- CYTEA BIO to appoint its first independent Board after being incubated by the Swiss venture
builder MedXCell
- Andrew Galazka, MD, to become Chairman and acting Chief Medical Officer
- Alexandre LeBeaut, MD, Elsy Bogliogli, Eric Falcand and Julie Puype, PharmD, to join as board
members
Montpellier, February 20, 2024 – CYTEA BIO, a pre-clinical stage biotech company developing therapeutic products by combining genetically unmodified effector cells and engineered targeting ligands, is thrilled to announce the formation of its first independent Board of Directors (the “Board”).
The members of the new Board include Andrew Galazka, MD, who will serve as Chairman and acting Chief Medical Officer, along with Alexandre LeBeaut, MD, Elsy Boglioli, Eric Falcand, and Julie Puype, PharmD, who together bring a wealth of experience from leadership roles in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Andrew Galazka, MD, is a highly experienced leader in global drug development (Merck KGaA, Serono, GSK, Biogen) with a strong track record of overseeing innovative drug development programs from inception through to regulatory approval and commercialization in a variety of therapeutic areas.Several of the resulting medications represent major advances in patient care. He has also held leadership positions in strategic marketing and scientific affairs, and he played a key role in the listing of Serono’s shares on the NYSE, substantially raising the company’s profile with the investment community. Andrew Galazka has been an independent director of several biotech companies and is currently a board member of MedXCell.
Alexandre LeBeaut, MD, is a seasoned R&D executive with tremendous leadership experience at global biopharmaceutical companies (Schering-Plough, Novartis, Sanofi, Bluebird Bio). Dr. LeBeaut served as EVP R&D and CSO at Ipsen in the US, leading R&D strategy and execution. Alexandre LeBeaut was most recently CEO of the Institute for Advanced Clinical Trials for Children and served as an independent director of Vifor Pharma and Calypso Biotech (acquired by Novartis). He is currently Chairman of Versameb AG.
Elsy Boglioli is an accomplished strategic leader in the biotech industry. She started her career at the Boston Consulting Group, where she ultimately served as partner and managing director, leading the biotech business in Europe. In 2017, she joined the listed biotech company Cellectis as EVP Strategy and Business Development and COO, before founding the independent consulting company Bio-Up. She is Chair of Treefrog Therapeutic and an independent board member of FTI Consulting, OSE Immunotherapeutics, Womed and several other biotechs.
Eric Falcand has over 35 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, holding leadership positions of leading pharmaceutical companies and in business development. He currently is the CEO of Neopharmed Gentili, an Italian biopharmaceutical company. He was VP and Head of Business Development at Laboratoires Servier, where he did several transformational major M&A operations for the Group; and held several General Management positions, including Managing Director of Servier Russia and Servier UK.
Julie Puype, PharmD, is an experienced commercial leader in the pharmaceutical industry. She most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer, Europe and Canada, at Mundipharma. Throughout her career, she held various strategic and operational roles in leading biopharmaceutical companies such as MSD, Schering Plough and Takeda, gaining valuable insights across the US, Europe, and Canada. Notably, she served as the General Manager for Takeda in France and Switzerland.
Andrew Galazka, MD, Chairman said: “I am truly honored to assume the role of Chairman at CYTEA BIO during this pivotal phase in the company’s development. The addition of distinguished board members marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for CYTEA BIO. The immense potential of the Pin™ Platform to create innovative therapeutic products from the combination of ligands and effector cells is a great inspiration to all of us. I look forward to steering the company to the clinical stage of its development.”
Alan Cookson, PhD, CEO, commented: “I am pleased to welcome such seasoned leaders in the first independent Board of CYTEA BIO. This marks a significant milestone for our company, transitioning from a pre-clinical stage entity incubated by MedXCell to an independent company ready for external funding and clinical studies. The expertise and experience our new board members bring will undoubtedly contribute to CYTEA’s growth and success. We are poised for a new phase of development, and I am confident in the board’s collective ability to guide us towards our next milestones.”
ABOUT CYTEA BIO
CYTEA BIO is a pre-clinical stage biotech company developing therapeutic products by combining genetically unmodified effector cells and engineered targeting ligands. The patented Pin™ Platform enables practically limitless combinations of effector mechanisms and targeting ligands for applications in oncology and immunology.
ABOUT MEDXCELL
MedXCell is a Swiss biotech venture builder led by entrepreneurs and backed by private investors. Its operating model involves co-designing early-stage projects with academic institutions, followed by the creation of self-standing ventures centered around the most commercially-viable ideas. MedXCell then finances and manages the operations of these ventures before integrating co investors for later-stage development. MedXCell’s current portfolio includes CYTEA BIO and BIORESPX, two robust technological platforms that have advanced to the non-clinical proof of concept (POC) stage.
ABOUT CYT-102
CYT-102 (anti-EGFR armed NK Cells) is the lead product candidate developed by CYTEA BIO as a novel approach to the therapy of glioblastoma (GBM) and other EGFR+ solid tumors. CYT-102 is currently under IND-enabling pre-clinical testing. CYT-102 has been subject to Pre-IND feedback from the FDA and scientific advice from the EMA.
