Notch Therapeutics Appoints David Main as President and Chief Executive Officer to Advance the Company's Novel Gene-Edited, iPSC-Derived Immune Cell Therapeutics

Rhea-AI Summary

Notch Therapeutics has appointed David Main as President and CEO, enhancing its leadership to drive the development of innovative, off-the-shelf T cell therapies from stem cells. Main brings over 30 years of biopharmaceutical experience, previously leading Aquinox Pharmaceuticals through successful phases of development and public listing. Notch's advanced Engineered Thymic Niche (ETN) technology aims to create universal T cell therapies, and the company is currently partnered with Allogene Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ALLO) to focus on CAR-targeted therapies for hematologic cancers.

Positive

• Appointment of David Main as CEO, expected to strengthen leadership.
• Main's experience in advancing biopharmaceutical products may enhance strategic direction.
• Notch's proprietary ETN technology is positioned to expand clinical and commercial potential.

Negative

• Concerns about continuity and experience gaps following the leadership change.

TORONTO, July 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Notch Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company creating universally compatible, off-the-shelf T cell therapies for cancer and immune disorders from renewable stem cell sources, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Main as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Notch is applying its scalable Engineered Thymic Niche (ETN) technology platform to develop homogeneous and universally compatible, stem cell-derived T cell therapies. To date, Notch has assembled a world-class scientific team and built a fully integrated, tightly controlled platform for generating and editing immune cells from clonal stem cells to enable development of a broad range of T cell therapeutics. Notch has also entered into a partnership with Allogene Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ALLO) to apply Notch's proprietary ETN platform to develop CAR-targeted, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived, off-the-shelf T cell or natural killer (NK) cell therapies for hematologic cancer indications.

"We have a clear goal at Notch: To create universally compatible, safe, and effective immunotherapies with the capability to treat thousands of patients from a single manufacturing run," said David Main. "The company has an internationally recognized team, a groundbreaking technology positioned to redefine and expand the clinical and commercial potential of cell therapy, and has already attracted a leading corporate partner. This is an exciting time to join and lead the company, which is now strongly positioned to advance our own pipeline of products as we also pursue additional partnering opportunities."

"We have spent the past year building a leading company developing next-generation, off-the-shelf immunotherapies driven by outstanding science and focused execution," said Ulrik Nielsen, Ph.D., Chairman of Notch. "David provides Notch with a proven industry leader and strategic thinker who has extensive experience driving and financing biotech innovation from early-stage research through commercial readiness. We are excited to bring in such outstanding leadership that is ideally suited to lead the company as it continues to advance its new class of off-the-shelf T cell therapy products."

Mr. Main is a highly experienced biopharmaceutical executive who brings to Notch more than 30 years of industry leadership experience with a strong track record of value creation and company growth. Most recently, as co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Main oversaw the advancement of the company's lead product from target validation through Phase 3 clinical trials. He also led the transition of Aquinox from a private to a NASDAQ-listed public company with approximately $300 million raised in equity capital and then completed the successful merger of Aquinox with Neoleukin Therapeutics. Prior to his leadership of Aquinox, Mr. Main served as President and CEO of INEX Pharmaceuticals and as a Vice President of QLT.

About Notch Therapeutics (www.notchtx.com)
Notch is an immune cell therapy company creating universally compatible, allogeneic (off-the-shelf) T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer and immune disorders. Notch's technology platform uses genetically tailored stem cells as a renewable source for creating allogeneic T cell therapies that expand treatment options and has the potential to deliver safer, consistently manufactured and more cost-effective cell immunotherapies to patients. At the core of Notch's technology is the synthetic Engineered Thymic Niche (ETN) platform, which precisely controls the expansion and differentiation of stem cells in a process suitable for large-scale manufacturing, delivering fully defined, consistent, feeder-free and serum-free T cells that can be genetically tailored for any T cell-based immunotherapeutic application. This technology was invented in the laboratories of Juan-Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker, Ph.D. at Sunnybrook Research Institute and Peter Zandstra, Ph.D., FRSC at the University of Toronto. Notch was founded by these two institutions, in conjunction with MaRS Innovation (now Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners) and the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) in Toronto.

Contact:
Mary Moynihan
M2Friend Biocommunications
802-951-9600
mary@m2friend.com

 

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SOURCE Notch Therapeutics

FAQ

What is the significance of David Main's appointment as CEO of Notch Therapeutics?

David Main's appointment brings extensive biopharmaceutical experience, which may enhance Notch's strategic direction and product development.

How does Notch's partnership with Allogene Therapeutics impact its operations?

The partnership allows Notch to leverage its Engineered Thymic Niche technology for the development of CAR-targeted therapies, potentially expanding treatment options.

What technology does Notch Therapeutics use for their T cell therapies?

Notch uses the Engineered Thymic Niche (ETN) platform to develop scalable, universal T cell therapies from stem cell sources.

What are the future prospects for Notch Therapeutics under David Main's leadership?

With Main's leadership, Notch aims to advance its product pipeline and explore additional partnerships in the biotech field.

What experience does David Main bring to Notch Therapeutics?

David Main has over 30 years of industry experience, having successfully guided Aquinox Pharmaceuticals through key development phases and public listing.