LEUVEN, BELGIUM, EINPresswire.com -- MONTIS BIOSCIENCES, a discovery stage biotech company focused on novel immuno-oncology therapeutics targeting the interactions between perivascular macrophages and the tumor vasculature, has named Karen Zinkewich-Péotti, Ph.D., as its Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Zinkewich-Péotti brings strong R&D leadership experience from both international biopharmaceutical companies and smaller biotech. Over the course of her career she has developed extensive expertise in different therapeutic modalities, including antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates and small molecules.
“We are very pleased that Karen is joining the Montis team. She brings a wealth of experience in Oncology, from target discovery to the clinic, as well as in different types of collaborations and partnerships”, said Montis Biosciences Chair Luc Dochez, Managing Partner, Genetic Diseases, Droia Ventures. “Karen’s experience and expertise will help us to accelerate development of our lead programs and to build out the discovery platform which addresses different approaches to target the tumor micro-environment.”
Dr. Zinkewich-Péotti, a cell biologist by training, was most recently at Ipsen, as Senior VP at the interface between R&D and BD to in-license new pipeline and commercial therapeutics. She previously led Global Drug Discovery at Ipsen. Prior to Ipsen, she had roles of increasing responsibility at Celltech, Aventis and UCB, ultimately heading up Oncology Research in the 3 companies. She and her teams have successfully advanced numerous compounds into the clinic, including CDP791 and CDP860, respectively VEGFR2 and PDGFR-beta blocking antibodies as well as providing scientific support for commercial products.
"We are poised to discover new therapeutics and importantly, identify the patients who can most benefit from the novel immuno-oncology therapeutics we are developing."
Dr. Karen Zinkewich-Péotti, CEO
“I am delighted to be joining Montis Biosciences”, said Dr. Zinkewich-Péotti. “With this extraordinary team and mechanistic insights into the relationship between vascular dysfunction and immune suppression, we are poised to discover new therapeutics and importantly, to identify the patients who can most benefit from this novel approach.”
Montis Biosciences launched earlier this year, with €8,4 million seed financing and a novel approach to immuno-oncology. Montis was founded by Droia Ventures, VIB and KU Leuven based on the foundational science discovered by the labs of Peter Carmeliet (VIB-KU Leuven) and Massimiliano Mazzone (VIB-KU Leuven). The founders were joined by investors Polaris Partners, ALSA Ventures and Pfizer Ventures, the venture capital arm of Pfizer.
About Montis Biosciences
Montis Biosciences develops novel immuno-oncology therapeutics targeting the intersection between vascular dysfunction and immune suppression to treat solid tumors. Based on the work of Profs. Peter Carmeliet and Massimiliano Mazzone, Montis created a unique target screening and assay platform to discover novel targets modulating interactions between tumor endothelial cells and perivascular macrophages. Montis is backed by leading life science investors Droia Ventures, Polaris Partners, ALSA Ventures and Pfizer Ventures. For more information, please see www.montisbiosciences.com.
Karen Zinkewich-Péotti
Montis BioSciences
+33 6 31 62 67 58
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