Aprea Therapeutics Appoints Dr. Jean-Pierre Bizzari to its Board of Directors and Names Dr. Richard Peters as Chairman
DOYLESTOWN, Pa., Aug. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: APRE) (“Aprea”, or the “Company”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on precision oncology through synthetic lethality, today announced it has appointed Dr. Jean-Pierre Bizzari to its Board of Directors and is naming Dr. Richard Peters as its new Chairman of the Board. Dr. Bizzari will replace Mr. Christian Schade, who is stepping down from the Board.
“We warmly welcome Dr. Jean-Pierre Bizzari to our Board of Directors. Jean-Pierre is an esteemed industry thought leader and was the Group Head Clinical Development Oncology at Celgene where he was responsible for developing some of the most significant and successful oncology therapeutics,” said Dr. Oren Gilad, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aprea. “Jean-Pierre joins our Board as Chris Schade retires from his role as Chairman and member of the Board to focus on his other commitments. Dr. Richard Peters has served as independent Director of Aprea since June 2020 and Chair of the Compensation Committee since November 2020. Dr. Peters will now also assume the role of Chairman, and we welcome his leadership as he guides our diverse and experienced Board.”
Dr. Jean-Pierre Bizzari joins the Aprea Board having led a remarkable and distinguished career in oncology. He has been responsible for numerous global approvals of several billion-dollar therapies, including: Fotomustine, Taxotere, Revlimid, Abraxane, Vidaza, PTCL, Eloxatin, CPT-11, Gliadel, Rasburicase, and Pomalidomide to name a few. He has been involved in acquisition and licensing agreements with several major pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Bizzari is a member and leader on many scientific committees and is currently a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the National Cancer Institute in France; a Board member of the European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Chairman of the EORTC New Drug Advisory Committee. He currently is on the Boards of Halozyme, ADC Therapeutics, NETRIS Pharma, and Oxford BioTherapeutics. Most recently, Dr. Bizzari was the Group Head Clinical Development Oncology at Celgene. He led global clinical development conducting over 25 Phase 3 trials, was responsible for global operations of over 950 people and was chairman of the Hematology Oncology development committee. Prior to Celgene, Dr. Bizzari was the VP of clinical development oncology at Sanofi-Aventis where he was responsible for the worldwide clinical development and approvals. He also served as VP of clinical development oncology at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer where he shepherded a deep pipeline of oncology candidates. Dr. Bizzari holds a degree in mathematics, and completed his medical studies in Nice, France. He completed his residency in oncology at Pitie Salpetriere Hospital in Paris.
Dr. Bizzari said, “I am excited to join this dedicated Board, and look forward to contributing to the success of their very promising therapeutics at the center of synthetic lethality and DNA Damage Repair drug development.”
Mr. Christian Schade noted, “It has been an honor to serve on this dynamic Board. I leave knowing that the Board and Company are in good hands, and that everyone involved is committed to realizing the tremendous potential of this company.”
Dr. Richard Peters added, “I thank Chris for his years of service to the Board and astute leadership as we successfully navigated the company through several challenges. I look forward to working closely with our Board and terrific management team as we move towards several meaningful Company milestones.”
About Aprea
Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, focused on precision oncology through synthetic lethality. The Company’s lead program is ATRN-119, a clinical-stage small molecule ATR inhibitor being developed for solid tumor indications. Our WEE1 inhibitor is being advanced to IND submission. For more information, please visit the company website at www.aprea.com.
The Company may use, and intends to use, its investor relations website at https://ir.aprea.com/ as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.
Forward-Looking Statement
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Investor Contact:
Mike Moyer
LifeSci Advisors
mmoyer@lifesciadvisors.com
