F-Star Biotechnology Ltd.. (10/15/18). "Press Release: F-star Appoints Dr Eliot Forster as Chief Executive Officer". Cambridge.

	Organisation	F-Star Biotechnology Ltd. (F-Star Therapeutics)
	Group	Sino Biopharm (Group)
	Organisation 2	Immunocore Ltd.
	Group	Immunocore (Group)
	Product	Modular Antibody Technology™ (F-Star)
	Product 2	FS118 (F-Star)
	Index term 2	Merck (DE)–F-Star: antibody cancer drug, 201706– strategic collab €115m upfront + €1b milestones develop 5 bispecific ABs incl lead asset FS118
	Person	Forster, Eliot (F-Star 201810– CEO before Immunocore + Creabilis + Solace Pharmaceuticals + Pfizer + GSK)
	Person 2	Bermingham, Nessan (Khosla Ventures 202206 Partner before Intellia Therapeutics 201411– CEO + Co-founder)

F-star, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of novel bispecific antibodies that target the immune system to fight cancer, today announced the appointment of Dr Eliot Forster as Chief Executive Officer. Dr Forster succeeds former CEO Dr John Haurum.

Eliot brings more than 25 years of extensive leadership experience in clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies. Most recently, he served as CEO of Immunocore where he successfully steered the company’s strategy in immuno-oncology (IO), raising a $320M Series A and establishing clinical collaborations with global pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca, GSK and Roche. Prior to Immunocore, Eliot held senior leadership positions at Pfizer (including Head of EU Development & Operations) and GSK. During his pharma tenure, he played a critical role in the clinical development of Celebrex® (celecoxib) and Relpax® (eletriptan).

“Over recent years, IO has transformed the oncology treatment paradigm, offering significantly better options to patients. The co-administration of immunotherapies is expected to be the next cornerstone in cancer treatments. I believe that F-star’s first-in-class molecules bring together in a single form, the full power of IO and combinations. We anticipate this synergistic benefit will deliver more targeted, potent and safer treatment options for cancer patients.” said Eliot Forster MBA, PhD, CEO of F-star. “I am honoured and excited to be joining the F-star team, to lead the Company through its next phase of development and bring life-changing medicines to patients sooner.”

F-star’s Modular Antibody Technology™ is leading a paradigm shift in IO, with the potential to leapfrog current combination approaches. The platform, based on superior and clinically-relevant novel biology, introduces an additional antigen-binding site in the Fc region of an antibody that allows for a ‘plug-and-play’ insertion into any monoclonal antibody. The resulting novel, bivalent binding bispecific antibodies (mAb2 TM) preserve the simplicity and manufacturability of the IgG format at the same time as creating extensive bispecific treatment opportunities. F-star’s pipeline targets patients who have either limited or partial response to existing IO treatment regimens and aims to stimulate the immune response through a tumour-directed activation while reducing systemic toxicity. FS118, F-star’s lead Phase I candidate, is partnered with Merck KGaA and the Company is rapidly moving the next wave of its proprietary bispecific IO products towards clinical development.

“We are delighted to welcome Eliot as F-star’s new CEO. His proven track record in leading and developing biotech IO companies will be essential in driving F-star forward to deliver the next wave of immunotherapies for cancer patients,” said Nessan Bermingham PhD, Executive Chair of F-star. “The Board is grateful to John for the pivotal role he has played in leading the Company in developing and executing a transformative strategy, positioning F-star for long-term success.”

During his leadership as CEO, John led the transformation of F-star from a drug discovery platform into a successful, clinical-stage IO company. Under his leadership, F-star launched new innovative cancer drug development capabilities and established a substantial pipeline of candidates with the potential to benefit patients, especially those who are not well served by existing cancer therapies.

“It has been rewarding to lead F-star through a period of significant growth, to become a recognised leader in the bispecific space. Our approach has been validated through a series of strategic collaborations with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology partnerships in IO with AbbVie and Merck KGaA, and in central nervous system disorders with Denali Therapeutics. We have established a pipeline with two candidates entering the clinic and generated circa $250M in funding and investment,” said John Haurum MD, PhD, former CEO of F-star. “I am pleased to hand over the reins to Eliot, who is highly experienced and well positioned to lead F-star and its extraordinary staff, pipeline and partnerships, as it continues to discover and develop transformative IO therapeutics for patients in need.”
During the transition, John will serve in a consulting role to F-star.

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For further information, please contact:

At F-star
For media enquiries
Pierre Peotta
Communications Manager
+44 (0)1223 948 094
+44 (0)7392 080 279
pierre.peotta@f-star.com

Instinctif Partners (UK and RoW)
Sue Charles/Ashley Tapp
+44 (0)20 7866 7923
F-star@instinctif.com

Spectrum (US)
Amir Khan
+1 212-899-9730
akhan@spectrumscience.com

About F-star

F-star is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, committed to delivering life-changing treatments to cancer patients. Through the highly efficient Modular Antibody Technology™ platform, a deep immuno-oncology pipeline of mAb²™ is being developed. This is a novel class of disruptive bispecific antibodies, designed to unlock new biology which cannot be achieved by combining monospecific drugs. F-star’s technological expertise and scientific approach have been validated through strategic partnerships with leaders in the pharma and biotech industries.
Find out more at www.f-star.com. Connect with us via LinkedIn and Twitter

Record changed: 2023-06-05