Healthcare Industry News: cancer stem cell
News Release - February 21, 2007
OncoMed Appoints Steven E. Benner, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 21 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, a company developing novel therapeutics that target cancer stem cells, today announced the appointment of Steven E. Benner, M.D., to the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.In this newly-created role, Dr. Benner will lead OncoMed's clinical development efforts, reporting directly to Paul Hastings, OncoMed's President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Benner joins OncoMed from PDL BioPharma (formerly known as Protein Design Labs) where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.
"We are excited to have Steve join the OncoMed team as we advance novel monoclonal antibodies targeting cancer stem cells into the clinic," said Mr. Hastings. "His extensive experience in all aspects of oncology drug development will provide invaluable guidance as we make progress on our discovery and preclinical programs and begin shaping our clinical development plans."
While at PDL BioPharma, Dr. Benner oversaw all clinical development activities, including international clinical trials for a number of PDL's monoclonal antibody drug candidates at all stages of development. Previous to his work at PDL, Dr. Benner held a series of positions of increasing responsibility at Bristol-Myers Squibb. While there, he held leadership roles in clinical oncology, drug development and licensing, culminating in his position as a Vice President in the company's Pharmaceutical Research Institute.
Prior to his work with industry, Dr. Benner held faculty appointments at the University of North Carolina and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He received his M.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and completed his medical training in internal medicine at the University of Texas-San Antonio. He went on to complete his medical oncology training at the Johns Hopkins University, where he also earned an M.H.S. in Clinical Epidemiology. Dr. Benner has been an author or co-author on more than fifty peer-review publications and is an active member of both the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Association for Cancer Research.
About OncoMed Pharmaceuticals
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals is discovering and developing novel therapeutics targeting cancer stem cells, the cells believed to be capable of driving tumor growth, recurrence and metastases. The company has established a library of antibodies to cancer stem cell proteins for the treatment of solid tumors such as breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancers. The company is a leader in cancer stem cell research and the identification of novel cancer stem cell targets.
OncoMed's investors include Latterell Venture Partners, US Venture Partners, Morgenthaler Ventures, the Vertical Group, Adams Street Partners, DeNovo Ventures, and Bay Partners. Information can also be found at the company's website http://www.oncomed.com.
Source: OncoMed Pharmaceuticals
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