atbtherapeutics expands leadership team and Scientific Advisory Board with pharmaceutical industry experts

Mr. Vandeput and Dr. Dixit both bring more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and will strengthen the company’s management team and SAB as the company continues to apply its highly differentiated plant-based discovery platform to discover a novel class of targeted cytotoxic biologics called atbodies. Mr. Vandeput joins atb from UCB, where he led global business operations for its products in several key markets. Dr. Dixit is a well-known leader in biologics drug discovery and development with a long tenure from AstraZeneca, MedImmune, Johnson & Johnson and MSD, among others. Their expertise and active engagement in the biopharmaceutical industry will be an important resource for the company as it advances its drug candidates into the clinic

“Attracting accomplished veterans like Philippe and Rakesh to atbtherapeutics is a testament to the potential of our transformative platform in developing first-in-class drug candidates built to address hard to treat and refractory cancers,” commented Dr. Bertrand Magy, CEO of atbtherapeutics. “I welcome them to the team and look forward to their insights and guidance as we continue to shape our preclinical programs and accelerate their development towards the clinic with the ultimate purpose of having a meaningful impact on cancer patient’s lives.”

Philippe Vandeput, Chief Business Officer of atbtherapeutics added, “atbtherapeutics has established a unique position in the expanding frontier of the targeted therapy space by developing differentiated anticancer atbody candidates, creating a new opportunity for groundbreaking therapies. I look forward to working with the leadership team and forging partnerships across the industry.”

Philippe joins atbtherapeutics following an impressive leadership tenure at UCB, the global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Belgium, where he held various senior leadership positions such as Chief Financial Officer for UCB’s global commercial operations, Head of Strategy and Operations for the Bone & Muscle Unit and as Head of the Global Allergy, Neurology and Cardiovascular Brands Unit of UCB. In these positions, Philippe was responsible for driving performance in key markets and disease indications, launching new products, as well as coordinating late-stage product development and life-cycle management and overlooking the Global alliance management. Before this, he was UCB’s Managing Director for Northern Europe, Italy and Belgium with full profit-and-loss responsibilities. Prior to joining UCB, he started his career in product sales, management and marketing at Baxter and Novartis/ Sandoz. Philippe also served several years as Board member of Pharma.be, the Belgian Pharma industry association. Philippe received an executive degree from Stanford University, an MBA from Leuven/Vlerick School of Management in Belgium, a postgraduate degree in Business Economics and a master’s degree in Physiotherapy from Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium.

“atbtherapeutics has a potentially game-changing, plant-based discovery platform for developing cancer therapeutics, and being a part of the company’s journey at this early stage is an exciting opportunity for me,” added Dr. Rakesh Dixit, member of the SAB at atbtherapeutics. “I am eager to work with the other members of the Scientific Advisory Board to define the most effective path to advance atbtherapeutics’ novel assets.”

Rakesh Dixit, PhD, DABT is president and chief executive officer of Bionavigen, a virtual biopharmaceutical company specializing in consulting for biologics, cell and gene therapy and small molecule drug development. He is also President and CSO of Regio Biosciences. Dr. Dixit is an accomplished executive, inventor, and scientist with over 30 years of success with top biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including Merck and Co., Inc. (US) Johnson & Johnson, Medimmune and AstraZeneca. In his career spanning over 30 years in the biopharmaceutical industry, he was a key contributor to successful approval of biotherapeutics, including five biologics (e.g., antibodies, immunotoxin) and four small molecule pharmaceuticals. Dr. Dixit is the winner of the award of “One Hundred Most Influential People in Pharmaceutical Industry” and the most prestigious “Long-Standing Contributions to the ADC Field” award at the 2020 World ADC Awards. He conducted his graduate training at the University of Lucknow, and Case Western Reserve University and he is board certified by the American Board of Toxicology. He has delivered nearly 200 invited presentations and has more than 80 publications in peer reviewed journals.

About atbtherapeutics

atbtherapeutics aims to generate a pipeline of novel biologics for hard-to-treat hematological and solid cancers. The company’s proprietary and versatile plant-based atbiofarm technology enables the production of its antibody-toxin bioengineered molecules, called atbodies, to be designed for targeted monoclonal antibody therapy with very high efficacy as well as unprecedented safety. The atbody fusion proteins recombinantly manufactured in a single-step process are composed of a full-length antibody, a peptide linker and a toxic peptide payload. The unique composition of the atbody format, avoiding chemical linker issues, generates increased potency, stability and superior targeted exposure and can potentially reduce the therapeutic dose needed without compromising efficacy. The novel mechanism of action of atbody product candidates has the potential to evade major mechanisms of cancer cell resistance, providing a promising therapeutic solution for hard-to-treat and refractory tumors. Find out more at www.atbtherapeutics.com.