OSE Immunotherapeutics Strengthens Leadership Team with the Appointment of Laurence de Schoulepnikoff as Chief Business Officer

NANTES, France, Dec. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OSE Immunotherapeutics SA (ISIN: FR0012127173; Mnemo: OSE) announces the appointment of Laurence de Schoulepnikoff as Chief Business Officer (CBO), as well as three senior appointments to further strengthen the OSE Immunotherapeutics drug development team.

Laurence de Schoulepnikoff is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience and broad expertise in business development and transactions in the pharmaceutical industry, in particular in driving licensing transactions as well as acquisitions and divestments. Laurence joins OSE Immunotherapeutics from AMAL Therapeutics, a leading Swiss biotechnology company focused on therapeutic cancer vaccines acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in 2019, where she spent the last three years as CBO and COO.

Prior to AMAL, Laurence worked in mid-sized companies (Ferring International, Stragen Pharma SA) as well as in large corporate organizations (Business Development at Novartis).

Laurence holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering - École Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne (EPFL) - and is a Board member of the Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group (Swiss HLG).

Alexis Peyroles, Chief Executive Officer of OSE Immunotherapeutics, said: “I am delighted to welcome Laurence to support our company’s acceleration and lead our Business Development and Alliance Management teams. Laurence’s leadership, her recent experience with an innovative cancer vaccine transaction and her broad expertise in Pharma licensing will undoubtedly give us new opportunities to reinforce our partnering activities, which are a continuous driver of our growth.”

OSE Immunotherapeutics is also delighted to announce the appointment of three senior executives, joining the Company to reinforce its drug development engine and help advancing its rich portfolio. Linda Lebon is named Chief Regulatory Officer, Silvia Comis joins the Company as Head of Clinical Development and Françoise Bono as Senior Strategic Development Director.

Dominique Costantini, Chairwoman of OSE Immunotherapeutics, commented: “We are very proud to expand our drug development leadership team with experienced executives in the field of immuno-oncology and inflammation. As we are rapidly advancing preclinical and clinical development of multiple first-in-class compounds, Linda, Silvia and Françoise will step-change our ability to efficiently accelerate the development of our pipeline of clinical assets that address unmet clinical needs, expanding our growth at this transformative point.”

Linda Lebon brings 25 years of strong strategic regulatory expertise from early development up to approval. She has held international managerial positions in biotech (ArgenX), pharmaceutical (BMS, GSK Vaccine, Pfizer Animal Health) and consulting companies (IQVIA, Voisin Consulting Life Sciences).

Linda holds an MBA from HEC School of Management and a Sciences Aggregation from Liège University in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Silvia Comis brings 30 years of international experience and leadership in the pharmaceutical industry with a strong expertise in clinical research and development as well as in medical affairs and real-world evidence in oncology, haematology and immuno-oncology. She was recently Senior Medical Director IQVIA, and European Head of Early Products Medical Affairs in oncology at Novartis, involved in all the immuno-oncology programs with clinical innovations.

Silvia is a Medical Doctor, endocrinologist and pharmacologist (Pavie University, Italy).

Françoise Bono brings 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, in oncology, immuno-inflammation and cardiovascular. Françoise has acquired a significant expertise in science, people management, project leadership and evaluation, and translational and development strategy. Françoise conducted numerous innovative projects, from preclinical to translational and clinical development, while working at Sanofi/Evotec.

Françoise holds a Ph. D. in Cellular Biology, from Toulouse University.

ABOUT OSE Immunotherapeutics 
OSE Immunotherapeutics is an integrated biotechnology company focused on developing and partnering therapies to control the immune system for immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases. The company’s immunology research and development platform is focused on three areas: T-cell-based vaccination, Immuno-Oncology (focus on myeloid targets), Auto-immunity & Inflammation. Its balanced first-in-class clinical and preclinical portfolio has a diversified risk profile:

Vaccine platform

• Tedopi® (innovative combination of neoepitopes): the company’s most advanced product; positive results for Phase 3 trial (Atalante 1) in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer patients after secondary resistance to checkpoint inhibitors.
  In Phase 2 in pancreatic cancer (TEDOPaM), sponsor GERCOR.
  In Phase 2 in ovary cancer, in combination with pembrolizumab (TEDOVA), sponsor ARCAGY-GINECO.
  In Phase 2 in non-small cell lung cancer in combination with nivolumab, sponsor Italian foundation FoRT.
• CoVepiT: a prophylactic second-generation vaccine against COVID-19, developed using SARS-CoV-2 optimized epitopes against multi variants. Clinical data (Nov. 2021) validating the multi-target vaccine show good tolerance and promising efficacy signals. Results from 6-month memory T cell responses expected Q1 2022.
  

Immuno-oncology platform

• BI 765063 (OSE-172, anti-SIRPα mAb on CD47/SIRPα pathway): developed in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim in advanced solid tumors; positive Phase 1 dose escalation results of BI 765063 in monotherapy or in combination with ezabenlimab (PD-1 antagonist); Expansion Phase 1 open for screening.
• CLEC-1 (novel myeloid checkpoint target): identification of mAb antagonists of CLEC-1 blocking the “Don’t Eat Me” signal that increase both tumor cell phagocytosis by macrophages and antigen capture by dendritic cells.
• BiCKI®: bispecific fusion protein platform built on the key backbone component anti-PD-1 (OSE-279) combined with new immunotherapy targets; 2^nd generation of PD-(L)1 inhibitors to increase antitumor efficacity.
  

Auto-immunity and inflammation platform

• FR104 (anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody): Licensing partnership agreement with Veloxis in the organ transplant market; ongoing Phase 1/2 in renal transplant (sponsored by the Nantes University Hospital); Phase 2-ready asset in an autoimmune disease indication.
• OSE-127/S95011 (humanized monoclonal antibody targeting IL-7 receptor): developed in partnership with Servier; positive Phase 1 results; in Phase 2 in ulcerative colitis (OSE sponsor) and an independent Phase 2a ongoing in Sjögren’s syndrome (Servier sponsor).
• OSE-230 (ChemR23 agonist mAb): first-in-class therapeutic agent with the potential to resolve chronic inflammation by driving affected tissues to tissue integrity.
  

For more information: https://ose-immuno.com/en/
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Forward-looking statements 
This press release contains express or implied information and statements that might be deemed forward-looking information and statements in respect of OSE Immunotherapeutics. They do not constitute historical facts. These information and statements include financial projections that are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by OSE Immunotherapeutics’ management in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate.
These forward-looking statements include statements typically using conditional and containing verbs such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “target”, “plan”, or “estimate”, their declensions and conjugations and words of similar import. Although the OSE Immunotherapeutics management believes that the forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, the OSE Immunotherapeutics’ shareholders and other investors are cautioned that the completion of such expectations is by nature subject to various risks, known or not, and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of OSE Immunotherapeutics. These risks could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in or implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. These risks include those discussed or identified in the public filings made by OSE Immunotherapeutics with the AMF. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. This press release includes only summary information and should be read with the OSE Immunotherapeutics Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 15 April 2021, including the annual financial report for the fiscal year 2020, available on the OSE Immunotherapeutics’ website. Other than as required by applicable law, OSE Immunotherapeutics issues this press release at the date hereof and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information or statements.