Prendergast
Dr. Prendergast received his medical degree with honors from the University of the West Indies in 1968 and after an internship attended Lincoln College, University of Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar where he obtained a BA with First Class Honors in 1971 and MA in 1979. He commenced a residency in Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in 1971 and subsequently obtained a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the joint Mayo Graduate School / University of Minnesota program in 1977.
Dr. Prendergast was appointed to the Faculty of the Department of Pharmacology at the Mayo Graduate School immediately after receiving his Ph.D. and rose through the ranks quickly to become a full Professor simultaneously in that Department and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1986. That same year, he was named the Edmond and Marion Guggenheim Professor and also Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
“Immunome is entering an exciting period in the company’s history, as the group transitions from a preclinical to the clinical setting,” said Dr. Franklyn Prendergast. “With an innovative therapeutic platform and promising early data, I am excited to be joining Immunome’s Board of Directors. I look forward to working collaboratively with the rest of the Board and the company’s executive leadership to maximize Immunome’s opportunities for the benefit of patients and our shareholders.”
Dr. Prendergast was appointed as the Director for Research of Mayo Clinic, Rochester in 1989, serving for the subsequent four years in that capacity. In 1990, he was also appointed to Mayo’s highest administrative committees, the Board of Governors and the Mayo Foundation’s Board of Trustees. He served on these bodies continuously until 2009. In 1995, he was appointed as Director of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, a position he held until September 2006. His last administrative role at Mayo was as the charter Director of the Mayo Center for Individualized Medicine. He retired from that position and also from the Mayo Foundation in December 2014.
Throughout his academic career, Dr. Prendergast participated extensively in numerous NIH and NSF grant review groups, task forces, and advisory committees. Additionally, he was appointed as a non-executive member of the Board of Directors of Eli Lilly and Co., a post he held from 1995 until 2017. He has been awarded several honors, including honorary doctorates from Purdue University and the University of the West Indies, Distinguished Alumni awards from the University of the West Indies, University of Minnesota, and, most recently, in 2019 the Mayo Clinic.
Over the past 20 years, Dr. Prendergast has served on the Board of Directors or Scientific Advisory Board of several biotechnology companies.
About Immunome
Immunome is a biopharmaceutical company that utilizes its proprietary human memory B cell platform to discover and develop first-in-class antibody therapeutics that are designed to change the way diseases are treated. The company’s initial focus is on developing therapeutics to treat oncology and infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Immunome’s proprietary discovery engine identifies novel therapeutic antibodies and their targets by leveraging the highly educated components of the immune system, memory B cells, from patients whose bodies have learned to fight off their disease.
For more information: https://immunome.com/
- Disclaimer - News, data, and statements included in this release are intended exclusively for general information purposes. Talent4Boards does not guarantee that news is accurate or about the correct person and accepts neither liability for the consequences of the reader’s reliance, nor responsibility for the accuracy of the information. Nothing in this release should be considered for decisions about referred securities. Products and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
