Percheron Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:PER, OTC:PERCF) has expanded its senior leadership ranks, appointing two seasoned biotech executives to help steer its lead cancer immunotherapy candidate, HMBD-002, toward a planned phase II clinical trial.
The Melbourne-headquartered company named Dr Eugene Kennedy as chief medical officer and Valentina Dubljevic as chief technology officer. The appointments come as Percheron prepares to launch a phase II study of HMBD-002 in calendar year 2026, following positive safety and tolerability data from a completed phase I trial.
Deep oncology experience
Dr Kennedy brings more than a decade of clinical and industry experience in oncology. After training in surgical oncology at Johns Hopkins, he served as associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia before moving into biotech leadership roles. Most recently, he was chief medical officer at US-listed Carisma Therapeutics, overseeing early clinical development of immunotherapy programs.
“I am excited to join Percheron at this important point in its development,” Kennedy said.
“For much of the past decade, I have been focused on bringing novel immuno-oncology therapies into and through clinical trials, and I look forward to applying that experience to the development of HMBD-002,” he added. “The need for new therapeutic options in cancer remains substantial, and I very much hope that HMBD-002 can provide a useful addition to the therapeutic armamentarium.”
Strengthening technical development
New CTO Dubljevic, based in Melbourne, has a background spanning academia and biotech industry roles. Following a 12-year research career at Monash University, she has worked with several ASX-listed companies, most recently as vice president of scientific and clinical development at Patrys Ltd (ASX:PAB).
Her focus at Percheron will be on manufacturing and technical development for HMBD-002 — areas she described as critical to moving the program forward efficiently and in line with regulatory standards.
“Among other responsibilities, my near-term focus is on making sure that our drug candidate can be manufactured as efficiently, cost-effectively and reliably as possible, while also ensuring that we are fully compliant with the latest regulatory requirements from agencies such as the US FDA,” she said. “I look forward to working closely with the Percheron team to move HMBD-002 into a phase II trial in CY2026.”
Building momentum towards phase II study
Percheron CEO Dr James Garner said the two appointments significantly bolster the company’s capabilities.
“We are delighted to welcome Gene and Valentina to the team,” Garner said. “Their respective appointments greatly strengthen our bench strength, and their skills and experience will be invaluable as we move forward with HMBD-002.
“We see enormous potential in the drug, and these critical appointments will help us to realise that opportunity for shareholders over the months ahead.”
HMBD-002 is a monoclonal antibody targeting the immune checkpoint regulator VISTA. Having cleared phase I testing with a favourable safety profile, Percheron is positioning the therapy for further clinical development in oncology, with recruitment for its phase II trial expected to commence in 2026.