CytomX Therapeutics Appoints Alison L. Hannah, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTMX), a clinical-stage oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics based on its Probody® therapeutic technology platform, today announced the appointment of Alison L. Hannah, M.D., as senior vice president and chief medical officer.
“Alison brings to CytomX broad and deep experience in guiding clinical stage therapies to registration,” said Amy Peterson, M.D., chief development officer of CytomX Therapeutics. “She will be a tremendous asset to our company given her extensive and successful track record in clinical drug development.”
Dr. Hannah brings 30 years of experience in the development of investigational cancer therapies having most recently served as a consultant to nearly 30 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In this capacity, Dr. Hannah has successfully filed over 40 regulatory applications for First-in-Human clinical testing and has played significant roles in the broad marketing approval of 8 therapeutics (talazoparib, enzalutamide, defibrotide, carfilzomib, sunitinib, toceranib, irinotecan and filgrastim) including extensive experience interacting with global health and regulatory authorities. Earlier in her career, Dr. Hannah held the role of Senior Medical Director at SUGEN, Inc. (acquired by Pharmacia & Upjohn, now Pfizer) where she had oversight of clinical development, clinical operations, and pharmacovigilance. At SUGEN, she specialized in the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including sunitinib (SUTENT®) for kidney cancer. Dr. Hannah began her career at Quintiles, a global contract research organization, where she specialized in overseeing early to registrational-stage oncology clinical trials. Dr. Hannah currently serves on the board of NeoGenomics, a publicly traded cancer diagnostic company. Dr. Hannah received her B.A in biochemistry and immunology from Harvard University and her M.D. from the University of Saint Andrews.
“CytomX’s Probody technology represents a truly innovative approach to cancer drug development,” said Alison Hannah, M.D., chief medical officer of CytomX Therapeutics. “I am pleased to be joining at a time where the advancement to Phase 2 with both of our wholly owned assets, CX-072 and CX-2009, and continued progress within our partnered programs, marks our dedication to helping oncology patients with serious unmet needs.”
About CytomX Therapeutics
CytomX Therapeutics is a clinical-stage oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics based on its Probody® therapeutic technology platform. Probody therapeutics are designed to exploit unique conditions of the tumor microenvironment to more effectively localize antibody binding and activity while minimizing activity in healthy tissues. CytomX and its partners have four programs in the clinic. The Company’s clinical stage pipeline includes cancer immunotherapies against clinically validated targets, including a PD-L1-targeting Probody therapeutic wholly owned by CytomX (CX-072) and a CTLA-4-targeting Probody therapeutic partnered with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS-986249). The CytomX clinical stage pipeline also includes first-in-class Probody drug conjugates against highly attractive targets, including a CD166-targeting Probody drug conjugate wholly owned by CytomX (CX-2009), and a CD71-targeting Probody drug conjugate partnered with AbbVie (CX-2029). CD166 and CD71 are among cancer targets that are considered to be inaccessible to conventional antibody drug conjugates due to their presence on many healthy tissues. In addition to its wholly owned programs, CytomX has strategic collaborations with AbbVie, Amgen and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. For more information, visit
CytomX Therapeutics Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control, and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in such statements. In particular, statements regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, but not limited to, the quotations from CytomX's chief development officer and its chief medical officer and any expectations relating to CytomX's business or future product candidates. Risks and uncertainties that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: the unproven nature of CytomX’s novel Probody Platform technology; four of CytomX’s product candidates under its Probody platform are in the initial stages of clinical development and its other product candidates are currently in preclinical development, and the process by which preclinical and clinical development could potentially lead to an approved product is long and subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including the risk that enrollment in clinical trials may take longer than expected; the possibility that the results of early clinical trials may not be predictive of future results; the possibility that CytomX’s clinical trials will not be successful; CytomX’s dependence on the success of CX-072, CX-2009, CX-2029 and BMS 986249; CytomX’s reliance on third parties for the manufacture of the company’s product candidates; and possible regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries. Additional applicable risks and uncertainties include those relating to our preclinical research and development, clinical development, and other risks identified under the heading "Risk Factors" included in CytomX’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 7, 2019. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on information currently available to CytomX and speak only as of the date on which they are made. CytomX does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
PROBODY is a registered trademark of CytomX Therapeutics.
SUTENT is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc.
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