Pioneer in the Field of Immuno-Oncology Brings Unique Expertise to Support Company’s Advancement of Lead ERAP1 Inhibitor Development Candidate into the Clinic in 2H 2022
Grey Wolf’s Proprietary Neoantigen Generation Technology Platform Represents Potential New Pillar in Oncology Therapeutics
OXFORD, UK – March 16, 2022 – Grey Wolf Therapeutics, a biotechnology company spearheading a new therapeutic approach to immuno-oncology driven by targeted neoantigen generation, today announced the appointment of Cassian Yee, M.D., to its clinical advisory board. Dr. Yee is a professor in the department of melanoma medical oncology and the department of immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, as well as director of the solid tumor cell therapy program at MD Anderson. He is a highly regarded immuno-oncology thought leader, and widely considered a pioneer in the field of adoptive cellular therapy.
Today, the Yee Lab is developing adoptive cellular therapy as a treatment modality for patients with malignant and viral diseases. Over the last 18 years, Dr. Yee’s research has been focused on the isolation of autologous antigen-specific T cells from the peripheral blood, manipulation of immune modulating parameters to enhance effector function and persistence and their expansion to numbers sufficient for adoptive transfer and in vivo tracking. He is a co-leader of the Stand Up to Cancer/Cancer Research Institute Immunotherapy Dream Team.
Prior to his current appointments at MD Anderson, Dr. Yee previously held the position of professor in the division of oncology at the University of Washington and was also a member in program in immunology within the clinical research division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He holds more than 15 worldwide patents on ex vivo generation of antigen specific T cells, memory reprogramming and antigen discovery in an effort to establish immunotherapy-based cancer treatments on a global scale. Dr. Yee received his medical degree from the University of Manitoba, in Canada.
Dr Yee will join Aurelien Marabelle, M.D., Ph.D. and Rachel W. Humphrey, M.D., on the Grey Wolf Therapeutics clinical advisory board. Together, they will provide the company with key guidance to support its planned advancement of GRWD5769, the company’s lead ERAP1 inhibitor development candidate, into first-in-human clinical studies in the second half of 2022.
“Dr. Yee has established himself as one the world’s foremost authorities on T cell receptor-based therapeutic modalities and the translation of those approaches into impactful treatments for cancer patients. We believe that his expertise is particularly relevant to the work we are doing at Grey Wolf Therapeutics based on what we believe is the unique potential to combine TCR-based approaches with our first-of-its-kind ERAP inhibition platform,” said Peter Joyce, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Grey Wolf Therapeutics. “We are excited to have access to Dr. Yee’s expansive knowledge as we move closer to advancing our unique approach to immuno-oncology into the clinic later this year. Together with Drs. Humphrey and Marabelle, Dr. Yee provides Grey Wolf with an impressive clinical advisory board ideally suited for our company’s focus and stage of development.”
Grey Wolf Therapeutics’ first-of-its-kind immuno-oncology approach is centered on dramatically increasing the visibility of tumors to allow for their identification and destruction by the body’s immune system. This is achieved through targeted inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidases (ERAP1 and ERAP2), causing the generation and presentation of novel and potent neoantigens to the surface of tumor cells. The appearance of these neoantigens uncloaks the tumor cells, illuminating them to the immune system and setting in motion powerful, differentiated T cell responses against the tumor. Importantly, this unique approach is orthogonal to a broad range of other cancer therapy modalities, including, but not limited to, immunotherapy. Grey Wolf Therapeutics is developing a portfolio of ERAP inhibitors that it believes represents the first ever application of direct neoantigen generation to the treatment of cancer.
Disclaimer: Dr. Yee receives compensation as a consultant for Grey Wolf Therapeutics, and this financial relationship has been disclosed to MD Anderson’s Conflict of Interest Committee in accordance with institutional policy.
About Grey Wolf Therapeutics
Grey Wolf Therapeutics is a UK-based drug discovery biotechnology company spearheading a new therapeutic approach to immuno-oncology driven by targeted neoantigen generation. The company’s first-of-its-kind immuno-oncology approach is centered on dramatically increasing the visibility of tumors to allow for their identification and destruction by the body’s immune system. Based on this approach, the company is developing a portfolio of first-in-class small molecules that inhibit the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidases (ERAP1 and ERAP2), which play a key role in the antigen presentation pathway. The company’s lead development candidate, GRWD5769 is a potent and selective ERAP1 inhibitor that is expected to enter the clinic in the second half of 2022. A second program, focused on ERAP2 inhibition, is advancing through the discovery process.
For more information, please visit: www.greywolftherapeutics.com
Contacts:
Grey Wolf Therapeutics
Peter Joyce
Chief Executive Officer
+44 (0) 01865 292 038
Vida Strategic Partners (on behalf of Grey Wolf Therapeutics)
Tim Brons (Media)
415-675-7402