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Post by JHam on Sept 14, 2015 11:04:19 GMT
Pretty big news for ONCS today as they just appointed Merck's Executive Director of Business Development and Licensing to perform the same role at ONCS: OncoSec Appoints David P. Meininger, PhD, MBA, as Senior Vice President of Business Development ir.oncosec.com/press-releases/detail/1839 |
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Post by JHam on Sept 14, 2015 13:03:15 GMT
I think that makes 4 (or was it 3?) Merck employees to come over to ONCS in the past 18 months. Not sure what it means, but it is probably more than just a coincidence.
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Post by JHam on Sept 14, 2015 13:44:34 GMT
Here is his bio from 2014. Pretty impressive:
David Meininger, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Executive Director, Molecular Discovery, Merck
Dr. Meininger joined Merck in 2011 as Head of Protein Sciences. He served as a member of the Biologics Review & Licensing Committee, as champion of the Adimab collaboration, as co-champion of the Ambrx antibody-drug conjugate collaboration and played a strategic role on other Merck partnerships. In 2013, Dr. Meininger joined the new Merck Research Labs Business Development & Licensing organization. His BD&L responsibilities include scouting and evaluation of licensing opportunities in immuno-oncology and involving biologic assets from pre-clinical through clinical POC, support of the Merck Research Ventures Fund team and other BD activities.
Prior to joining Merck, Dr. Meininger held positions with Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, and Tularik. Dr. Meininger holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego, a M.B.A. in Technology Management from the University of Washington and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Florida.
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Post by JHam on Sept 15, 2015 6:52:36 GMT
New article out from smallcapnetwork on this ONCS appointment: www.smallcapnetwork.com/If-Hes-Good-Enough-for-Merck-OncoSec-Literally-Hires-the-Best-Man-For-the-Job-MRK-ONCS/s/via/10/article/view/p/mid/3/id/578/If He's Good Enough for Merck... OncoSec Literally Hires the Best Man For the Job (MRK, ONCS)OncoSec Medical Inc. (NASDAQ:ONCS) has a new face on the executive team, and the former Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) man knows EXACTLY where the ImmunoPulse technology could go. By James E. Brumley Sep 14, 2015 7:48:17 AM PDT | No Comment(s) - Post a Comment Rating JAMES E. BRUMLEY You can tell a lot about a company - and where it is - from the people it hires and what it hired them to do. OncoSec Medical Inc. (NASDAQ:ONCS) is no exception. This up-and-coming biotechnology name doesn't have a product on the market yet, and as such, has no revenue. But, given the nature of the company's newest employee, one can't help but wonder of ONCS is sending out a subtle message about how rapidly things are developing for the organization. Through a process called electroporation, OncoSec Medical can literally "open up" the pores on tumorous cells and allow a variety of drugs and DNA-altering materials in. Once inside the cell -- and that's one of the biggest hurdles for most gene-based or DNA-based cancer drugs -- the diseased cell can be reprogrammed to do a variety of things. The one that ONCS has focused on thus far is telling melanoma cells to produce a protein called interleukin-12, or IL-12. This is an important achievement, as IL-12 is a protein commonly produced by cancerous cells, and generally recognized by an immune system as a reason to attack and kill those cells. Aside from melanoma, OncoSec is developing this technology as a means of treating head and neck cancer as well as triple-negative breast cancer. It's got four trials underway, each in phase 2. Also on the radar, however, are lung carcinoma, bladder cancer, and renal cell carcinoma. While the mere production of IL-12 by cancer cells inherently gives a person's immune system a much better shot at fighting cancer on their own, even more potent may be the combination of electroporation with a drug known to be effective at fighting a cancer in question. That's why OncoSec Medical is partnering up with Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) to see what happens with its melanoma drug KEYTRUDA and the ImmunoPulse electroporation procedure are used simultaneously. KEYTRUDA is an immunotherapy approved as a treatment for melanoma in cases where other treatments aren't working well. It's also the first FDA approved anti-PD1 immunotherapy, not only offering new hope to melanoma sufferers, but also ushering in a whole new category of cancer treatments. Based on phase 1 results, the phase 2 trial of KEYTRUDA and ImmunoPulse together should produce strong results. But, in that the electroporation process neither interferes with the molecular or genetic makeup of T cells nor induces cancer cells to do something they don't often do on their own anyway (it simply opens the cell's pores to take in more of the drug oncologists are aiming to get into the cancerous cells anyway), one can't help but wonder of OncoSec's biotechnology could make a variety of genetic or DNA-driven cancer treatments even more effective. Great, but what does any of this have to do with who OncoSec Medical just hired?
It wasn't so much who ONCS now has on board as it is the title given to the new hire.... David P. Meininger is now the Senior Vice President of Business Development.
Business development? What business? All of OncoSec's trials are in phase 2, and as such, years away from an approval and revenue-bearing status. But, with the introduction of a business development executive, it may be a sign that (1) a revenue-bearing product is seen as inevitable, and (2) it will be here sooner than anticipated.
And Meininger is more than ready to take on the role. He served as Executive Director, Business Development and Licensing at -- wait for it, wait for it -- Merck & Co., Inc., where he was the global lead for biologics technologies and was responsible for West Coast in-licensing opportunities in immuno-oncology and other therapy areas. Prior to his Business Development role at Merck, Dr. Meininger served as Executive Director, Molecular Discovery. In this position, he led a team focused on discovery, initial production, characterization, and validation of large-molecule leads for programs across seven Disease Area Franchises in addition to championing multiple biologics discovery initiatives, including several supporting -- wait for it, wait for it -- KEYTRUDA(r) (pembrolizumab).
Yep, Meininger was part of the development of KEYTRUDA before it was even KEYTRUDA, and he was also employed by the company that is now partnering with OncoSec Medical on a drug that could be a game-changer for ONCS; Merck just doesn't hire anybody. If anybody can orchestrate the development and successful launch of KEYTRUDA in conjunction with ImmunoPulse, it's David P. Meininger.
A revenue-bearing product is still years off, though one has to wonder now if it's going to happen sooner than presumed. But, either way, the market rewards biotech milestones met along the way. Today's news in many ways sets up a long string of encouraging news events for ONCS.
For more on OncoSec Medical, visit the company website here. |
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