Infinitopes appoints CSO to advance immuno-oncology pipeline 

Biotechnology company Infinitopes has appointed Jo Brewer as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and interim Chief Operating Officer (COO). 

The company hopes Brewer’s appointment will allow it to advance a therapeutic pipeline of cancer therapies from clinical to commercialisation. 

With 20 years of experience in advancing therapies from early-stage discovery to commercialisation, Brewer joins Infinitopes from Adaptimmune, where she was a founding scientist and served as CSO.  

Brewer also led the development of Tecelra, the first engineered TCR-T cell therapy for solid tumours to reach the market. 

Brewer’s appointment follows the start of the VISTA trial at the end of last year, a first-in-human, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled Phase I/IIa clinical trial of ITOP1. This leading precision therapeutic vaccine is designed to prevent the recurrence of oesophageal cancer in the first line, neoadjuvant setting, an area where clinical need remains largely unmet. 

ITOP1 is a next-generation off-the-shelf cancer vaccine using the company’s proprietary vector technology to induce potent T-cell responses in patients suffering from surgically resectable oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC). 

“This is a really exciting moment in Infinitopes’ innovation journey, where cutting-edge science transitions from lab into the clinical realm,” Brewer said. 

“I have always been passionate about shepherding science from ‘bench-to-bedside’ and am excited by the ITOP1 product development programme and its potential to revolutionise first line treatment for those living with cancer. 

“I am thrilled to join at this critical clinical stage in the company’s development. I’ll be tapping into the full breadth and depth of my experience to build on the critical work of the co-founders Jonathan Kwok, Senthil Chinnakannan and Lian Ni Lee, helping them to drive their vision to the next level.” 

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