Arovella Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:ALA) has welcomed Dr Mini Bharathan to the executive team to lead preclinical trials of the newly acquired DKK1 peptide targeting technology and its CAR19-iNKT cell therapy technologies.
With more than 15 years of experience in the field of immunology under her belt, Dr Bharathan has spent the last 12 years working in the development of cell therapies with various organisations, such as the US Department of Health, Celgene and Cellectis (NASDAQ:CLLS) (Cellectis (NASDAQ:CLLS)).
She was recently announced as the VP of development and translational medicine at Arovella starting from February 1, 2022.
Exclusive licence secured
Arovella recently announced it had secured a global licence from MD Anderson for a novel monoclonal antibody targeting a DKK1 peptide, a crucial antigen receptor used in cell therapy.
Read: Arovella Therapeutics licenses monoclonal antibody/CAR oncology treatment, shares up
This milestone, along with the recruitment of Dr Bharathan is a huge leap for the progression of the biotech company in its oral spray delivery technology for the treatment of cancer and conditions that affect the central nervous system.
A wealth of experience
Dr Bharathan joins Arovella from Cellectis, a biotech company that is pioneering the way in the gene-editing platform to develop allogenic therapies. Cellectis collect the starting materials necessary for cell therapy from healthy donors as opposed to those suffering from the cancer.
During her time at Cellectis, Dr Bharathan held the position of director of Translational Medicine and Clinical Development where she coordinated the development programs for key products. She also held senior roles at Celgene, Celuarity and Immactics, who all focused on the development of cell therapies.
Along with her experience, Dr Bharathan also holds a PhD in Immunology from Virginia Tech, where she received the Sigma Xi Outstanding Ph.D Research Award.
"A valuable asset"
CEO of Arovella and MD Dr Michael Baker says Dr Bharathan is a valuable asset to the team.
“Dr Bharathan is an exceptionally talented immunologist, with many years of experience taking cell therapies from preclinical stages and into and through clinical trials, particularly allogenic therapies.
“As we look to develop our iNKT cell therapy platform to advance our two cell therapy products into clinical trials, Dr Bharathan will provide immense value and we are delighted that she has decided to join Arovella.”
Written by Duncan Bailey