– FRANCE, Strasbourg – Transgene (EPA: TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops virus-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, today announced the nomination of Dr. Alessandro Riva (MD) for election to its Board as an Independent Director, at the upcoming AGM on May 25, 2022.
In addition, the Board has also nominated Prof. Jean-Yves Blay and Laurence Espinasse to join its Board of Directors
The Board intends to appoint Dr. Riva to the position of Board Chairman, reflecting the evolution of corporate governance, with the separation of Chairman and CEO roles. Dr. Riva will work closely with the Board and the CEO, Hedi Ben Brahim, to realize the potential of the product portfolio to benefit patients with solid tumors.
Hedi Ben Brahim, said: “I am very happy about the prospect of working with Alessandro as Chairman of the Board of Directors. I am convinced that the separation of roles between a non-executive chairman and a CEO, as well as the choice to entrust the chairmanship to an independent director with great scientific skills in the field of oncology, will deliver important and valuable advantages for Transgene and its shareholders. I would like to thank the Board of Directors for approving this change in governance. Alessandro’s medical and scientific competence, international experience, and human qualities make him an ideal candidate to play a key role in the further development of Transgene.”
The three new members will replace Dr. Jean-Pierre Bizzari, Prof. Laurence Zitvogel, and Antoine Béret.
Hedi Ben Brahim added, “The Board is also very pleased with the arrival of Prof. Jean‑Yves Blay and Laurence Espinasse. Jean-Yves’ clinical development know-how and Laurence’s legal experience will be strong assets for the Company.”
About Dr. Alessandro Riva
Dr. Alessandro Riva has nearly 30 years’ experience in the Life Sciences industry and is currently CEO of Intima Bioscience which specializes in cell therapies for solid cancers. Prior to this role, he served as CEO of Ichnos Sciences and EVP, Global Head of Oncology Therapeutics and Cell & Gene Therapy at Gilead Sciences, where he was instrumental in the acquisition of Kite Pharma and led its integration and growth. He also managed the US and EU approvals of Yescarta, the first approved CAR-T cell therapy for adult patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma.
Before Gilead, Dr. Riva was EVP, Global Head of Oncology Development and Medical Affairs at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. He was President ad interim of Novartis Oncology during the acquisition of GSK Oncology.
Dr. Riva currently serves on the Boards of Beigene and Century Therapeutics. He received his bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Milan and a certificate board in oncology and hematology from the same institution.
Dr. Alessandro Riva said: “Transgene’s promising drug candidates, generated from its world-leading myvac and Invir.IO platforms, represent exciting new frontiers for targeted solid tumor immunotherapies, tapping into the unrealized potential of personalized cancer vaccinations and next-generation multifunctional oncolytic viruses. I’m delighted to be joining an increasingly important player in the oncology space as the Company prepares for the next key steps in its development.”
About Transgene
Transgene is a biotechnology company focused on designing and developing targeted immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Transgene’s programs utilize viral vector technology with the goal of indirectly or directly killing cancer cells.
The Company’s clinical-stage programs consist of two therapeutic vaccines (TG4001 for the treatment of HPV-positive cancers, and TG4050, the first individualized therapeutic vaccine based on the myvac platform) as well as two oncolytic viruses (TG6002 for the treatment of solid tumors, and BT-001, the first oncolytic virus based on the Invir.IO platform).
With Transgene’s myvac platform, therapeutic vaccination enters the field of precision medicine with novel immunotherapy that is fully tailored to each individual. The myvac approach allows the generation of a virus-based immunotherapy that encodes patient-specific mutations identified and selected by Artificial Intelligence capabilities provided by its partner NEC.
With its proprietary platform Invir.IO, Transgene is building on its viral vector engineering expertise to design a new generation of multifunctional oncolytic viruses. Transgene has an ongoing Invir.IO collaboration with AstraZeneca.
For more information: https://www.transgene.fr/
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