REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held company developing novel therapeutics that target cancer stem cells, today announced that Jakob Dupont, M.D., formerly Global Medical Director for Avastin® (bevacizumab) at Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, has joined the company as Vice President, Clinical Research. At OncoMed, Dr. Dupont will be part of a global development team advancing multiple anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics through all phases of clinical development.
At Genentech, Dr. Dupont oversaw the global medical strategy and late-stage medical program for Avastin. In that role, he led a team of international medical leaders, worked closely with the business team on brand planning, and served as an Avastin spokesperson to the global investment community.
"Dr. Dupont brings to OncoMed more than 13 years of academic and pharmaceutical drug development expertise, in particular, in the advancement of novel oncology drugs and biologics from clinical development through the approval and licensure process," said Paul Hastings, President and Chief Executive Officer of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals. "Dr. Dupont's expertise, combined with his track record with the investment community and experience with predictive biomarkers and translational medicine, provide a perspective that complements the resident skills of our leadership team. As OncoMed's cancer stem cell programs advance in clinical development, we expect Dr. Dupont will play a key role in designing and executing clinical studies, as well as effectively positioning our novel drugs in the oncology marketplace."
Dr. Dupont's successes include developing a number of key oncology drugs including: Avastin® (bevacizumab); VEGF Trap; ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection); VELCADE® (bortezomib); Xyotax™ (paclitaxel poliglumex); and several other new molecular oncologic entities. He has held leadership positions at all stages of oncology drug development from Phase 0 through Phase IV. Dr. Dupont has overseen several successful Investigational New Drug (IND) submissions of novel oncology products, while at Genentech, including anti-EGFL7. He has also led numerous Phase 1 through Phase 2 proof-of-concept programs and developed several registration Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical programs.
Dr. Dupont was a development leader for the successful global regulatory filings for Avastin's breast cancer indication, as well as its ovarian cancer indication. He has extensive experience working with global regulatory agencies, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), the China Ministry of Health and others, and has also been involved in numerous regulatory interactions at advisory committee meetings such as the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) and EMA Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) Scientific Advisory Group on Oncology (SAG-O) and Oral Explanation.
Dr. Dupont received his medical degree at Cornell University Medical College in New York and continued his training in internal medicine at the University of Michigan and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He completed his medical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Dr. Dupont has an extensive laboratory research background in immunology, molecular biology, gene therapy and translational medicine. He was a member of the faculty at MSKCC for five years, prior to joining Genentech/Roche, overseeing the Phase 1 Solid Tumor and GYN Oncology Clinic. He was also head of a translational and immunology laboratory at MSKCC. Dr. Dupont has received numerous grants and awards, authored over 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles and holds several patents. He continues to care for gynecologic oncology patients and teach as an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University Medical Center.
About Cancer Stem Cells
Cancer stem cells, a small, resilient subset of cells found in tumors, have the capacity to self-renew and differentiate, leading to tumor initiation and driving tumor growth, recurrence and metastasis. Also referred to as "tumor-initiating cells," these cells were first discovered by OncoMed's scientific founders in breast cancer and have subsequently been identified in many other types of solid tumor cancers, including cancer of head and neck, lung, prostate, pancreas and glioblastoma. Cancer stem cells appear to be preferentially resistant to both standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy. OncoMed's strategy is to improve cancer treatment by specifically targeting the key biologic pathways that are thought to be critical to the activity and survival of cancer stem cells. OncoMed's antibody therapeutics target cancer stem cell proteins and have the potential to be developed against a range of tumor types.
About OncoMed Pharmaceuticals
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage company that discovers and develops novel therapeutics targeting cancer stem cells, the cells believed to be capable of driving tumor growth, recurrence and metastasis. A leader in cancer stem cell research, the company has established a library of antibodies to cancer stem cell proteins for the treatment of solid tumors such as pancreatic, breast, colorectal and lung cancers. OncoMed has advanced three anti-cancer stem cell monoclonal antibodies into the clinic, OMP-21M18, OMP-59R5 and OMP-18R5, which target key cancer stem cell signaling pathways including Notch and Wnt. In addition, OncoMed's pipeline includes several novel preclinical product candidates targeting multiple validated cancer stem cell pathways. OncoMed has formed strategic alliances with Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline. Privately-held, OncoMed's investors include: US Venture Partners, Latterell Venture Partners, The Vertical Group, Morgenthaler Ventures, Phase4 Ventures, Delphi Ventures, Adams Street Partners, De Novo Ventures, Bay Partners and GlaxoSmithKline. Additional information can be found at the company's website: www.oncomed.com.
SOURCE OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.