The addition of the accomplished US scientist will enable Biomunex to accelerate its development
Paris, France, October 13, 2015 – Biomunex Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on providing cancer therapeutics through the discovery and development of innovative bispecific antibodies, today announced the appointment of a seasoned US antibody developer, Dr. Eugene Zhukovsky, as Chief Scientific Officer.
This new appointment supports Biomunex in its long-term objective to become a cutting-edge cancer immunotherapeutics developer. With the arrival of Dr. Zhukovsky, a renowned biotherapeutics research and development scientist, Biomunex expects to accelerate its ambitious drug development program. Dr. Zhukovsky's expertise will facilitate the discovery and development of bispecific antibodies at Biomunex and will also help to establish partnerships within the pharmaceutical industry. In 2013, a survey commissioned by Total BioPharma selected Dr. Zhukovsky as one of the Top 50 Global Antibody Industry Influencers. His track record of successfully delivering drug candidates will allow the company to expand its pipeline of innovative immunotherapeutics for various types of cancers. Working closely with Dr. Pierre-Emmanuel Gerard, Biomunex' CEO, Dr. Zhukovsky will accelerate the development of the company's intellectual property and assets, by leveraging the proprietary antibody platform.
With over 20 years of biotech and pharmaceutical industry experience, Dr. Zhukovsky's expertise lies in the delivery of therapeutic candidates through leveraging of proprietary technologies. He joined Biomunex from Affimed Therapeutics where, as the CSO and the head of research, he advanced immunotherapeutic candidates to clinical trials and spearheaded the development of new technologies. Prior to returning to Europe, Dr. Zhukovsky was responsible for advancing preclinical biotherapeutic candidates at pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the US. He was a Senior Research Fellow in the Biotherapeutics Department at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., leading development of antibody therapeutics and an Associate Director at Xencor, Inc., where he led translational research efforts in various haematological malignancies. Prior to that, Dr. Zhukovsky worked developing genomics technologies at Lynx Therapeutics (now Illumina, Inc.). He started his professional career at Neurex Corporation (now Perrigo Company).
"I am delighted to join Biomunex as the head of research and a member of the management board at an exciting stage of the company's development," said Dr. Zhukovsky. "Bispecific antibodies belong to the next-generation therapeutics and are considered as one of the most promising therapeutic modalities in oncology. Biomunex has a unique proprietary bispecific antibody platform that is well differentiated from other technologies. I look forward to employing it in the development of an innovative oncology immunotherapeutics pipeline."
"I am honored to welcome Dr. Zhukovsky, an accomplished key opinion leader in antibody research and development, to the Biomunex' management team," said Dr. Gerard. "Eugene's experience and expertise as well as his connections in the biotech industry and academia will help achieve our corporate goals, greatly advance the expansion of Biomunex' pipeline and technology, and establish fruitful partnerships."
Dr. Zhukovsky received his PhD in biochemistry from Brandeis University. Prior to this, he earned an MS degree in bioorganic chemistry at St. Petersburg's State University. From 1991 to 1995, Dr. Zhukovsky was a post-doc at Genentech, Inc.
Dr. Zhukovsky is the author of numerous scientific publications and patents. His research encompasses immunology, oncology and biochemistry. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology and the American Association for Cancer Research, among other European and US societies.
About Biomunex
Biomunex Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on providing cancer therapeutics through the discovery and development of innovative bispecific antibodies. Biomunex is developing cutting-edge immunotherapies for several cancer types, created from its unique proprietary platform. Its 'Plug and Play' modular bispecific antibody format enables Biomunex to develop drug candidates with high anti-tumor potential, superior manufacturability and drug-like properties.
BMX-002 is the most advanced candidate derived from Biomunex' platform. It has demonstrated superior in vivo efficacy in pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal cancers. Initial preclinical studies have proven its potential to become a breakthrough therapy. BMX-002 is also being evaluated for the treatment of other cancers that may benefit from its mechanism of action.
The management team is made up of an experienced group of international managers and drug developers from the pharmaceutical, biotech and venture capital industries, with extensive scientific expertise in oncology. The company was founded in 2014 based on IP licensed from several European academic institutions. Biomunex has already raised close to €1M ($1M) in seed funding from business angels and grants from the French Research Ministry and the public investment bank Bpifrance.
http://www.biomunex.com/