Ambrx Appoints Peter Kiener, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ambrx today announced the appointment of Peter Kiener, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer. Dr. Kiener brings decades of expertise in the development of next-generation biologic therapeutics, including multi-specific, antibody based biologics while president, chief executive officer and cofounder of Zyngenia.

"Dr. Kiener has an impressive track record of working with cutting-edge technologies, and the addition of his expertise will help Ambrx further advance its pipeline of antibody drug conjugate (ADC) and bispecific antibody therapeutics," said Lawson Macartney, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Ambrx. "We aim to capitalize on the momentum gained from the four partnerships we've formed in the past year to grow our internal pipeline, while also continuing our streak of deal-making activities for our next-generation technology."

Added Dr. Kiener, "Based on my review of the company's data and ongoing collaborations, Ambrx's protein medicinal chemistry platform technology has shown its vast potential for the development of best-in-class ADCs and bispecific antibodies. I look forward to advancing the technology and supporting ongoing partnership activities as interest in the space continues to grow."

As cofounder of Zyngenia, Dr. Kiener led the company through its early stages of development, including validating the technology platform, identifying and advancing lead programs as well as securing Series A funding. Prior to cofounding Zyngenia, Dr. Kiener was the executive vice president and global head of biologics research and development at MedImmune, AstraZeneca's biologics arm. In this role, he built industry leading protein and antibody engineering capabilities as well as oversaw the submission of multiple INDs and NDAs. Prior to MedImmune, Dr. Kiener held multiple positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb over an 18 year tenure, ten years of which were spent working on biological therapeutics. Dr. Kiener has published more than 120 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is an inventor on more than 30 patents and patent applications. He holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Lancaster and a doctorate of philosophy from the University of Oxford.

About Ambrx

Ambrx Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company using an expanded genetic code to create best-in-class biotherapeutics, including ADCs, bispecific antibodies and proteins with improved pharmacologic properties. The company is developing ARX201, a long-acting growth hormone that has successfully completed Phase 2b clinical trials. In addition to its most recent ADC collaborations with Merck, Astellas, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Zhejiang Medicine Co. Ltd. (ZMC), Ambrx has collaborations to discover and develop products incorporating Ambrx technology with Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and several undisclosed companies. Ambrx is advancing a robust portfolio of product candidates that are optimized for efficacy, safety and ease of use in multiple therapeutic areas.

For additional information, visit www.ambrx.com.

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SOURCE Ambrx