Imugene Ltd has tapped Dr John Byon as chief medical officer (CMO), effective immediately, to lead the company’s clinical development strategy as it progresses its pipeline of immuno-oncology therapies.
Immunotherapy expertise
Byon is a physician-scientist with deep expertise in cancer immunotherapy, having held senior leadership roles at Fate Therapeutics, Lyell Immunopharma, Juno Therapeutics and Genentech.
Dr Byon holds a Doctor of Medicine and a Doctor of Philosophy from Tulane University, and a Bachelor of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“We are very pleased to see Dr Byon become our new chief medical officer,” managing director and CEO Leslie Chong said.
“His extensive background in oncology drug development and pivotal role in conceptualising and driving the strategic combination of azer-cel with IL-2 is indicative of his innovative approach and deep commitment to advancing cancer treatments.
“Dr Byon is a trained hematologist-oncologist and a scientist who has worked extensively in biotech and pharmaceutical companies developing therapies for patients in need.
“His scientific acumen, strategic insight, and proven leadership in clinical development will be invaluable as Imugene continues to progress its clinical pipeline towards commercialisation.”
Byon joined Imugene in September 2023 as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development, and has since been instrumental in advancing multiple programs, including the strategic combination of the company’s allogeneic CAR-T therapy, azer-cel, with interleukin-2 (IL-2).
This combination has yielded encouraging results in ongoing Phase 1b trials for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), considerably improving therapeutic efficacy and durability.
Hope for patients
The inclusion of IL-2 has led to impressive complete response rates, offering hope for patients who have exhausted conventional treatment options, including autologous CAR-T therapy.
Prior to joining Imugene, Byon oversaw a broad portfolio of CAR-T and CAR-NK therapies for hematologic malignancies at Fate Therapeutics.
His career also includes leading roles in the development of atezolizumab at Genentech and the progression of several blood cancer therapies from early-stage research through pivotal trials.
This appointment follows the resignation of Dr Paul Woodard. The board has extended its appreciation to Woodard for his service and contributions to the company.