HAYWARD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Arcus Biosciences, Inc. (NYSE:RCUS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company focused on creating innovative cancer immunotherapies, today
announced the appointment of Rekha Hemrajani as Chief Operating and
Financial Officer. Ms. Hemrajani will be responsible for several key
areas, including finance, investor relations, corporate communications,
business and corporate development, strategic planning and human
resources.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rekha as a key member of our senior
leadership team, as we enter an exciting period in Arcus’s development
with multiple Phase 1 readouts for AB928, our dual A2a/A2b
receptor antagonist, AB154, our anti-TIGIT antibody, and AB680,
our small-molecule CD73 inhibitor,” said Terry Rosen, Ph.D., Chief
Executive Officer of Arcus. “Rekha has an extraordinary track record in
the life sciences and biotechnology industries, and her broad experience
will be invaluable as we focus on advancing this slate of product
candidates.”
“I am excited to join Arcus at this key point in its evolution, with
four promising therapeutics in clinical development and a myriad of
opportunities to translate the potential of the company’s pipeline into
meaningful benefit for cancer patients,” commented Ms. Hemrajani. “I
look forward to working with the Arcus team to make the best decisions
based on the steady flow of data and results this year.”
With more than 20 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, Ms.
Hemrajani brings extensive expertise in all aspects of corporate and
business development, financing and strategic planning. Ms. Hemrajani
joins Arcus from FLX Bio where she was Chief Operating Officer, with
responsibility for corporate strategy and development, investor and
media relations, corporate communications, finance and strategic
marketing. Prior to FLX Bio, Ms. Hemrajani was Chief Financial Officer
and Senior Vice President of Business and Financial Operations at 3-V
Biosciences. Previously, Ms. Hemrajani was Vice President, Head of
Licensing and Mergers and Acquisitions at Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Vice
President of Business Development at Exelixis, where she was involved in
transactions that generated $800M in upfront and committed funding for
the company. Ms. Hemrajani began her career in investment banking at
firms such as Credit Suisse First Boston and Lehman Brothers, where she
focused on the biopharmaceutical and healthcare sector.
Ms. Hemrajani received her B.S. degree in Economics and Computer Science
from the University of Michigan and her M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate
School of Management at Northwestern University.
About Arcus Biosciences
Arcus Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused
on creating innovative cancer immunotherapies. Arcus has several
programs targeting important immuno-oncology pathways, including a dual
adenosine receptor antagonist, AB928, which is in a Phase 1/1b program
to evaluate AB928 in combination with other agents in multiple tumor
types, and an anti-PD-1 antibody, AB122, which is being evaluated in a
Phase 1 trial and is being tested in combination with Arcus’s other
product candidates. Arcus’s other programs include AB154, an anti-TIGIT
antibody, which is being evaluated in a Phase 1 trial as monotherapy and
in combination with AB122, and AB680, a small-molecule inhibitor of
CD73, which is in a Phase 1 healthy volunteer study. Arcus has extensive
in-house expertise in medicinal chemistry, immunology, biochemistry,
pharmacology and structural biology. For more information about Arcus
Biosciences, please visit www.arcusbio.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements
other than statements of historical facts contained herein, including,
but not limited to, Arcus’s clinical development plans, pipeline and
timelines are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs
and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other important factors that may cause Arcus’s actual
results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those
expressed or implied. Factors that could cause or contribute to such
differences include, but are not limited to, the inherent uncertainty
associated with pharmaceutical product development and clinical trials,
the emergence of adverse events or other undesirable side effects and
delays in our clinical trials due to difficulties or delays in the
regulatory process, enrolling subjects or manufacturing or supplying
product for such clinical trials. Risks and uncertainties facing Arcus
are described more fully in Arcus’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2018 filed on March 5, 2019 with the SEC. You
are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Arcus
disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update, supplement or revise
any forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
Contacts
Nicole Arndt
(510) 284-4728
narndt@arcusbio.com