SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--858 Therapeutics is pleased to announce today that it has named Katherine Bell-McGuinn, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer. The addition of Dr. Bell-McGuinn strengthens the 858 Therapeutics leadership team as the company prepares to initiate clinical trials in 2024.
Dr. Bell-McGuinn brings extensive clinical development experience to 858 Therapeutics. She joins the company from AbbVie, where she served as Vice President and Head of Oncology Early Development. Prior to AbbVie, she held roles of increasing responsibility at Eli Lilly. Before her career in industry, Dr. Bell-McGuinn was an attending physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she served as principal investigator for several clinical studies in ovarian and breast cancer. She completed her M.D. and Ph.D. at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and received undergraduate degrees from Texas Lutheran University.
“We’re excited to welcome Kathy to the 858 Therapeutics leadership team. Her clinical experience in oncology and expertise in DNA damage response pathways will be invaluable as we progress our lead asset into Phase I testing next year,” said Jeffrey Stafford, Ph.D., CEO of 858 Therapeutics.
The company’s lead asset, ETX-19477, is a small molecule inhibitor of PARG, a glycohydrolase that plays a pivotal role in the regulation of DNA repair mechanisms and cooperates with PARP to carry out the single-strand break repair cycle. Pharmacological inhibition of PARG results in hyperPARylation, which leads to the death of cancer cells undergoing replication stress.
In multiple animal models, ETX-19477 shows potent tumor growth inhibition, and its efficacy is associated with specific biomarker-defined tumors. 858 Therapeutics expects to present the preclinical characterization of ETX-19477 at an upcoming scientific meeting. The Phase I clinical trial is expected to start in the first half of 2024 in patients with advanced solid tumors at multiple sites in the U.S.
“I am delighted to join 858 Therapeutics at this inflection point in the company’s growth,” said Dr. Bell-McGuinn. “ETX-19477 is an exciting and differentiated molecule that could provide meaningful benefit to patients with solid tumors that are not addressed by PARP inhibitors or other standards of care.”
About 858 Therapeutics
858 Therapeutics is a biotechnology and drug discovery company developing a portfolio of small molecule therapeutics directed against novel oncology targets. Its lead programs focus on important nodes in cancer biology, including DNA damage repair, innate immunity, and RNA epigenetics, and expand upon insights from over 20 years of work by the founders at predecessor companies. 858 Therapeutics is funded by leading biotechnology investors, including Versant Ventures, NEA, Cormorant Asset Management, and Logos Capital. 858 is headquartered in the biotech hub of San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit www.8five8tx.com.
