BEIJING, Sept. 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BeiGene, Ltd., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing molecularly-targeted and immuno-oncology drugs for the treatment of cancer, today announced the addition of Dr. Jedd D. Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D. to its Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Wolchok is the Chief of Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics Service and holds the Lloyd J. Old Chair for Clinical Investigation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York, NY.
"We are honored to have Dr. Wolchok join our Scientific Advisory Board," said John V. Oyler, Chief Executive Officer of BeiGene. "Dr. Wolchok has helped establish MSK as a leading center in the discovery and treatment of cancers with novel immunotherapies. His extensive knowledge in immuno-oncology, as well as his broad expertise with cancer clinical trials, will certainly prove valuable to BeiGene as we advance our pipeline of molecularly-targeted and immuno-oncology drugs, alone and in combination."
"I am delighted to join BeiGene's Scientific Advisory Board and look forward to working with this team," said Dr. Wolchok. "The company has a robust research engine and has successfully brought four exciting drug candidates into clinic that may have the potential to be more effective in combination."
Dr. Wolchok is the principal investigator of many ongoing clinical trials at MSK in the area of immunotherapy. In 2011, he established the Immunotherapeutics Clinical Core, a specialized center at MSK for Phase 1 studies of new immunotherapy agents for a broad spectrum of malignancies. He was instrumental in the clinical development leading to the approval of ipilimumab for advanced melanoma.
Dr. Wolchok's additional appointments include: Associate Director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy (LCCI) and Head of the Swim Across America - Ludwig Collaborative Laboratory. He holds a M.D. from New York University School of Medicine and a Ph.D. from New York University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
Dr. Wolchok joins other members of BeiGene's Scientific Advisory Board including: Drs. Ronald Levy, Neal Rosen, David Schenkein, Charles Sawyers, Xiaodong Wang, and Steve Young.
About BeiGene
BeiGene is a global, clinical-stage, research-based company focused on targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutics. With a team of 175+ scientists and staff, BeiGene is advancing a pipeline consisting of novel oral small molecules and monoclonal antibodies for cancer. BeiGene is working to create combination solutions that will have both a meaningful and lasting impact on cancer patients. For more information, please visit our website at www.beigene.com.