Avacta Group plc announced key leadership appointments to strengthen its clinical development and business strategy capabilities as the company advances its pipeline of targeted cancer therapies. The life sciences company appointed David Liebowitz, M.D., Ph.D. as Chief Medical Officer and Yulii Bogatyrenko as an advisor in business development.
Experienced Oncology Leader Joins as CMO
Dr. Liebowitz brings extensive experience as a seasoned hematologist-oncologist and drug development leader with more than 30 years of experience across academia and industry. His track record includes contributing to the successful filing of more than 25 Investigational New Drug (IND) applications throughout his career.
Most recently, Dr. Liebowitz served as Senior Vice President of early-stage clinical development at Inovio Pharmaceuticals, where he oversaw clinical strategy for DNA-based vaccines and immunotherapies. His industry experience spans senior roles at Xencor, Vaxart, and Amgen, maintaining a consistent focus on oncology, immunotherapy, and translational science.
At Vaxart, Dr. Liebowitz led the acquisition and execution of a significant BARDA contract as principal investigator, culminating in successful completion of the award. Earlier in his career at Amgen, he directed oncology and vascular biology drug discovery at the company's Washington research site.
Academic Foundation and Research Leadership
Dr. Liebowitz's academic career began at the University of Chicago, where he served as Assistant Professor of Medicine and Virology and Director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program. He later became an associate investigator at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Institute, leading immunotherapy and cellular therapy programs focused on cancer and chronic viral diseases. His research contributions were recognized with a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant.
Dr. Liebowitz holds MD and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago and BS and MS degrees from Emory University.
Business Development Expertise Added
Mr. Bogatyrenko joins as a Principal at Biopharma C&I, a biotechnology consulting firm working with private and public companies in business development, corporate strategy, commercialization, launch readiness and R&D strategy. His experience includes senior-level positions in business development and commercial strategy, leading multiple global commercial drug launches and numerous industry partnerships at Pfizer/Wyeth, Bayer Healthcare and Teva Specialty Pharmaceuticals.
Strategic Timing for Pipeline Advancement
Christina Coughlin, MD, PhD, CEO of Avacta, emphasized the strategic importance of these appointments: "We are thrilled to welcome David and Yulii at this pivotal time for Avacta. David's deep expertise in oncology, coupled with a successful track record of advancing innovative therapies into the clinic, will be instrumental as we continue to execute on our clinical development strategy and progress our pre|CISION™ platform and pipeline of targeted cancer therapies."
She added that Bogatyrenko's "deep experience across commercial strategy, global drug launches, and industry partnerships at leading pharma organizations will be invaluable as we advance our pipeline and corporate growth strategy."
About Avacta's Technology Platform
Avacta Therapeutics operates as a clinical-stage life sciences company focused on expanding the reach of highly potent cancer therapies through its proprietary pre|CISION® platform. The platform functions as a warhead delivery system based on a tumor-specific protease (fibroblast activation protein or FAP) designed to concentrate highly potent warheads in the tumor microenvironment while sparing normal tissues.
The company's innovative pipeline consists of pre|CISION® peptide drug conjugates (PDC) or Affimer® drug conjugates (AffDC) that leverage the tumor-specific release mechanism, providing unique benefits over traditional antibody drug conjugates.
