CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Vicero, Inc., a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation VINCOBODIES for immune-mediated diseases, today announced the appointment of two distinguished oncologists and immunotherapy experts, Sumit Subudhi, M.D., Ph.D., and Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board.
“We are honored to welcome Dr. Subudhi and Dr. Ribas to our Scientific Advisory Board,” said Vikram Kansra, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vicero. “Their pioneering work in cancer immunotherapy and extensive clinical development experience will be invaluable as we advance our VINCOBODY platform, which creates multi-specific molecules designed to overcome the limitations of conventional antibody combinations. Their strategic guidance comes at a pivotal moment in our development as we aim to optimize our bispecific PD-1/CTLA-4 program to deliver potent anti-tumor effects while minimizing immune-related adverse events, ultimately benefiting cancer patients who need better therapeutic options.”
Dr. Subudhi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. A trained medical oncologist and immunologist, he serves as the principal investigator of multiple biomarker-rich clinical trials evaluating immune checkpoint therapies, bispecific T cell engagers and vaccines. Dr. Subudhi’s translational research focuses on investigating the immunological mechanisms mediating anti-tumor responses and therapy-related toxicities with the ultimate goal of maximizing efficacy and minimizing toxicities for patients with advanced prostate cancer. He also served as lead principal investigator for Prostate Researching Translational Endpoints Correlated to Response (PORTER) clinical trials to inform use of novel combinations, which were sponsored by Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) and Cancer Research Institute (CRI). His work has led to the identification of mechanisms associated with resistance to immunotherapies and candidate biomarkers of responses to these approaches.
“I am excited to join Vicero’s Scientific Advisory Board and provide guidance to the esteemed team in the development of innovative approaches in cancer immunotherapy,” said Dr. Subudhi. “The company’s novel platform has the potential to address significant unmet needs, particularly in difficult-to-treat cancers where current immunotherapies have shown limited efficacy.”
Dr. Ribas is professor of medicine, surgery and molecular and medical pharmacology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), director of the Tumor Immunology Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Center at UCLA. He has been instrumental in the clinical development of several FDA-approved agents, including the first anti-PD-1 pembrolizumab (Keytruda), the anti-CTLA-4 tremelimumab (Imjudo) and multiple BRAF and MEK inhibitor combinations. Dr. Ribas is a past president of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and an elected member of the US National Academy of Medicine. Recent work includes laboratory and clinical translational research in adoptive cell transfer therapy with T-cell receptor engineered lymphocytes; examining the antitumor activity of PD-1-blocking antibodies; testing novel targeted therapies blocking oncogenic events in melanoma; and studying primary and acquired resistance to melanoma therapies. Dr. Ribas has been instrumental in the clinical development of several agents approved by the FDA, including the first anti-PD-1 pembrolizumab (Keytruda), the anti-CTLA-4 tremelimumab (Imjudo), two combinations of BRAF and MEK inhibitors vemurafenib (Zelboraf) and cobimetinib (Cotellic), dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist). He is the recipient of the AACR Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award, the William B. Coley Award from Cancer Research Institute (CRI), the AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology, two NCI Outstanding Investigator Awards and several other awards, and is a Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Buenos Aires and the Free University of Brussels.
“Vicero’s approach to targeting the tumor microenvironment represents a tremendous opportunity to potentially enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies and overcome the longstanding challenges of balancing efficay with safety,” said Dr. Ribas. “I’m excited to work with this strong team of highly accomplished drug developers who have already brought many innovative therapies to patients in need and have a genuine commitment to transforming patient care. Vicero’s platform and lead asset hold high promise to overcome limitations in immunotherapy and I’m looking forward to helping finalize the clinical strategy and advance this program into clinic.”
About Vicero
Vicero is a preclinical biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of next-generation multivalent VHH VINCOBODIES to conquer unmet medical needs in cancer and immunology. The VINCOBODY product engine is proprietary VHH modular technology that enables Vicero to build best in class IO and ADC therapeutics with the potential to address unmet need in the immuno-oncology solid tumor market. Our team of experienced scientists and drug developers has delivered more than 20 life extending therapies to patients in need. For more information, please visit us at www.vicerobio.com or our LinkedIn page.
