Be Biopharma, Inc. (“Be Bio”), a company pioneering the discovery and development of Engineered B Cell Medicines (BCMs), today announced the addition of Paula Cannon, Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Cannon, Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, was recently appointed President of the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT). Dr. Cannon will work with other members of the Scientific Advisory Board to provide scientific and clinical guidance as the Company advances its pipeline of B Cell Medicine (BCM) programs, including its lead program, BE-101, a first-in-class BCM for the treatment of hemophilia B.
“Be Bio is pioneering the development of engineered B cell medicines to create a new paradigm for therapeutic proteins, and Paula’s experience is an ideal fit for our esteemed Scientific Advisory Board,” said Joanne Smith-Farrell, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Be Bio. “There are few individuals that have the combination of gene editing know-how and B cell biology as Paula, and we look forward to drawing on her extensive research and clinical experience as we advance our novel BCM platform across protein classes and therapeutic areas and progress BE-101, our lead program, in hemophilia B.”
“Engineered B cell medicines have the potential to disrupt traditional biologics by leveraging the immune system’s biosynthetic powerhouse, the B cell, to develop a new class of therapeutics,” said Dr. Cannon. “Cell and gene therapies are literally changing lives, and I am delighted to join Be Bio’s Scientific Advisory Board and look forward to working with other industry leaders to advance the potential of engineered B Cell Medicines.”
Dr. Cannon was recently named the President of ASGCT, the largest professional organization for academic and industry scientists working in this area of medicine. Her background as a virologist studying HIV and other RNA viruses led to an interest in how viruses could be exploited as gene therapy vectors. More recently her lab has made advances engineering B cells to express customizable antibodies and non-antibody molecules, in a way that could take advantage of the natural response of B cells to vaccination. She is joined on the Scientific Advisory Board by experts in the fields of B cell biology, cell and gene therapy, genetic and infectious disease, and oncology.
About Engineered B Cell Medicines – A New Class of Cellular Medicines
The B cell is a powerful cell that produces thousands of proteins per cell per second at constant levels, over decades. Precision genome editing can now be used to engineer B Cells that produce therapeutic proteins of interest, driving a new class of cellular medicines – Engineered B Cell Medicines (BCMs) – with the potential to be durable, allogeneic, redosable and administered without pre-conditioning. The promise of BCMs could transform therapeutic biologics with broad application — across protein classes, patient populations and therapeutic areas.
About Be Biopharma
Be Biopharma (“Be Bio”) is pioneering engineered B Cell Medicines (BCMs) to dramatically improve the lives of patients who are living with Hemophilia B and other genetic diseases, cancer, and other serious conditions. With eyes locked on the patient, our team of purpose-driven scientists, technologists, manufacturing experts and business builders collaborate to create a bold new class of cell therapies. Be Bio was founded in October 2020 by B cell engineering pioneers David Rawlings, M.D., and Richard James, Ph.D., from Seattle Children’s Research Institute. Be Bio is backed by ARCH Venture Partners, Atlas Venture, RA Capital Management, Alta Partners, Longwood Fund, Bristol Myers Squibb, Takeda Ventures, Seattle Children’s Research Institute and others. Since our founding, Be Bio’s investors have committed over $180 million to enable the Company to re-imagine medicine based on the power of B cell therapy. For more information, please visit us at Be.Bio and our LinkedIn page.
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