SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTMX), a clinical-stage oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics based on its Probody^® therapeutic technology platform, today announced the appointment of Halley E. Gilbert to the company’s board of directors. Ms. Gilbert brings to CytomX extensive leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with particular expertise in corporate and business development, legal, compliance and corporate strategy.  

"Halley brings highly complementary strategic expertise to the CytomX Board as we continue to build a long-term company and prosecute a broad-based strategy towards impacting the treatment of cancer and maximizing value creation from our novel technology platform,” said Sean McCarthy, D.Phil., president, chief executive officer and chairman of CytomX. “The Board and I look forward to drawing upon Halley’s extensive operational insights at this exciting time for CytomX.”

Ms. Gilbert brings to CytomX 20 years of operational, transactional, and strategic leadership experience within the biopharmaceutical sector in roles overseeing the transformation of companies from development to commercial stage.  Ms. Gilbert most recently served as senior vice president, corporate development and chief administrative officer of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where she oversaw corporate and business development, legal, compliance and government affairs. Prior to joining Ironwood, Ms. Gilbert served as vice president, deputy general counsel at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (acquired by Merck), where she managed the legal function during the company’s first commercial launch of an acute care antibiotic. Prior to this Ms. Gilbert served as corporate counsel at Genzyme Corporation (acquired by Sanofi). Ms. Gilbert began her career at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where she specialized in mergers and acquisitions and securities law. Ms. Gilbert currently serves on the board of Arcutis Biotherapeutics, and formerly served on the boards of Dermira, Inc. (acquired by Eli Lilly and Company) and Achaogen, Inc. Ms. Gilbert received a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and a B.A. from Tufts University.

“I am delighted to be joining the CytomX board and look forward to contributing to the company’s mission of changing the treatment of cancer with the advancement of the Probody platform and clinical pipeline,” said Ms. Gilbert.

About CytomX Therapeutics

CytomX is a clinical-stage, oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company with a vision of transforming lives with safer, more effective therapies. We are developing a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics, based on our Probody^® technology platform, for the treatment of cancer.

Probody therapeutics are designed to remain inactive until they are activated by proteases in the tumor microenvironment. As a result, Probody therapeutics are intended to bind selectively to tumors and decrease binding to healthy tissue, to minimize toxicity and potentially create safer, more effective therapies. As leaders in the field, our innovative technology is designed to turn previously undruggable targets into druggable targets and to enable more effective combination therapies. CytomX and its partners, comprised of leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, have developed a robust pipeline of potential first-in-class therapeutic candidates against novel, difficult to drug targets and potential best-in-class immunotherapeutic candidates against clinically validated targets. The CytomX clinical stage pipeline includes first-in-class product candidates against previously undruggable targets, including a CD166-targeting Probody drug conjugate wholly owned by CytomX (CX-2009) and a CD71-targeting Probody drug conjugate partnered with AbbVie (CX-2029). CD166 and CD71 are among cancer targets that are considered to be inaccessible to conventional antibody drug conjugates due to their presence on many healthy tissues. The CytomX clinical stage pipeline also includes cancer immunotherapeutic candidates against validated targets such as the CTLA-4-targeting Probody therapeutics, BMS-986249 and BMS-986288, partnered with Bristol Myers Squibb. CytomX has strategic drug discovery and development collaborations with AbbVie, Amgen, Astellas and Bristol Myers Squibb. For additional information about CytomX Therapeutics, visit www.cytomx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

CytomX Therapeutics Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control, and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in such statements. Accordingly, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements, including those relating to the potential benefits, safety and efficacy of CytomX’s or any of its collaborative partners’ product candidates, administered separately or in combination, the potential benefits or applications of CytomX’s Probody platform technology, CytomX’s ability to develop and advance product candidates into and successfully complete clinical trials, including the ongoing and planned clinical trials of CX-2009 and CX-2029. Risks and uncertainties that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: the unproven nature of CytomX’s novel Probody Platform technology; CytomX’s clinical trial product candidates are in the initial stages of clinical development and its other product candidates are currently in preclinical development, and the process by which preclinical and clinical development could potentially lead to an approved product is long and subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic may continue to negatively impact the development of preclinical and clinical drug candidates, including delaying or disrupting the enrollment of patients in clinical trials; the possibility that the results of early clinical trials may not be predictive of future results; the possibility that CytomX’s clinical trials will not be successful; the possibility that current pre-clinical research may not result in additional product candidates; CytomX’s dependence on the success of CX-2009, CX-2029, BMS-986249 and BMS-986288; CytomX’s reliance on third parties for the manufacture of the company’s product candidates; and possible regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries.  Additional applicable risks and uncertainties include those relating to our preclinical research and development, clinical development, and other risks identified under the heading "Risk Factors" included in CytomX’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 27, 2020. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on information currently available to CytomX and speak only as of the date on which they are made. CytomX does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

Probody is a U.S. registered trademark of CytomX Therapeutics, Inc.

Investors and Media Contact:

Christopher Keenan
VP, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
ckeenan@cytomx.com
650-383-0823

Source: CytomX Therapeutics Inc.