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Formula Pharmaceuticals establishes Scientific Advisory Board with Leading Experts in support of Chimeric Antigen Receptor immunotherapy platform involving Cytokine Induced Killer cellsFormula Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Formula") today announced the appointment of leading experts to its newly formed scientific advisory board (SAB). The SAB will serve as a strategic resource to Formula as it continues to develop Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) immunotherapies leveraging Cytokine Induced Killer cells targeting cancer and autoimmune disease. "We are very excited working with Drs. Robert Negrin, Katy Rezvani and David Scheinberg as founding members of our Scientific Advisory Board. All three experts are highly respected, innovative and influential figures in cancer immunotherapy research. Dr. Negrin, Professor at Stanford University, is the 'founding father' of cytokine induced killer (C.I.K.) cells, based on whose work more than four dozen trials were initiated worldwide with C.I.K.-based adoptive cell therapy," said Maurits W. Geerlings, President and CEO of Formula Pharmaceuticals. "Dr. Rezvani, Professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center, brings key insights into Natural Killer (NK) cell functionality and cord blood-based supply, and Dr. Scheinberg, a physician-scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, provides integrated knowledge in the areas of tumor immunology, oncology and CAR, both in hematologic oncology and solid tumors. All three will add tremendous value and insights into Formula's pre-clinical and clinical research and development programs," Dr. Geerlings added. Dr. Scheinberg will serve as Chairman of Formula's SAB. Robert S. Negrin, M.D., is Director of the Bone and Marrow Transplantation Division and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. Dr. Negrin received his medical degree at Harvard Medical School and training in Internal Medcine and Hematology at Stanford University. He is the Program Leader of the Immunology and Immunotherapy of Cancer Program at the Stanford University Cancer Center. He is currently an Associate Editor of Blood (the weekly journal of the American Society of Hematology) and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Dr. Negrin has served as the President of the American Society of Bone and Marrow Transplantation and the International Society of Cellular Therapy. Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D. joined the faculty at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in June 2012 as Professor of Medicine, Director of Translational Research and Associate Medical Director of the GMP laboratory. Dr. Rezvani leads MDACC's Natural Killer cell-based CAR (CAR-NK) program, and has significant experience working with allogeneic cord blood. Dr. Rezvani obtained her medical degree from University College, London in 1993, completing her training in Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation at the Hammersmith Hospital, London. In 2001, she was awarded an LRF/NHLBI fellowship to pursue research in transplantation immunology at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA, during which time she also obtained her Ph.D. Physician-scientist David A. Scheinberg, M.D., Ph.D., is Chair of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics and the Vincent Astor Chair at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), where he treats patients with leukemia. He also serves as Chair of the Molecular Pharmacology Program at the Sloan Kettering Institute. He is a professor of medicine and of pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College and a founder and director of the Therapeutics Discovery Institute, a joint effort of Weill Cornell, the Rockefeller University, and MSK. Dr. Scheinberg received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University and his M.D. degree and Ph.D. degree in pharmacology and experimental therapeutics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. About Formula Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Formula Pharmaceuticals is a privately held, immuno-oncology focused company located in Berwyn, Pennsylvania focused on the development of CAR immunotherapy for oncology and autoimmune diseases. Formula's technology platform offers important opportunities for improvements to existing CAR approaches, with the objective to significantly increase patient access, clinical benefit potential, and cost-effectiveness of manufacturing. Formula plans to develop proprietary and licensed targets in hematologic oncology and solid tumor indications on its own and in partnership with others. For more information, visit www.formulapharma.com.
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