Candel Therapeutics Strengthens Board with Industry Veteran Ahead of Key BLA Submission
核心洞察
Candel Therapeutics appointed Dr. Maha Radhakrishnan to its Board of Directors, bringing over 20 years of product development and commercialization experience from major biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
The appointment strategically positions Candel as it prepares for its Biologics License Application submission for CAN-2409 in intermediate-to-high-risk prostate cancer, anticipated in Q4 2026.
Dr. Radhakrishnan's expertise will support Candel's multimodal immunotherapy approach across multiple cancer indications, including treatments that have received FDA Fast Track and RMAT designations.
Candel Therapeutics has appointed Dr. Maha Radhakrishnan to its Board of Directors, effective June 4, 2025, as the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advances toward a critical regulatory milestone for its lead cancer immunotherapy candidate.
The appointment comes at a pivotal time for Candel, which is preparing for its Biologics License Application (BLA) submission for CAN-2409 in intermediate-to-high-risk prostate cancer, anticipated in Q4 2026. Dr. Radhakrishnan brings over 20 years of experience in product development and commercialization across various therapeutic areas within major biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
Strategic Leadership Addition
"We are delighted to welcome Maha as a new member of Candel's Board," said Paul Peter Tak, M.D., Ph.D., FMedSci, President and Chief Executive Officer of Candel. "Her extensive industry experience will be extremely valuable as Candel advances its late-stage oncology programs toward potential approval and commercial development, with the aim of providing benefit to patients with significant unmet need."
Dr. Radhakrishnan currently serves as an Executive Partner at Sofinnova Investments (搜索), a venture capital firm focused on life sciences, where she leads diligence across clinical-ready assets in multiple therapeutic areas and provides expertise to portfolio companies in product development and commercialization. Her previous roles include Group Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Biogen Inc., and Senior Vice President and Global Head of Medical, Primary Care Business Unit at Sanofi S.A.
Advanced Immunotherapy Pipeline
Candel has established two clinical-stage multimodal biological immunotherapy platforms based on novel, genetically modified adenovirus and herpes simplex virus (HSV) gene constructs. CAN-2409, the lead product candidate from the adenovirus platform, has recently completed successful phase 2a clinical trials in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and a pivotal phase 3 clinical trial in localized prostate cancer, conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA has granted CAN-2409 plus prodrug (valacyclovir) Fast Track Designation for the treatment of PDAC, stage III/IV NSCLC in patients who are resistant to first line PD-(L)1 (搜索) inhibitor therapy and who do not have activating molecular driver mutations or have progressed on directed molecular therapy and localized primary prostate cancer. The FDA also granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) Designation to CAN-2409 for the treatment of newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer in patients with intermediate-to-high-risk disease and Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of PDAC.
Expanding Treatment Options
CAN-3110, the lead product candidate from the HSV platform, is currently in an ongoing phase 1b clinical trial in recurrent high-grade glioma (rHGG). Initial results were published in Nature and CAN-3110 received Fast Track Designation and Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA.
"I am honored to join the Board at this pivotal moment as Candel advances its innovative immunotherapy candidates across multiple cancer indications," said Dr. Radhakrishnan. "Candel's multimodal approach has the potential to address significant unmet needs in cancers that have historically been difficult to treat with conventional immunotherapies."
Paul B. Manning, Chairman of Candel's Board, emphasized the strategic timing of the appointment: "Maha's expertise will be invaluable as we look forward to her contributions while we prepare to submit our Biologics License Application for CAN-2409 in intermediate-to-high-risk prostate cancer, anticipated in Q4 2026."