TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. Appoints Dr. Bertrand Le Bourdonnec as Executive Vice President, Head of Drug Discovery, Early Development, and Program Management

Rhea-AI Summary

TuHURA Biosciences (NASDAQ: HURA) has appointed Dr. Bertrand Le Bourdonnec as Executive Vice President, Head of Drug Discovery, Early Development, and Program Management. Dr. Le Bourdonnec brings a 20-year career in drug discovery with impressive achievements, including 12 pre-clinical/clinical candidates and 7 investigational new drug applications.

His expertise in Delta Opioid Receptor (DOR) biochemistry and pharmacology aligns perfectly with TuHURA's Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) and Antibody Peptide Conjugate (APC) technology platform. Notable achievements include developing first-in-class spirocyclic DOR agonists licensed to Pfizer and leading the benevopran program to positive Phase IIb results, which led to Adolor 's acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals.

Previously, he served as Chief Scientific Officer at HDAX Therapeutics and VP roles at Deciphera Pharmaceuticals and Cubist Pharmaceuticals, demonstrating successful leadership in drug development across multiple therapeutic areas including oncology, pain, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Positive

• Appointment of seasoned executive with proven track record of 12 pre-clinical/clinical candidates
• Direct expertise in company's core DOR technology platform
• History of successful drug development leading to valuable licensing deals (Pfizer, $30M)
• Track record of driving successful acquisitions through clinical achievements

Negative

• None.

Proven 20-year career in drug discovery and development track record leading to 12 pre-clinical/clinical candidates and 7 investigational new drug / clinical trial applications

Extensive knowledge in the biochemistry and pharmacology of the Delta Opioid Receptor (DOR), the primary target in TuHURA's Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) and Antibody Peptide Conjugate (APC) technology platform

Inventor of first-in-class spirocyclic DOR agonists as potential analgesics; clinical- stage products licensed to Pfizer

Led the benevopran opioid-induced bowel dysfunction program to positive Phase IIb results: key value inflection point resulting in the acquisition of Adolor Corporation by Cubist Pharmaceuticals

TAMPA, Fla., April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: HURA) ("TuHURA"), a Phase 3 registration-stage immuno-oncology company developing novel technologies to overcome resistance to cancer immunotherapy, today announced the appointment of Bertrand Le Bourdonnec, PhD as Executive Vice President, Head of Drug Discovery, Early Development, and Program Management.

Dr. Le Bourdonnec is a seasoned biotech executive with broad scientific and leadership experience across all stages of drug discovery through clinical development and regulatory approval. He has successfully led R&D programs in multiple therapeutic areas including oncology, pain, gastro- intestinal disorders, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. He is a noted expert on opioid receptor biochemistry and pharmacology and has discovered and developed several drugs targeting various members of the opioid receptor family.

"We are excited to add Dr. Le Bourdonnec to the TuHURA team. His expertise in the pharmacology and biochemistry of the Delta Opioid Receptor (DOR) is a perfect addition to lead the discovery effort for our novel ADCs and APCs targeting the DOR on myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Having successfully developed drugs that stimulate the DOR, he is uniquely positioned to develop DOR inhibitors that seek to block the immune suppressing effects of MDSCs on the tumor microenvironment." commented James Bianco, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of TuHURA.

Dr. Le Bourdonnec added, "I am thrilled to join the TuHURA team at this pivotal time in the Company's evolution and look forward to playing an important role in driving our pipeline forward with the goal of addressing patient unmet medical needs potentially transforming the treatment paradigm for people battling cancer."

Prior to joining TuHURA, Dr. Le Bourdonnec served as the Chief Scientific Officer and Scientific Advisor for HDAX Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering a novel approach to targeting HDAC6 for the discovery and development of breakthrough therapeutics for high unmet medical needs. During his tenure at HDAX, Dr. Le Bourdonnec was responsible for developing a research strategy and managing discovery activities that contributed to the company's completion of an oversubscribed seed round in September 2024. Prior to HDAX Therapeutics, he served as VP, Chemical, Pharmaceutical & Pre- Clinical Sciences at Deciphera Pharmaceuticals where he led a team of 31 scientists and managed Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, ADME/DMPK & Toxicology activities supporting the identification of novel kinase inhibitors designed using Deciphera's proprietary kinase switch control platform. He was also responsible for managing non-clinical development activities for Deciphera's clinical stage products. Prior to that, he led several R&D functions at Yumanity Therapeutics and contributed to the company's growth from early start-up to a clinical stage organization. Earlier in his career, Dr. Le Bourdonnec served as the VP, Discovery Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Research at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, where he led a department of 87 chemists (57 internal; 30 external) across different functions including Medicinal Chemistry, Computational Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Process Chemistry Research, Formulation Research, Chemistry Outsourcing, Bioinformatics, Cheminformatics, Compound Management and High-Throughput Screening. He began his industry career at Adolor Corporation (acquired by Cubist Pharmaceuticals in Oct 2011) and held a number of positions, culminating as the Senior Director, Program Management and Discovery. During his time at Adolor, he played an integral role in many value-driving accomplishments, including the invention of first-in-class spirocyclic delta opioid receptor (DOR) agonists as potential analgesics (ADL5859 & ADL5747) which were licensed to Pfizer for $30M upfront.

Dr. Le Bourdonnec holds a Chemical Engineering degree and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Lille (France). He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the US in the laboratory of Professor Portoghese at the University of Minnesota.

About TuHURA Biosciences, Inc.

TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HURA) is a Phase 3 registration-stage immuno-oncology company developing novel technologies to overcome primary and acquired resistance to cancer immunotherapy, two of the most common reasons cancer immunotherapies fail to work or stop working in the majority of patients with cancer.

TuHURA's lead innate immune agonist candidate, IFx-2.0, is designed to overcome primary resistance to checkpoint inhibitors. TuHURA is preparing to initiate a single randomized placebo-controlled Phase 3 registration trial of IFx-2.0 administered as an adjunctive therapy to Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) in first line treatment for advanced or metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

In addition to its innate immune agonist candidates, TuHURA is leveraging its Delta Opioid Receptor technology to develop first-in-class bi-specific ADCs and APCs targeting Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells to inhibit their immune-suppressing effects on the tumor microenvironment to prevent T cell exhaustion and acquired resistance to checkpoint inhibitors and cellular therapies.

For more information, please visit tuhurabio.com and connect with TuHURA on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of, and subject to the safe harbor created by, Section 27A of the Securities Act, Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, development programs, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and other future conditions. In some cases you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "should," "would," "project," "plan," "expect," "goal," "seek," "future," "likely" or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding TuHURA's IFx-Hu2.0 product candidate and anticipated Phase 3 trial, its development program relating to its Delta Opioid Receptor technology, and any developments or results in connection therewith and the anticipated regulatory pathway and timing of the foregoing development programs, studies and trials. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. You are cautioned that such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those set forth in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements are described in detail in our Annual

Report on Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2025 and our other filings with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov.

The forward-looking statements and other information contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and TuHURA does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

Investor Contact:
Dan Dearborn (813) 875-6600
ddearborn@tuhurabio.com 

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SOURCE TuHURA Biosciences, Inc.

FAQ

What are Dr. Le Bourdonnec's key achievements that make him valuable for HURA stock?

His 20-year career led to 12 pre-clinical/clinical candidates, 7 drug applications, and successful development of DOR agonists licensed to Pfizer for $30M upfront.

How does Dr. Le Bourdonnec's expertise align with HURA's technology platform?

His extensive knowledge in DOR biochemistry directly aligns with HURA's ADC and APC technology platform targeting DOR on myeloid derived suppressor cells.

What was Dr. Le Bourdonnec's most recent position before joining HURA?

He served as Chief Scientific Officer at HDAX Therapeutics, where he developed research strategy and managed discovery activities.

What significant business success did Dr. Le Bourdonnec achieve at Adolor ?

He led the benevopran program to positive Phase IIb results, a key value point that led to Adolor's acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals.