Arcus Biosciences, Inc. (NYSE:RCUS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on creating innovative cancer immunotherapies, today announced that William Grossman, M.D., Ph.D. has joined the Company as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Grossman will oversee all aspects of the Company’s global clinical development strategy and operations.
“We are pleased to have Dr. Grossman join Arcus during this seminal period in the advancement and expansion of our clinical development programs,” said Terry Rosen, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Arcus. “Dr. Grossman has a distinguished background as a practicing oncologist and has successfully led multiple global cancer immunotherapy trials, from early-stage to commercialization. He will complement the outstanding team that has already been assembled and advanced Arcus’s first four product candidates into clinical development. I look forward to having Bill as a colleague and critical member of our senior leadership team as we move towards later stage clinical trials.”
“I am honored to join Arcus at this pivotal time, with multiple Phase 1 readouts in 2019,” commented Dr. Grossman. “Arcus’s thoughtful strategy in leveraging promising biological targets, potentially best-in-class molecules, comprehensive and unique approach to clinical development and experienced team were key reasons for joining the Company. I look forward to contributing to the shared commitment of developing innovative cancer immunotherapies for patients.”
Dr. Grossman has extensive experience leading successful global clinical organizations, including direct medical accountability for more than 50 clinical trials spanning Phase 1 through Phase 3. Dr. Grossman joins Arcus from Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Chief Medical Officer and was responsible for the company’s clinical development, regulatory affairs, clinical operations, and medical affairs organizations. Prior to Bellicum, Dr. Grossman was the Global Group Medical Director for Cancer Immunotherapy at Genentech, where he led the clinical development of TECENTRIQ® in gastrointestinal cancers and of cancer immunotherapy combinations across all solid tumor types. Dr. Grossman designed and led the Phase 1b/2 MORPHEUS platform, a rapid and efficient paradigm for the evaluation of cancer immunotherapy combinations. Before joining Genentech, Dr. Grossman led the development and execution of the U.S. & Global medical affairs strategy for the oncology franchise at AbbVie. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President, Research & Clinical Development at Biothera, where he oversaw all discovery and clinical development efforts in oncology and immunology. In addition, Dr. Grossman has held leadership positions in research, clinical development, and medical affairs at Baxter Healthcare and Merck & Co., where he was involved in the clinical evaluation of anti-cancer vaccines, immunomodulatory agents, small molecules and biologics for oncology.
Prior to joining the industry, Dr. Grossman held various positions with the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin/Medical College of Wisconsin where he was Founder and Medical Director of the Clinical Immunodiagnostic and Research Laboratory, Professor for Microbiology and Genetics, and Director of the Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant Division for the Immunodeficiency Transplant Program. Dr. Grossman earned his M.D. and Ph.D. (Immunology) degrees from Washington University School of Medicine’s Medical Scientist Training Program and completed his medical training in the Division of Pediatric Biology/Medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine.
About Arcus Biosciences
Arcus Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on creating innovative cancer immunotherapies. Arcus has several programs targeting important immuno-oncology pathways, including a dual adenosine receptor antagonist, AB928, which is in a Phase 1/1b program to evaluate AB928 in combination with other agents in multiple tumor types, and an anti-PD-1 antibody, AB122, which is being evaluated in a Phase 1 trial and is being tested in combination with Arcus’s other product candidates. Arcus’s other programs include AB154, an anti-TIGIT antibody, which is being evaluated in a Phase 1 trial as monotherapy and in combination with AB122, and AB680, a small-molecule inhibitor of CD73, which is in a Phase 1 healthy volunteer study. Arcus has extensive in-house expertise in medicinal chemistry, immunology, biochemistry, pharmacology and structural biology. For more information about Arcus Biosciences, please visit www.arcusbio.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained herein, including, but not limited to, Arcus’s strategy and expectations regarding the advancement and potential of its clinical development programs, are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause Arcus’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the inherent uncertainty associated with pharmaceutical product development and clinical trials, the emergence of adverse events or other undesirable side effects, delays in our clinical trials due to difficulties or delays in the regulatory process, enrolling subjects or manufacturing or supplying product for such clinical trials, and changes in the competitive landscape for our programs. Risks and uncertainties facing Arcus are described more fully in Arcus’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Arcus disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update, supplement or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
TECENTRIQ® is a registered trademark of Genentech, Inc.
Source: Arcus Biosciences
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