Convergent Therapeutics Expands Leadership Team with the Appointments of Neil Bander, MD. as Chief Scientific Officer, Eric M. Sullivan as Chief Financial Officer, and Dimitris Voliotis, MD. as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development

06 Sep 2023
Executive Change
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Convergent Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, today announced the expansion of its leadership team with the appointments of Neil Bander, MD, as Chief Scientific Officer, Eric M. Sullivan as Chief Financial Officer, and Dimitris Voliotis, MD, as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development. These appointments follow the company's recent closing of a $90 million Series A financing round to develop radiopharmaceuticals to treat cancer. "Dr. Bander, Mr. Sullivan, and Dr. Voliotis bring decades of experience to Convergent that will support the rapid growth of the company and the development of our portfolio," said Dr. Philip Kantoff, CEO of Convergent. "With our strong financial backing, we are poised to accelerate the clinical development of our lead asset CONV01-a to transform the lives of patients suffering with prostate cancer." Dr. Bander, who moves from a role as Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor was instrumental in the development of the first antibody to target the extracellular domain of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) on prostate cancer cells. Over the past 25 years, Dr. Bander pioneered the development of PSMA-targeted imaging agents and therapeutics, transforming the prostate cancer landscape. As Bernard & Josephine Chaus Professor of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Bander authored approximately 200 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on approximately 150 U.S. and foreign-issued and pending patents. He has also served on and chaired multiple study sections, grant review panels, and industry scientific advisory boards. He has received several honors, including the FC Valentine Fellowship from the NY Academy of Medicine and the Society of Surgical Oncology James Ewing Research Award, as well as awards from the German and Japanese Urology Societies, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Clark Medal for Surgical Innovation from the Royal College of Surgeons (London). As the newly appointed CFO, Mr. Sullivan joins Convergent after serving as the CFO of TCR2 Therapeutics, which was recently acquired by Adaptimmune for approximately $110 million. He has extensive financial experience in the biotechnology field, having led finance functions at high-growth public companies, including Bluebird Bio and Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, and at privately held companies, including Oncorus, Gemini and Triplet. Dr. Voliotis is joining Convergent from Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, where he was Senior Vice President & Head of Global Development. At Zentalis, he was responsible for leading four INDs, associated clinical studies in solid tumor oncology and hematology-oncology indications, as well as the coordination of multiple clinical pipeline projects. Prior to joining Zentalis, he had 18 years of successful pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience in development leadership positions at Eisai and Bayer Healthcare. Dr. Voliotis has been involved in the development of over 50 compounds, including small molecule targeted therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies, immunoconjugates and the radiopharmaceutical Xofigo, which was approved for use in metastatic prostate cancer. About Convergent Therapeutics, Inc. Convergent Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation radiopharmaceutical therapies for prostate and other cancers. The company's proprietary technology was developed by Dr. Neil Bander, Professor of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine, and licensed to Convergent by Cornell University. CONV01-α, a monoclonal antibody conjugated to actinium-225 (Ac-225), a radioactive alpha particle emitter, was specifically designed to bind to the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). A key functional feature of CONV01-α is that once bound to PSMA, it becomes internalized, delivering its powerful radioactive payload directly into prostate cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. CONV01-α has the potential to be the first Ac-225 radioantibody approved for use in prostate cancer treatment. For more information, please visit and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Convergent Media Contact Olipriya Das, Ph.D. Russo Partners, LLC (409) 365-3641 olipriya.das@russopartnersllc.com
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