Sir Gregory Winter FRS to Chair Orion Biotechnology's Scientific Advisory Board

OTTAWA, Canada, August 6, 2019 (Newswire.com) - ​​Orion Biotechnology Canada Ltd. today announced that Sir Gregory Winter FRS has agreed to chair the Orion Biotechnology Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Sir Gregory Winter FRS is a molecular biologist best known for his work on protein engineering and developing technologies to make therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Winter was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing the technology that led to the creation of Humira, the first fully human mAb to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is now the world’s top-selling pharmaceutical drug. He founded three start-up companies to develop therapeutic drugs based on his inventions: Cambridge Antibody Technology, Domantis, and, more recently, Bicycle Therapeutics. His research career has been based almost entirely at the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the MRC Centre for Protein Engineering in Cambridge, England. He is a Fellow of Trinity College Cambridge and was Master of the College from 2012-2019.

“The appointment of Sir Gregory to chair the Orion Biotechnology SAB is an important milestone in our company’s development,” said Dr. Ian McGowan, Chief Medical Officer for Orion Biotechnology. “We are delighted that a scientist of such international stature is willing to work with us on accelerating the development of chemokine analogues as immunotherapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer, as well as other indications, including multiple sclerosis and HIV prevention.”

Mark Groper, President and CEO of Orion Biotechnology added, “I have no doubt that Orion Biotechnology will benefit enormously from Sir Gregory’s experience both as a scientist and a pioneer in biotechnology. His guidance on the optimal development of our innovative drug discovery platform will be of critical importance in defining our overall corporate strategy.”

Sir Gregory commented, “Chemokine analogues are an exciting new class of drug and have the potential to make a significant contribution to the range of immunotherapeutic agents being tested in patients with advanced cancer. I am looking forward to working with the Orion team on the development of their lead product, OB-002, as well as exploring the ability of their drug discovery platform to generate new chemokine analogues.”

About Orion Biotechnology Canada, Ltd.

Orion Biotechnology Canada Ltd. is a privately held pharmaceutical company, leveraging advanced receptor pharmacology to develop novel therapies for serious chronic illnesses and life-threatening diseases. Since 2017, Orion Biotechnology has been developing a robust pipeline of first-in-class chemokine analogue drug candidates, including our lead candidate, OB-002 – a CCR5 receptor antagonist. Our close ties to diverse institutions and experts around the globe, as well as our proprietary drug discovery platform, continue to stimulate the rapid discovery of promising new treatments.

Learn more at www.orionbiotechnology.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information, which reflects Orion’s current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Orion’s control, that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and, except as expressly required by applicable law, Orion assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact: Ross MacLeod
Orion Biotechnology
Canada Ltd.
Phone: +1.343.291.1032
[email protected]

Source: Orion Biotechnology Canada