NextCure Announces Three New Members of its Scientific Advisory Board
NextCure, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTC) appointed Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., Ursula Matulonis, M.D., and Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) while Ethan Shevach, M.D., retires. These new members bring extensive experience in oncology and immunology, crucial for advancing NextCure's clinical programs. Dr. Jaffee focuses on immune-based therapies, Dr. Matulonis on targeted therapies for gynecologic cancers, and Dr. Zou on cancer immunology. NextCure aims to enhance its capabilities in developing first-in-class immunomedicines.
- Appointment of three experienced members to the SAB enhances expertise in oncology and immunology.
- New board members may provide valuable guidance for clinical development and scientific discovery.
- Retirement of Ethan Shevach, M.D., may lead to continuity concerns.
BELTSVILLE, Md., Oct. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NextCure, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering and developing novel, first-in-class immunomedicines to treat cancer and other immune-related diseases, today announced the appointments of Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., Ursula Matulonis, M.D., and Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Ethan Shevach, M.D., will retire from the SAB. Drs. Lieping Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Mario Sznol, M.D., and Stephen Miller, Ph.D., will continue to serve on the SAB.
“With the addition of three new members to our Scientific Advisory Board, NextCure is well-positioned for the next stage of scientific discovery and clinical development,” said Solomon Langermann, Ph.D., NextCure’s chief scientific officer. “These individuals have impressive breadth and depth of clinical experiences across oncology and immunology and their counsel will be important for NextCure’s current and future clinical programs. We would like to thank Dr. Shevach for valuable contributions to our SAB.”
- Professor Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D.
Dr. Jaffee is Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Dana and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli Professor of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University and an international leader in immune based therapies. Dr. Jaffee’s research is focused on the development of novel vaccine approaches that overcome immune tolerance to cancers, and she has completed multiple studies testing an allogeneic tumor vaccine in patients with pancreatic cancer. She also established Johns Hopkins’ Cell Processing and Gene Therapy cGMP Facility, and currently holds six vaccine patents. Dr. Jaffee earned her M.D. from New York Medical College.
- Professor Ursula Matulonis, M.D.
Dr. Matulonis is Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is the first recipient of the Brock-Wilson Family Chair at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Matulonis co-leads the Gynecologic Cancer Program within the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Ovarian Cancer Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the National Cancer Institute. Her research is focused on developing new targeted therapies for gynecologic malignancies, with a specific interest in ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. Dr. Matulonis earned her M.D. from the Albany Medical College.
- Professor Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Zou is the Charles B. de Nancrede Professor; Professor of Pathology, Immunology, Biology and Surgery; Director of the Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy; and Co-Director of the Cancer Hematopoiesis and Immunology Program at the University of Michigan School of Medicine and Rogel Cancer Center. Dr. Zou leads a multidisciplinary laboratory that investigates the human cancer microenvironment with the goal of understanding the nature of human tumor immune responses and developing mechanism-informed combination therapies for cancer. His laboratory has demonstrated that the interaction between tumor cells and the host immune system fosters tumor immunosuppressive networks and results in cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. Dr. Zou earned his M.D. from the Tongji Medical College in China and Ph.D. from the University of Paris in France.
About NextCure, Inc.
NextCure is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering and developing novel, first-in-class immunomedicines to treat cancer and other immune-related diseases. Through our proprietary FIND-IO™ platform, we study various immune cells to discover and understand targets and structural components of immune cells and their functional impact in order to develop immunomedicines. Our initial focus is to bring hope and new treatments to patients who do not respond to current cancer therapies, patients whose cancer progresses despite treatment and patients with cancer types not adequately addressed by available therapies. http://www.nextcure.com
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Words such as “expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “hope,” “forward” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements in this press release include, among others, statements about NextCure’s plans, objectives and intentions with respect to the discovery of immunomedicine targets and the discovery and development of immunomedicines. Forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others: our limited operating history and no products approved for commercial sale; our history of significant losses; our need to obtain additional financing; risks related to clinical development, marketing approval and commercialization; and the unproven approach to the discovery and development of product candidates based on our FIND-IO platform. More detailed information on these and additional factors that could affect NextCure’s actual results are described in NextCure’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including NextCure’s most recent Form 10-K and subsequent Form 10-Q. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. NextCure assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, even if expectations change.
Investor Inquiries
Timothy Mayer, Ph.D.
NextCure, Inc.
Chief Operating Officer
(240) 762-6486
IR@nextcure.com
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