Wendy Li, M.D. to Serve as Chief Medical Officer Based in Shanghai
James Samuels Named Chief Financial Officer to Be Based in Hong Kong
and West Palm Beach
SHANGHAI & WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–EXUMA Biotechnology, a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering
and developing CAR-T products for solid tumors and affiliate of F1
Oncology, Inc., announced today the expansion of its leadership team
with the appointment of Wendy Li, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer and
James Samuels as Chief Financial Officer.
“It’s been a successful quarter for EXUMA with the positive
announcement of interim results from two first-in-human solid tumor
CAR-T products,” said Gregory Frost, Ph.D., Chairman of EXUMA. “It is my
pleasure to welcome Dr. Li and James to the team; their expertise and
broad experience will play a valuable role as EXUMA continues on its
trajectory.”
Dr. Li has more than 20 years of medical and scientific leadership in
oncology research and other therapeutic areas, as well as clinical
practice experience. Dr. Li brings her experience in oncology
development from Genentech, Sanofi, and Pfizer, as well as from her
former position as Vice President of Clinical Development and CMO at
Sihuan Pharma/Co-Xuanzhu Pharma, providing leadership on global early
and late stage clinical studies, responding to FDA/CFDA and related
agencies, and advising clinical, marketing, regulatory, and
pharmacovigilance teams. Dr. Li received her M.D. from the Sun Yat-Sen
University of Medical Studies in China.
“EXUMA Biotechnology has a meaningful pipeline of exciting clinical and
preclinical cellular therapy candidates,” said Dr. Li. “I look forward
to bringing my clinical and research experience to the team and for the
opportunity to develop life changing therapies for patients.”
James Samuels has nearly 20 years of experience managing finance for
both public and private companies. Most recently, he served as the CFO
of Vetsource, a venture capital-backed provider of outsourced veterinary
pharmacy services. Previously, he served as the CFO of Fusheng
Industrial, a Taiwan based global manufacturer of industrial
compressors. Additionally, he has held various CFO roles at Johnson &
Johnson operating companies in Asia-Pacific in the areas of medical
devices, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. Prior to leaving Johnson &
Johnson, Samuels served as CFO of Xian-Janssen, Johnson & Johnson’s
pharmaceutical joint-venture in China. He holds an MBA from The Wharton
School at the University of Pennsylvania.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to be part of this talented team of
individuals dedicated to finding treatments that will help patients
across the world,” said Samuels. “I look forward to helping EXUMA build
on its success to date.”
About EXUMA Biotechnology
EXUMA Biotechnology, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing
CAR-T solutions for the solid tumor markets in Asia, was formed in April
2016 with capitalization and exclusive technology licenses from F1
Oncology, Inc. Its wholly owned subsidiaries, EXUMA Biotechnology Hong
Kong Ltd. and Shanghai EXUMA Biotechnology Ltd., oversee the
development, manufacturing, quality, clinical, regulatory, and
commercial operating units located in Shanghai and Shenzhen, PRC. EXUMA
Biotechnology was formed to maximize the development and
commercialization of enabling products and technology from F1 Oncology
in the Greater China markets. Learn more at exumabio.com.
EXUMA Biotechnology and F1 Oncology were founded and co-funded
by Gregory Frost, Ph.D., co-founder and former CEO of Halozyme
Therapeutics Inc., and current Managing Director of F1 BioVentures, LLC,
a biotechnology-focused investment vehicle.
About F1 Oncology, Inc.
F1 Oncology, Inc. is a private Delaware corporation formed in November
2015 with operations in West Palm Beach, Florida, San Diego,
California and international affiliates in Cayman Islands, Hong Kong,
and Shanghai, China. F1 Oncology leverages its globally integrated
science, development and informatics teams located across multiple time
zones to accelerate the design, high-throughput screening, discovery and
development of adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) candidates. The company
is developing CAB-based ACT platforms to advance TME-restricted CAR-T
therapies for solid tumors, as well as highly scalable systems for
global deployment, beginning in Asia. Learn more at f1oncology.com.
Contacts
Don Hannaford
703-981-7212
don.hannaford@rbbcommunications.com