Adcentrx Therapeutics Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board

Company appoints Mike Varney, Ph.D. and Kerry Blanchard, M.D., Ph.D. as founding SAB members

SAN DIEGO and SHANGHAI, Sept. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Adcentrx Therapeutics (“Adcentrx”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on accelerating breakthroughs in developing protein conjugate therapeutics for cancer and other life-threatening diseases, today announces the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to support the advancement of its innovative Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) technology platform and pipeline, including ADRX-0706, a Nectin-4 targeting ADC therapeutic currently being evaluated in a Phase 1a/b clinical trial.

The inaugural SAB will work closely with Adcentrx’s executive team to provide strategic guidance and expert insights to advance its mission of creating the best therapies to treat serious and life-threatening diseases.

“The establishment of our SAB represents a significant advancement for Adcentrx as we progress our ADC portfolio,” said Hui Li, Ph.D., President and CEO of Adcentrx. “We are privileged to welcome these exceptional scientific leaders to the Adcentrx team, and their combined expertise and guidance will be instrumental in shaping our future research and clinical development.”

The Founding Members of the Adcentrx SAB are:

Mike Varney, Ph.D.

Dr. Varney brings extensive experience in drug discovery and development, having served as Executive Vice President, Head of Genentech Research and Early Development, where he was responsible for all research activities. During his tenure at Genentech, he oversaw the discovery and development of multiple innovative therapies, including the approved cancer treatments Erivedge® and Cotellic®. Earlier in his career, Dr. Varney pioneered the use of protein-structure based drug design at Agouron Pharmaceuticals. This innovative approach led to the discovery and market approval of HIV protease inhibitor, Viracept®. After Agouron’s acquisition by Warner Lambert and subsequently by Pfizer, he served as Vice President of Drug Discovery at Pfizer Global Research & Development, leading research initiatives across oncology, virology, diabetes, and ophthalmology at the La Jolla site.

Dr. Varney holds a Ph.D. in Organic Synthesis from the California Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, and was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Columbia University.

Kerry Blanchard, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Blanchard has been a drug hunter and entrepreneur for more than four decades in the US and Asia. He is currently cofounder, Chairman, and CEO of Perpetual Medicines, a peptide therapeutics/computational AI platform company. Previously, he was the CEO of Everest Medicines, Chief Science Officer at Innovent Biologics, Senior Vice President of Lilly China Drug Development and External Innovation, and a senior executive at Eli Lilly and Company. He was a member of the board for Lilly China and Zymeworks Inc., and was the co-chairman of the Lilly Asia Ventures Investment Committee. Prior to joining Lilly in 2000, he was a tenured Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, LA. Dr. Blanchard has brought four medicines to the market from his own research including Verzenio®, a CDK 4/6 inhibitor, and, his development teams in China have had more than 30 approved medicines in Asia including Trodelvy®, Trulicity®, Byetta®, Forteo®, and Tyvyt®. At Innovent and Everest, Dr. Blanchard successfully raised over $2 billion to support and expand their pipelines. His track record in accelerating clinical development and navigating regulatory landscapes will significantly enhance Adcentrx’s strategic initiatives and global expansion.

Dr. Blanchard received his M.D. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Indiana University and completed his residency and fellowships at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School.

About Adcentrx Therapeutics

Adcentrx is a biotechnology company focused on accelerating breakthroughs in protein conjugate therapeutic development for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Adcentrx has pioneered the development of i-Conjugation™, an ADC technology platform addressing key components of protein conjugate design to solve challenges typically seen in ADCs. In addition to ADRX-0706, Adcentrx is developing a robust pipeline of ADCs with first-in-class potential.

For more information about Adcentrx and its innovative ADC technologies, please visit https://adcentrx.com.

Contact Information:

Investor Relations

[email protected]

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SOURCE Adcentrx Therapeutics