Date: 2015-11-02
Type of information: Nomination
Compound:
Company: Merck KGaA (Germany)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: nomination
Action mechanism:
Disease:
Details: * On November 2, 2015, Merck KGaA announced the appointment of Laszlo Radvanyi, PhD, as Senior Vice President, Head of Research in Immuno-Oncology. Radvanyi brings extensive immuno-oncology expertise to the role, having spent 10 years conducting research on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and more than 25 years studying cellular and molecular immunology.
As the Head of Research in Immuno-Oncology for Merck KGaA, Radvanyi will focus on leading the discovery of oncology therapies that leverage the natural ability of the body’s immune system to fight cancer, as well as identifying biomarkers with the aim to deliver personalized treatments for patients. Radvanyi will contribute to shaping Merck’s immuno-oncology R&D strategy and driving its leadership position in the field.
Prior to joining Merck KGaA, Radvanyi served as Chief Scientific Officer at Lion Biotechnologies based in Tampa, Florida, where he was responsible for developing novel technologies to produce next-generation TILs for tumor indications including lung, cervical and breast cancer. In this role, he was instrumental in driving the company’s metastatic melanoma TIL program into clinical development in the first TIL therapy trial performed outside an academic center. Earlier in his career, he served as Professor of melanoma and breast medical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where he conducted
clinical studies on TIL therapy in metastatic melanoma. In this role, he also conducted basic and translational research to identify relevant T-cell therapy biomarkers, enhance the anti-tumor function of expanded T-cells, and improve the manufacturing methods for eventual commercialization of T-cell therapies. His work there also spanned into the area of T-regulatory cells where he identified new Treg biomarkers associated with clinical responses to melanoma immunotherapy. He also established and led an Immunomonitoring Core facility at MD Anderson Cancer Center for over 9 years.
Radvanyi will report to Luciano Rossetti, Head of Global R&D, and serve as a member of the R&D Executive Leadership Team. Radvanyi will join Merck on November 2, 2015. He will be based in Billerica, Massachusetts.
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