(LOWER GWYNEDD, Pennsylvania, April 25, 2022)  Tavotek Biotherapeutics, a fast-growing biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering and developing therapeutic medicines, announced the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) comprised of scientific and industry leaders in oncology and immunology. The SAB will work cohesively with Tavotek to advance the company’s discovery and clinical pipelines

“The distinguished group of industry experts and scientific leaders that we have assembled will provide Tavotek with excellent guidance in the years to come,” said Mark Chiu, Ph.D., President and CSO of Tavotek. “Each member brings deep, internationally recognized expertise and experience in cutting-edge technology, protein engineering, and deep knowledge in oncology and immunology for early- to late-stage development of innovative therapeutics. We have already received valuable feedback from our first meeting, and I believe this collection of intellect and experience will continue to energize Tavotek to advance our proprietary technology platforms to develop innovative assets.”

Members of the Tavotek Scientific Advisory Board include:

Paul Parren, Ph.D.

Professor Paul W.H.I. Parren is dedicated to translating antibody biology and immunotherapy knowledge into innovative therapeutics and technologies. He holds a PhD in molecular immunology from the University of Amsterdam (1992) and was an Associate Professor at The Scripps Research Institute. He led research and preclinical development at Genmab, leading to seven product approvals to date and is an inventor of multiple drugs and two clinically translated technologies. He is a tenured Professor of Molecular Immunology at the Leiden University Medical Center. In 2018, he joined LAVA Therapeutics, a biotechnology company that discovers and develops bispecific gamma-delta T cell engagers from its Gammabody platform to transform cancer therapy, as its Executive Vice President and Head of R&D. He also provides drug development, patent and investment advice as an independent consultant from his company Sparring Bioconsult. He is currently the chair of the Board of Directors for The Antibody Society, an international non-profit trade organization involved in antibody research and development.

Peter Ho, MD, Ph.D.

Dr. Ho’s career has focused on cancer drug discovery and development. He previously served as Chief Medical Officer at Boston Pharmaceuticals and Epizyme Inc. Prior, he was Co-Founder and President of BeiGene Ltd. located in Beijing, China. His prior leadership roles include serving as Senior VP of oncology discovery at GlaxoSmithKline and VP of oncology development at Johnson & Johnson. Since 1995, he has been responsible for the first-in-human dosing of 19 anticancer agents and has overseen the development of over 60 hematology and oncology compounds in clinical phases of testing, contributing to 11 NCE approvals to date. He currently serves as Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy, a Scientific Advisory Board Member for Accent Therapeutics, and on the Board of Directors for Aravive Inc. and Celeris Therapeutics.

Robert Kramer, Ph.D.

Dr. Robert Kramer has over 30 years of expertise in the oncology research industry including serving as the Vice President of Oncology Research & Development at Bristol Myers Squibb and Vice President and Global Head of Oncology Discovery at Johnson and Johnson. Dr. Kramer is currently Chief Scientific Officer of Portage Biotech. In addition, Dr. Kramer has held positions at Wyeth (now Pfizer) as the Director of Oncology-Immunology Research and as an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School.  Dr. Kramer obtained his PhD in Molecular Pharmacology from University of Vermont and did his post-doctoral training at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.

Tao Dong, D.Phil.

Dr. Tao Dong has deep expertise the immunology field, more specifically in tumor-specific cytotoxic T-cells. She gained her DPhil in Immunology from Trinity College at Oxford University and the Nuffield Department of Medicine. Continuing as a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford, her research expanded to include the study of the Influenza virus. In 2010, she started her own research group, the Human T cell responses against Viruses & Cancer group. Dr. Dong is currently serving as Professor of Immunology at Oxford University and has served as the Director for Oxford-CAMS Joint International Centre for Translational Immunology and Director of CAMS Oxford Institute. In addition, Dr. Dong has served as the Head of the Anti-cancer/Anti-viral cytotoxic T cell Laboratory at Oxford University.

About Tavotek

Tavotek is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, acquiring, developing, and commercializing medicines for patients suffering from debilitating diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Tavotek has a rich pipeline of product candidates at various stages of development for cancer, autoimmune conditions, and inflammatory diseases. For more information, please visit www.tavotek.com.