Harpoon Therapeutics Announces Change to Management Team and Board of Directors
On October 26, 2021, Harpoon Therapeutics announced the appointment of Julie Eastland as its new President and CEO, effective November 8, 2021. She succeeds Jerry McMahon, who has resigned but will serve as an advisor. Eastland, a current board member with over 20 years in biotechnology, aims to advance the company's clinical cancer treatments. Scott Myers has been named Chair of the Board, succeeding Ron Hunt. This leadership change is seen as a strategic move to enhance Harpoon's capabilities in developing its T cell engager technology platforms.
- Julie Eastland brings over 20 years of biotechnology leadership experience.
- Her prior roles include COO and CFO at ReCode Therapeutics, positioning her well for advancing Harpoon's clinical programs.
- The leadership transition aims to strengthen the company’s focus on novel T cell engagers for cancer treatment.
- Jerry McMahon's resignation may raise concerns about continuity in leadership.
- Eastland's previous roles involved companies that faced competitive challenges, which may be indicative of potential hurdles.
Julie Eastland Appointed President and Chief Executive Officer
Jerry McMahon, Ph.D., Resigns from Harpoon as President and Chief Executive Officer
Scott Myers, Current Member of Harpoon’s Board of Directors Named Chair, Replacing Ron Hunt Who Remains on the Board
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HARP), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a novel class of T cell engagers, today announced that Julie Eastland has been named President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 8, 2021. Ms. Eastland will succeed Jerry McMahon, Ph.D., who has resigned from his position as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Dr. McMahon has entered into a retirement and transition agreement with Harpoon and will serve as an advisor.
“I am excited to lead Harpoon Therapeutics as its next President and Chief Executive Officer and to champion the company’s clinical programs targeting new breakthrough treatments for cancer,” said Julie Eastland. “I look forward to working alongside the medical and scientific teams to advance Harpoon’s novel immuno-oncology therapeutic modalities through the clinic and ultimately to commercialization, to make a difference in the lives of patients with cancer.”
“On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to recognize Jerry McMahon for the important role he has played in the financings, business development and growth of Harpoon, and sincerely thank him for his commitment to the company and his leadership during a period where the Harpoon team brought four programs to the clinic and created three T cell platforms,” stated Ron Hunt, member of the Harpoon Therapeutics Board. “We look forward to his counsel as an advisor to the company.”
Ms. Eastland currently serves on the Harpoon Board and will continue in that role. In addition, Scott Myers, also a Board member, has been named Chair of the Harpoon Board.
“We are very pleased that Julie Eastland will lead the Harpoon Therapeutics team as we advance our clinical programs and seek to maximize opportunities for our TriTAC®, ProTriTAC™, and TriTAC-XR T cell engager technology platforms,” said Scott Myers, Chair of the Harpoon Therapeutics Board. “I am looking forward to my new role as Chair and having worked with Julie in the past at other biotech companies spanning early to late-stage development programs, I am confident that her leadership and operational expertise in clinical oncology, immunology, and other therapeutic categories is an excellent fit for Harpoon at this point in its development.”
Julie Eastland joined the Harpoon Board in 2018 and her career spans more than 20 years of executive leadership in the biotechnology industry. Most recently she served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of ReCode Therapeutics, a private genetic medicines company developing therapeutics using its proprietary lipid nanoparticle delivery technology to target organs and tissues beyond the liver. Prior to ReCode, she served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer of Rainier Therapeutics, a private biopharmaceutical company focused in FGFR3 bladder cancer. Prior to Rainier, she served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer of Cascadian Therapeutics, a publicly traded oncology company that was acquired by Seattle Genetics in 2018. Prior to Cascadian, she held various financial and strategic management positions at public and private biotechnology companies including VLST Corporation, Dendreon and Amgen. Ms. Eastland received an MBA from Heriot-Watt University of the Edinburgh University in Scotland and a B.S. in finance from Colorado State University.
About Harpoon Therapeutics
Harpoon Therapeutics is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a novel class of T cell engagers that harness the power of the body’s immune system to treat patients suffering from cancer and other diseases. T cell engagers are engineered proteins that direct a patient’s own T cells to kill target cells that express specific proteins, or antigens, carried by the target cells. Using its proprietary Tri-specific T cell Activating Construct (TriTAC®) platform, Harpoon is developing a pipeline of novel TriTACs initially focused on the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. HPN424 targets PSMA and is in a Phase 1/2a trial for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. HPN536 targets mesothelin and is in a Phase 1/2a trial for cancers expressing mesothelin, initially focused on ovarian and pancreatic cancers. HPN217 targets BCMA and is in a Phase 1/2 trial for relapsed, refractory multiple myeloma. HPN328 targets DLL3 and is in a Phase 1/2 trial for small cell lung cancer and other DLL3-associated tumors. Harpoon has also developed a proprietary ProTriTAC™ platform, which applies a prodrug concept to its TriTAC platform to create a therapeutic T cell engager that remains inactive until it reaches the tumor. For additional information about Harpoon Therapeutics, please visit www.harpoontx.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “advance,” “believe,” “look forward,” “seek,” “target,” “will,” and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on Harpoon Therapeutics’ expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release. Each of these forward-looking statements involves risks and uncertainties that could cause Harpoon Therapeutics’ clinical development programs, future results or performance to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements about the leadership changes and transitions, development and advancement of Harpoon Therapeutics’ platforms and product candidates, and other statements that are not historical fact. Many factors may cause differences between current expectations and actual results, including unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during clinical studies, clinical trial site activation or enrollment rates that are lower than expected, unanticipated or greater than anticipated impacts or delays due to COVID-19, changes in expected or existing competition, changes in the regulatory environment, the uncertainties and timing of the regulatory approval process, the timing and results of unexpected litigation or other disputes, and the sufficiency of Harpoon Therapeutics’ cash resources. These and other factors that may cause Harpoon Therapeutics’ actual results to differ from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release are discussed in Harpoon Therapeutics’ filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including under “Risk Factors” in Harpoon Therapeutics’ quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 and future filings by Harpoon Therapeutics. Except as required by law, Harpoon Therapeutics assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in expectations, even as new information becomes available.
Contacts:
Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc.
Georgia Erbez
Chief Financial Officer
650-443-7400
media@harpoontx.com
Westwicke ICR
Robert H. Uhl
Managing Director
858-356-5932
robert.uhl@westwicke.com
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