Peter Suenaert will resume the role of Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Immunicum effective May 1st, 2020.
As CMO, he will be responsible for the clinical development and strategy for testing ilixadencel in patients with cancer. Due to personal reasons, Suenaert had left this role in Q3 2019 following the completion of the MERECA trial. As a digestive oncologist by training and an expert in clinical development in oncology with over ten years of global experience in the immuno-oncology field in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, Suenaert has also authored and contributed to many impactful peer-reviewed publications.
“We are enthusiastic to welcome Peter back onto the Immunicum management team as CMO. Having been directly involved with several of our past clinical trials, such as the Phase II MERECA clinical trial, Peter is highly knowledgeable about ilixadencel and has already contributed greatly to the advancement of our lead drug candidate. Leveraging his expertise as a clinical oncologist and industry veteran, Peter will now seamlessly take on a leadership role focused on preparations for future clinical trials, among other things,” said Alex Karlsson-Parra, acting CEO of Immunicum.
A number of global development positions in the pharmaceutical industry
Throughout his career, Peter has held a number of global development positions in the pharmaceutical industry including Senior Medical Scientist Haematology/Oncology Late Phase Development at Amgen, Medical Director Early Clinical Development at GSK Bio (Cancer Immunotherapeutics), Global Oncology Lead at Glenmark Pharma (IO assets), Chief Medical Officer at Immunicum AB and Vice-President Global Clinical Development at AgenTus Therapeutics (adoptive cell therapy). He is a board-certified medical doctor in Gastroenterology, qualified in Digestive Oncology and has a PhD in Medical Sciences from Leuven University, Belgium. He completed a post-doc at McGill University Health Center, Canada, and was on staff as Clinical Head Digestive Oncology at the University Hospital Antwerp before joining the pharmaceutical industry.
“When I first joined Immunicum, I was impressed by the novelty and potential of its cancer immune priming technology and candidate, ilixadencel. Based on the recent clinical trial results, I am convinced, more than ever, that ilixadencel is evolving into a truly transformative therapy for patients with cancer. I am therefore excited to have the opportunity to rejoin the team and further contribute to the advancement of ilixadencel with the objective of bringing safer, more effective therapies to patients with high medical need,” commented Peter Suenaert.
