Immune-Onc Therapeutics Expands Global Footprint and Appoints Maggie Gu as China General Manager

– Gu brings significant clinical development and organization management experience as well as a leading voice in shaping the China drug innovation and clinical trial environment –

– Appointment establishes Immune-Onc presence in China, the second-largest pharmaceutical market in the world, where high unmet needs exist for novel cancer therapies –

PALO ALTO, CA, June 24, 2021 -- Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc. (“Immune-Onc”), a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company developing novel biotherapeutics targeting immunosuppressive myeloid checkpoints, today announced that it has appointed Maggie Gu to the position of General Manager of China, responsible for establishing and operating Immune-Onc’s China entity as well as supporting global drug development and corporate strategic leadership. Ms . Gu will be based in the company’s new China headquarters located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

“The appointment of Maggie fills a critical role in our organization and our ability to expand Immune-Onc’s global footprint into China,” said Charlene Liao, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Immune-Onc. “She brings a deep understanding of oncology to the management team, as well as a wealth of clinical development and organization management experience in the pharmaceutical industry in China. Her experience leading the development and registration activities of a series of innovative products in oncology, dermatology, respiratory and other areas in China will be instrumental as we seek to address the high need for innovative cancer treatments in this region and accelerate our pipeline of clinical and pre-clinical stage candidates targeting the Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor subfamily B (LILRB) family of myeloid checkpoints.”

Ms. Gu is an industry veteran with decades of clinical research and drug development experience. She joins Immune-Onc from Ipsen where, as vice president and head of R&D Shanghai Innovation Hub, she helped to establish a R&D footprint in China and advance the specialty care portfolio strategy. Prior, she served as vice president of clinical development in Shanghai Junshi Biosciences where she successfully led the team to achieve marketing authorization of Tuoyi® (toripalimab) as the first China-developed and approved anti-PD-1 drug. Prior to Junshi, Ms. Gu’s previous roles included senior director-clinical development in clinical operations at AstraZeneca, head of clinical operations and therapeutic area medical science director at GlaxoSmithKline, and medical affairs manager at Fujisawa.

“Immune-Onc has a promising pipeline of novel myeloid checkpoint inhibitors for cancer patients that is supported by truly exciting science. I look forward to helping to direct the Company’s global drug development strategy and to the opportunity to bring these innovative therapeutic candidates to patients in China, where high unmet treatment needs persist despite recent advancements,” said Ms. Gu.

Ms. Gu has been actively leading or involved in various committees shaping the China drug innovation and clinical trial environment including the R&D-based Pharmaceutical Association Committee (RDPAC) Clinical Research Working Group, Medical Intelligence Committee of Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO), Clinical Research Promotion Committee, among others. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, she worked in the Pediatric Research Institute, Children’s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Medical University. Ms. Gu earned her master's degree in pediatric medicine at Shanghai Medical University.

ABOUT IMMUNE-ONC THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc. (“Immune-Onc”) is a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel myeloid checkpoint inhibitors for cancer patients. The company aims to translate unique scientific insights in myeloid cell biology and immune inhibitory receptors to discover and develop first-in-class biotherapeutics that disarm immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. Immune-Onc has a promising pipeline with a current focus on targeting the Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor subfamily B (LILRB) of myeloid checkpoints.

Immune-Onc’s lead program IO-202, a first-in-class antibody targeting LILRB4 (also known as ILT3), is in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). The company also plans to evaluate IO-202 in solid tumors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted IO-202 Orphan Drug Designation for treatment of AML in October 2020. Immune-Onc’s pipeline also includes IO-108, a novel antagonist antibody targeting LILRB2 (also known as ILT4) which is currently in the IND-enabling stage. Other preclinical assets include IO-106, a first-in-class anti-LAIR1 antibody, and multiple undisclosed programs for solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.

The company has strategic research collaborations with The University of Texas, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and has invested in proprietary models, assays, and tools to interrogate the biology and translate this cutting-edge research into the development of novel therapies. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Immune-Onc has assembled a diverse team with deep expertise in drug development and proven track records of success at leading biotechnology companies. For more information, please visit www.immune-onc.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT

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