Chimeric Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:CHM) has appointed Celgene veteran Dr George Matcham to the board as a non-executive director.
Dr Matcham brings to Chimeric a wealth of experience in the biopharma sector, following an instrumental three decades with cell therapy giant Celgene Corporation.
He joined Celgene in its infancy in 1988 when the company was a 30-person startup, retiring in 2018 with the company turning over US$15 billion annually and a staff of almost 9,000.
“Securing a world-class team”
Chimeric executive chairman and founder Paul Hopper said: “We have been focused on securing a world-class team in cell therapy for Chimeric Therapeutics, and appointing George to the board is another big step in that direction.
“He has a wealth of experience with a leader in the sector and his insights and contribution will be invaluable in what will be a significant period of growth for Chimeric.”
Notable achievements
At Celgene, Dr Matcham championed the introduction of cellular immunotherapy and led the establishment of cell therapy and biologics technical development.
He held several senior positions, including chief operations officer of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics and senior vice resident of CAR T CMC Development, where he oversaw clinical supply.
In recent years, Dr Matcham also served on the board and as an advisor at Instil Bio throughout its financing rounds and IPO.
Novel cell therapies for cancer patients
Chimeric Therapeutics is a clinical-stage cell therapy company focused on bringing novel cell therapies to patients with cancer
The company has licensed the exclusive global rights to intellectual property covering the CLTX CAR T cell therapy.
The therapy is currently in development for patients with progressive and recurrent glioblastoma and is also being investigated for development in patients with other solid tumours such as melanoma, small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer.