Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp.

The executive shuffle continues across the biopharma industry as companies shore up leadership needs with these Movers & Shakers. Business and Operations Leaders Ambrx Biopharma Daniel O'Connor will take over the role of chief executive officer at San Diego-based Ambrx, a company focused on developing engineered precision biologics. O'Connor takes over from Kate Kermans, who has served as interim CEO. O'Connor has more than two decades of experience in biopharma, having served as CEO of OncoSec Medical and Advaxis, Inc. He also held leadership roles at ImClone Systems, Bracco Diagnostics, and PharmaNet, Inc. O'Connor's appointment comes hard on the heels of a corporate shakeup at Ambrx that saw the departure of its longtime chairman and CEO and the slashing of 15% of the company's staff. The company also suspended development of its lead candidate in a strategic realignment initiative. KBI Biopharma Abdelaziz Toumi will begin serving as chief business officer of N.C.-based KBI Biopharma and Selexis SA. Toumi will lead global business development for both companies. Before joining KBI and Selexis, Toumi served as vice president and head of the mRNA business at Catalent. Previously, as the head of EMEA biologics sales and the head of commercial development at Lonza, he oversaw the creation of a new business development team and helped launch a new CDMO offering. Earlier in his career, he had a 12-year tenure at Merck, where he held roles of increasing responsibility that included coordination of product launches, developing strategy for manufacturing of biologics and biosimilars, and leading global strategic initiatives to digitize R&D. Cytek Biosciences Chris Williams will take over as chief operating officer of California-based Cytek. Before joining Cytek, Williams served as vice president of engineering, technology, operations and innovation for Thermo Fisher's Pharma Services Group. Prior to that, he was vice president and general manager for single use technologies and vice president and general manager for bioprocess equipment and automation at Thermo Fisher Scientific. He also served as vice president of site engineering for Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division. ImmunoGen, Inc. Kristen Harrington-Smith will depart the company and her role as senior vice president and chief commercial officer. Harrington-Smith is leaving for personal reasons to pursue a new opportunity closer to her home, and her departure is unrelated to ImmunoGen's business performance. Todd Talarico, vice president of Market Access, will serve as interim leader of the commercial organization pending a search to identify a new permanent CCO. ADC Therapeutics SA After departing ImmunoGen, Harrington-Smith has taken the role of chief commercial officer at Switzerland-based ADC. She assumes her new position on Nov. 17. Before ImmunoGen, Harrington-Smith served as vice president and head of U.S. hematology at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. In a previous role at Novartis, Harrington-Smith was vice president and head, U.S. CAR-T. Actinium Pharmaceuticals Caroline Yarbrough was tapped as the new CCO of Actinium. She joins Actinium from Novartis where she most recently served as portfolio general manager, U.S. oncology. Prior to Novartis, she held roles at GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol Myers Squibb, ViroPharma and Merck. Chief Financial and Legal Officers Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. Jill Howe will take over the role of CFO at Lineage Cell Therapeutics on Nov. 14. Most recently, Howe was CFO of DTx Pharma, and prior to that, was vice president of finance and treasurer at Gossamer Bio, Inc. She also served as controller and director of finance at Amplyx Pharmaceuticals and, before that, held the same role at Receptos, Inc. Providence Therapeutics Judyanna Yu was named CFO of Canada's Providence Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. Yu previously served as VP of corporate finance, operations and development at Cerecin Inc. Before that, she held the position of CFO and COO at Re-Stem Biotech. Cardior Pharmaceuticals Axel-Sven Malkomes will take on the role of CFO at Germany-based Cardior. Malkomes most recently held the position of CFO and CBO at Medigene AG. Before Medigene, Malkomes held healthcare investment banking positions at Barclays and Société Générale. Prior to this, he co-headed European healthcare investments at U.K. private equity firm 3i Group plc. Earlier, he held senior operational and corporate leadership positions at Merck KGaA, including a CEO position at a Merck KGaA group company. Purple Biotech Ltd. Israel-based Purple Biotech named Lior Fhima as its new CFO. Before joining Purple, Fhima was the CFO of Negev Ecology Ltd. He also was the director of finance at Kamada Ltd. Prior to that, he served as chief accounting officer of G City, Ltd. Codexis, Inc. Margaret Fitzgerald was named chief legal officer and general counsel of Codexis. Most recently, she served as general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer at Allakos, Inc. Prior to Allakos, Fitzgerald was associate general counsel and privacy officer at Aimmune Therapeutics, Inc. Previously, she served as vice president of corporate law at ZS Pharma, Inc. Earlier in her career, Fitzgerald held increasingly senior leadership roles at Genentech, Inc., ultimately serving as associate general counsel and director of transactional law. ADC Therapeutics SA Peter Graham was named chief legal officer at ADC Therapeutics. Most recently, Graham was executive vice president, general counsel, chief compliance officer, human resources and secretary for Antares Pharma, Inc. Previously, he served as EVP, general counsel, chief compliance officer and global human resources at Delcath Systems, Inc. Earlier in his career, Graham held various legal and compliance executive leadership roles at ACIST Medical Systems, Inc., E-Z-EM, Inc., and AngioDynamics, Inc. Clinical, Medical and Scientific Leaders BrainsWay Ltd. Colleen A. Hanlon was named vice president of medical affairs at BrainsWay. Hanlon most recently served as a professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, where she led a multidisciplinary clinical research program focused on refining and optimizing TMS as a therapeutic tool for drug and alcohol use disorders. CymaBay Therapeutics Charles McWherter was named president of research and development. McWherter will have responsibility for CymaBay's R&D organization, including clinical, regulatory affairs and quality assurance, and non-clinical and manufacturing functions. McWherter has served as chief scientific officer since 2013. From 2007 to 2013, he served as senior vice president, research and preclinical development. Before that, he was head of the Cardiovascular Therapeutics Research areas of Pfizer Inc. Kalivir Immunotherapeutics Adina Pelusio was named senior vice president of clinical operations. In this role, Pelusio will be responsible for leading KaliVir's clinical development program and clinical operations. Pelusio joins KaliVir after serving as senior vice president of clinical operations at Turnstone Biologics. Prior to that, Pelusio spent 10 years at SillaJen, Inc.

Experienced Biotech, Pharmaceutical Industry Leader to Guide Operations Growth and Scalability FREMONT, Calif., Oct. 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytek Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTKB) today announced that Chris Williams has been appointed chief operating officer for the company. In this role, Williams will lead and execute the company’s global operations strategy to scale up its capability to support its mission as a full solution provider to its customers. Williams’ appointment is effective immediately, reporting directly to Dr. Wenbin Jiang, chairman and CEO of Cytek Biosciences. “I believe the depth and scale of Cytek’s scientific and technological progress has put the company in a strong market position for continued growth,” said Williams. “This new position allows me to continue my focus on cellular biology, discovery and development in support of improved health and therapies, while also supporting Cytek’s planned expansion into new areas. I look forward to helping Cytek as it seeks to capture dynamic growth opportunities, build on its successes, and leverage its capabilities in support of current and future customer needs.” Prior to joining Cytek, Williams served as vice president of engineering, technology, operations and innovation for Thermo Fisher’s Pharma Services Group. Before that, he was vice president and general manager for single use technologies and vice president and general manager for bioprocess equipment and automation – both at Thermo Fisher Scientific. He also served as vice president of site engineering for Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division. “Chris joins Cytek at an extremely important time, as we are on a growth trajectory that requires the ability to scale,” said Dr. Jiang. “Our focus is on ensuring that this growth is conducted efficiently as we target markets with larger scale, and automation and process improvements are critical components of this. Chris is very process oriented and has extensive industry knowledge and experience – making him an ideal person to lead us forward and make the most of our growth opportunities. He comes from an organization where he has done this before, and he will look to replicate his successes at Cytek.” Williams holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. For more information, please visit www.cytekbio.com. About Cytek Biosciences, Inc. Cytek Biosciences (Nasdaq: CTKB) is a leading cell analysis solutions company advancing the next generation of cell analysis tools by delivering high-resolution, high-content and high-sensitivity cell analysis utilizing its patented Full Spectrum Profiling™ (FSP™) technology. Cytek’s novel approach harnesses the power of information within the entire spectrum of a fluorescent signal to achieve a higher level of multiplexing with precision and sensitivity. Cytek’s FSP platform includes its core instruments, the Aurora and Northern Lights™ systems; its cell sorter, the Aurora CS; and reagents, software and services to provide a comprehensive and integrated suite of solutions for its customers. Cytek is headquartered in Fremont, California with offices and distribution channels across the globe. More information about the company and its products is available at www.cytekbio.com. Other than Cytek’s Northern Lights CLC system and certain reagents for use therewith, which are available for clinical use in countries where the regulatory approval has been obtained from the local regulatory authorities, including China and the European Union, Cytek’s products are for research use only and not for use in diagnostic procedures. Please contact your local sales representatives for the status of local regulatory approval. Cytek, Full Spectrum Profiling, FSP and Northern Lights are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cytek Biosciences, Inc. In addition to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), press releases, public conference calls and webcasts, Cytek uses its website (www.cytekbio.com), LinkedIn page and corporate Twitter account as channels of distribution of information about its company, products, planned financial and other announcements, attendance at upcoming investor and industry conferences and other matters. Such information may be deemed material information and Cytek may use these channels to comply with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Therefore, investors should monitor Cytek’s website, LinkedIn page, and Twitter account in addition to following its SEC filings, news releases, public conference calls and webcasts. Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “might," "will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue” or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding Cytek Biosciences’ global operations strategy to scale up its capability; strong market position for continued growth and its growth opportunities; planned expansion into new areas and to target markets with larger scale; plans to capture dynamic growth opportunities, build on its successes, and leverage its capabilities in support of current and future customer needs; and ability to ensure that growth is conducted efficiently as Cytek targets markets with larger scale. These statements are based on management’s current expectations, forecasts, beliefs, assumptions and information currently available to management. These statements also deal with future events and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties such as those relating to market conditions; the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; Cytek Biosciences’ dependence on certain sole and single source suppliers; competition; market acceptance of Cytek Biosciences’ current and potential products; Cytek Biosciences’ ability to manage the growth and complexity of its organization; Cytek Biosciences’ ability to maintain, protect and enhance its intellectual property; and Cytek Biosciences’ ability to continue to stay in compliance with its material contractual obligations, applicable laws and regulations. You should refer to the section entitled “Risk Factors” set forth in Cytek Biosciences’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 10, 2022 and other filings Cytek Biosciences makes with the SEC from time to time for a discussion of important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by Cytek Biosciences’ forward-looking statements. Although Cytek Biosciences believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot provide any assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct nor can it guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Cytek Biosciences as of the date hereof, and Cytek Biosciences disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements provided to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Cytek Biosciences’ views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Media Contact:Stephanie OlsenLages & Associates(949) 453-8080stephanie@lages.com Investor Contact:Paul GoodsonHead of Investor RelationsCytek Biosciencespgoodson@cytekbio.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/74aba450-7120-4255-9919-9bb834a32750

HAYWARD, Calif., Oct. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Avirmax CMC Inc., a global leader in recombinant adeno associate virus vector (rAAV) innovation and manufacturing process development, using a recombinant baculovirus Sf9 (rBV-Sf9-AAV) system, has completed its brand-new facility in Hayward, CA (San Francisco Bay Area). The facility has received cGMP license approval by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH)-Food & Drug Branch, for the production of rAAV drug products for use in clinical investigations. Continue Reading The new 20,000 sq.ft. state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is composed of three functional areas – developmental laboratories, testing laboratories and cGMP production suites consisting of B, C, and D clean room classifications, which are prepared for rAAV Contract Research, Development, Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) service. The new cGMP facility will support us to deliver high yield and quality vectors efficiently, timely and cost effectively Tweet this This facility will produce rAAV using single use bioreactors (SUB) in an animal free, serum free suspension culture system with yields of 1016-17 vector genome (vg) per batch with a production window of about two months. Production scales at 50L, 200L and 1000L, are available to customers depending on their clinical trial size and dose requirements. The company has a worldwide exclusive license from ViroVek Inc. enabling cGMP production of AAV gene therapeutics using the Bac-to-AAV technology, which utilizes an engineered artificial intron consisting of an insect promoter in both the AAV rep and cap sequences, coupled with a versatile baculovirus expression system. The suspension insect culture system dramatically enhances the stability of recombinant baculoviruses, the infectivity of the AAV vectors, and AAV production yield, capable of reaching as high as 1e+15 vg/L. The Sf9 cell culture provides higher pathogen safety assurance for gene therapy products than those manufactured using human or other mammalian cell culture systems (i.e., HEK293 or HeLa-3 cells) since the Sf9 cell culture hardly supports mammalian virus propagation. The Sf9 manufacturing platform can be operated under a BSL-1 biological safety environment, as used in the production of the recombinant proteins (i.e., monoclonal antibodies) by Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO), baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. "Our team has extensive experience and knowledge in recombinant AAV technology development and in rAAV manufacturing. With our new facility, Avirmax CMC Inc. is able to deliver high yield and quality vectors efficiently, timely and cost effectively. Avirmax CMC Inc. is committed to continuously innovate and develop technologies in collaborative relationships with our customers and to solve challenges in rAAV vector process development and manufacturing," commented Shengjiang (Shawn) Liu, Ph.D., DVM, President & CEO of the company. With the recent CDPH approval of the cGMP facility, and by applying their expertise and manufacturing experience accumulated in the past years, the company is capable of supporting clients with integrated solutions, from DNA to rAAV drug product (DP), including rAAV vector design, molecular cloning, expression cassette optimization, process development, manufacturing, comprehensive vector analysis and characterization, as well as with the regulatory strategy for gene therapy products. About Avirmax CMC, Inc. Avirmax CMC, Inc., a spin-off of Avirmax Inc., based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is dedicated to the development and manufacture of rAAV vector mediated biotherapeutics using its proprietary protein therapeutics and Bac-to-AAV technologies. The company was founded by seasoned entrepreneur Shengjiang (Shawn) Liu, Ph.D., DVM, who is a veteran in biologics including rAAV based drug development. Dr. Liu was the group leader of Genentech's Research Virology Lab, co-founder and president of Abmaxis Inc. and Chief Scientist at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. The company's co-founder, Haifeng Chen, PhD., was founder & CEO of ViroVek Inc. Dr. Chen is a pioneer in the Bac-to-AAV system that was developed for the large-scale production of rAAV vectors. Avirmax CMC Inc. is dedicated to offer its clients with great transparency, flexibility and process expertise, superior high quality and titer AAV vectors, manufacturing capacity and regulatory strategy know-how. For more information, please visit at . Contact Please contact June Song, Manager for Executive Administration Email: [email protected] Tel: +1-510-641-0201 Address 25503 Whitesell Street Hayward 94545 CA USA SOURCE Avirmax