Osivax Appoints Dr. Chris Martin, Renowned Biotech Entrepreneur, to its Board of Directors

Company honors Dr. Michael Watson for his significant impact as member of Board of Directors

LYON, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Osivax, a biopharmaceutical company developing vaccines to provide broad-spectrum protection against highly mutating infectious viruses and diseases, announced today the appointment of Dr. Chris Martin to its Board of Directors. Dr. Martin brings with him over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector. He is an accomplished company founder and director who has successfully brought technology from the lab to regulatory approval and global markets. He joins Osivax as the company advances its lead candidate, OVX836, a Phase 2 first-in-class broad-spectrum influenza vaccine candidate through clinical evaluation and prepares to enter the clinic with its universal coronavirus vaccine candidate, OVX033.

“Chris’ extensive knowledge in the development and commercialization of new therapies coupled with his experience as a serial biotech entrepreneur will be a valuable asset to our team. We look forward to his contributions and insights as we continue advancing the development of our technology and pipeline,” commented Alexandre Le Vert, CEO and Co-Founder of Osivax. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. Mike Watson, who served on our Board of Directors with distinction. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will continue to inspire us.”

“Osivax’ cutting-edge oligoDOM^® technology has the potential to bring tangible innovation to the vaccine development landscape. This is illustrated by the promising preclinical and clinical results the company has obtained with OVX836 in influenza,” said Dr. Chris Martin. “I am eager to work with the team and Board to drive the further growth of OVX836 to address the threat of increasingly aggressive influenza strains around the world.”

Dr. Martin currently serves as Board Member of ADC Therapeutics, a commercial-stage biotechnology company specialized in Antibody-Drug-Conjugates (ADCs), which he co-founded in 2012 and headed for 10 years. Dr. Martin previously co-founded and led two other Biotech companies: Spirogen Ltd in the field of ADCs which was acquired by MedImmune, now part of AstraZeneca; and Sciona, Inc. specialized in personalized gene-based and nutrition analyses. He is also Chairman of the Board of Tokamak Energy Ltd, a leading global commercial fusion energy company. Dr. Martin is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and a Sainsbury Management Fellow. Dr. Martin holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Aston University, a DPhil in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford and an MBA from IMD Business School.

About Osivax
Osivax is a biopharmaceutical company leveraging its novel, self-assembling nanoparticle platform technology, oligoDOM^®, to transform current and new vaccines by generating superior T-cell responses in addition to strong and sustained B-cell responses against highly mutating viruses. The company is establishing proof of concept with its highly validated lead influenza candidate, OVX836, which is currently in Phase 2 testing with over 800 subjects tested. Osivax is also exploring the broader application of its technology in a variety of indications. The company will expand into other infectious disease indications through combinations and collaborations worldwide.

For further information: www.osivax.com