Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Appoints Oliver Rosen M.D. as Chief Medical Officer

Clinical expert in oncology joins as company advances multiple clinical programs

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on improved kinase inhibitor treatments targeting the tumor microenvironment, today announced the appointment of Oliver Rosen, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Rosen will be responsible for leading the company's clinical development strategy and clinical operations which includes a pipeline of cancer therapeutics targeting kinases that play an important role in tumor communication with the surrounding tissue. Prior to joining Deciphera, Dr. Rosen held clinical positions in the oncology field at premier biopharmaceutical companies, including Millennium, Genentech, Amgen, Hoffman La Roche and Merck KGaA.

"Oliver's experience and vision will strengthen our clinical development efforts and support the future progress of our product pipeline of novel kinase inhibitors with a unique ability to block key cancer signaling mechanisms."
"As an oncologist with more than 15 years of global industry experience, Oliver will be a valuable addition to the Deciphera team as we move forward with our broad pipeline of advanced Type 2 kinase inhibitors," said Michael D. Taylor, PhD, Deciphera's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Oliver's experience and vision will strengthen our clinical development efforts and support the future progress of our product pipeline of novel kinase inhibitors with a unique ability to block key cancer signaling mechanisms."

"I am excited to be joining Deciphera at this important time in the company's evolution as we prepare to advance development of our pipeline of Type 2 kinase inhibitors with demonstrated activity against many of the most important kinase targets in oncology today including MET, TIE2, VEGFR1, VEGFR2, RAF, KIT and FMS," said Oliver Rosen. "I look forward to contributing my skills to the impressive progress made to date by the Deciphera team in advancing three novel kinase inhibitor product candidates into clinical development with promising potential to provide high potency and inhibition against cancer cells, metastases, and invasiveness."

Prior to joining Deciphera, Dr. Rosen served as Vice President of Global and U.S. Medical Affairs at Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company. Dr. Rosen held senior medical affairs and clinical development roles at Genentech, including Medical Director on the Avastin team. Prior to Genentech, Dr. Rosen served as Associate Director of Medical Affairs at Amgen. Dr. Rosen also held the position of Clinical Scientist at Hoffman La Roche Ltd. where he was responsible for Phase 3 programs on the Avastin team and Global Project Physician at Merck KGaA. Dr. Rosen received his training in oncology and hematology at the University Hospital Charite in Berlin with research activities focused on hematology and bone marrow transplantation. Prior to his clinical training he participated in a post-doctoral program in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Hamburg. Dr. Rosen obtained his medical degree from the University of Cologne, Germany.

About Deciphera Pharmaceuticals

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, LLC is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing improved kinase inhibitor treatments targeting the tumor microenvironment. Deciphera's small molecule therapeutics block a key cancer signaling mechanism in a way that is highly durable and resilient to mutational resistance, cutting off the ability of tumor cells to thrive and spread. Deciphera's proprietary platform represents an evolution from the successfully marketed classical Type 2 kinase inhibitor approach by providing more robust and durable kinase binding in dysregulated oncogenic disease states. Leveraging its distinct approach, Deciphera has intentionally focused its pipeline of cancer therapeutics on targeting kinases that play an important role in tumor communication with the surrounding tissue, known as the tumor microenvironment.

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals was established in 2003 based on a deep scientific understanding of kinase inhibitors and a team dedicated to developing sophisticated approaches to therapeutic targeting of kinases. With business and development operations based in Boston, and dedicated research capabilities in Lawrence, Kansas in close proximity to the University of Kansas, Deciphera has identified small molecule leads for over 50 kinase targets, and has developed a pipeline of small molecule drug candidates for a range of cancers. For more information, please visit www.deciphera.com.

Contacts

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals
Michael D. Taylor, Ph.D., 617-460-7205
[email protected]
or
Media:
The Yates Network
Gina Nugent, 617-460-3579
[email protected]