On March 19, 2018 Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing highly targeted cancer immunotherapies, reported the appointment of Dr. Leila Alland to the position of Chief Medical Officer (CMO), effective March 26, 2018 (Press release, , 19 19, 2018, View Source [SID1234524894]). As CMO, Dr. Alland will be responsible for the clinical strategy and execution of Affimed’s first-in-class NK and T cell engager programs through early and late stage clinical trials. Dr. Alland brings to the Company over 20 years of experience in industry and academic research with a strong track record of successful oncology and hematology drug development.
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"I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Alland as our new Chief Medical Officer as she brings with her a wealth of expertise in immuno-oncology drug development including PD-1- and EGFR-targeting agents," said Dr. Adi Hoess, CEO of Affimed. "With Dr. Alland leading our strategy and execution in the clinic, we look forward to advancing our robust pipeline of both mono- and combination therapeutics through clinical development to regulatory approval."
Dr. Alland has broad experience as a clinical leader developing both large and small molecule oncology products for solid and hematological malignancies, including Opdivo, Tagrisso, and Tasigna. Dr. Alland most recently served as CMO of Tarveda Therapeutics, developing clinical candidates for solid tumors. Prior to that, she was Vice President and Head of Oncology Early Clinical Development at AstraZeneca where she led Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical development of oncology and immuno-oncology programs including a Phase 2 registration study that contributed to the accelerated approval of Tagrisso. Previously, Dr. Alland served at Bristol-Myers Squibb as clinical head for multiple early phase oncology programs including immuno-oncology antibody therapeutics, and at Novartis where she led the clinical development program for Tasigna. Dr. Alland is also an experienced pediatric hematologist/oncologist and accomplished scientist, having served on the faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City, where she was awarded the prestigious James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award for research.
"Affimed’s novel tetravalent bispecific antibodies for immune cell engagement offer a unique approach to accelerate the trajectory of the immuno-oncology field and achieve significant benefit for patients," said Dr. Leila Alland. "I am excited to be joining the accomplished team at Affimed and look forward to advancing the differentiated pipeline of NK and T cell engagers for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, acute myeloid leukemia and other malignancies."
Dr. Alland completed her fellowship in pediatric hematology and oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NY and her internship and residency at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PA. She received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.D. from New York University School of Medicine.