Biomica Appoints Professor Gal Markel to Company's Scientific Advisory Board

This addition to Biomica's scientific expertise will support the company's upcoming steps in its immuno-oncology clinical development program

REHOVOT, Israel, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Biomica Ltd., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative microbiome-based therapeutics, and a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. (NASDAQ: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN), today announced that Professor Gal Markel, Director of the Davidoff Cancer Center & Deputy Director General of the Rabin Medical Center at Clalit Health Services in Israel, is joining Biomica's Scientific Advisory Board.

Professor Markel is an internationally recognized expert in translational tumor immunology and clinical immuno-oncology. He brings a wealth of knowledge, as an expert in clinical and investigational Immuno-Oncology with broad experience in integrative platforms. He is Professor of Tumor Immunology in the Faculty of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University. He is the author of more than 130 peer-reviewed papers and the inventor of more than 20 patents. Prof. Markel co-founded BTC (acquired by DSPG in 2011), was the scientific founder and Chief Scientific Officer of cCAM Biotherapeutics (acquired by Merck & Co in 2015) and 4C Biomed. He holds a PhD and MD from the Hebrew University, an MBA from the IDC and medical oncology training at Sheba Medical Center.

In addition, Professor Markel was the principal investigator of a groundbreaking investigator-initiated study, which demonstrated for the first time, that melanoma immunotherapy can be successfully boosted by changing the gut microbiome (via Fecal Microbiota Transplantation). In this trial, it was shown that some patients with metastatic melanoma refractory to immunotherapy, had an objective tumor regression if immunotherapy was paired with a microbiome therapy from a metastatic melanoma donor who had achieved a complete response on immunotherapy. Professor Markel was the senior and corresponding author of the article published in Science on December 2021, depicting the results of this trial.

Professor Gal Markel said: "I am very excited to join Biomica's superb team and contribute to the development of its unique microbiome-based therapeutics for cancer patients. I am looking forward to embarking on this fantastic joint journey."

Professor Yehuda Ringel, CSO and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board, commented: "I am very pleased that Professor Markel has chosen to join our advisory board. As an internationally renowned expert in the immune-oncology field, I am convinced he will be an invaluable asset and strong contributor to Biomica and its future success. I wholeheartedly welcome Gal to Biomica and look forward to working closely with him."

About Biomica

Biomica is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative microbiome-based therapeutics utilizing a dedicated Computational Predictive Biology platform (CPB), licensed from Evogene Ltd. Biomica aims to identify and characterize disease-related microbiome entities and to develop novel therapeutics based on these understandings. The company is focused on the development of therapies for antibiotic resistant bacteria, immuno-oncology, and microbiome-related gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Biomica is a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. (NASDAQ: EVGN, TASE: EVGN). For more information, please visit www.biomicamed.com.

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SOURCE Biomica Ltd.