Convergent Therapeutics Appoints Philip Kantoff, M.D. as Chief Executive Officer

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Convergent Therapeutics, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing next generation radiopharmaceutical therapies for prostate and other cancers, today announced that Philip Kantoff, M.D., a world-renowned medical oncologist, former Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and Co-Founder of Convergent, has been appointed as the company's Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2021.

Convergent has exclusive rights to a next generation radiopharmaceutical therapy for prostate cancer developed by Dr. Neil H. Bander, the Bernard & Josephine Chaus Professor of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine, and licensed from Cornell University. The cornerstone of Convergent's radionuclide therapy (RNT) is based on the premise that the simultaneous co-targeting of surface molecules with both antibodies and small molecule ligands carrying payloads, including alpha and beta radioisotopes, will synergistically eradicate cancer cells in patients with advanced cancers.

"Phil's appointment as Chief Executive Officer marks a seminal moment for Convergent. Assuming this role validates his strong belief in the potential of Convergent Therapeutics and its development of new radiopharmaceutical therapies," stated Dr. Bander. "Throughout Phil's career, he has been instrumental in advancing research programs which have led to biologic insights, new treatment strategies and produced multiple cancer related treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. To have a leader of his caliber at the helm of Convergent's management team is a real coup and will prove invaluable as the company advances its treatment strategy and lead asset, CONV 01-α, as a potentially ground-breaking treatment for prostate cancer."

"My decision to lead Convergent was driven by the opportunity to accelerate the development of precision radiopharmaceuticals, including CONV 01-α, with the goal of producing highly transformative treatments for patients with prostate and other cancers," stated Dr. Kantoff. "Dr. Bander has pioneered the clinical validation of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and PSMA-targeted therapeutics (radionuclides and antibody drug conjugates) and the revolutionary approach he has developed has the power to translate into meaningful clinical benefits for thousands of patients. The preclinical and clinical data using antibodies and small molecule ligands with various payloads are compelling, and I look forward to working closely with Convergent's team and Dr. Bander to leverage his discoveries as we progress our clinical pipeline."     

Prior to joining Convergent, Dr. Kantoff spent six years as Chairman of the Department of Medicine at MSK, where he oversaw a department of more than 450 physicians and physician-scientists, caring for cancer patients and developing improved testing and cancer therapies. Previously, he was the Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Chair at Harvard Medical School running the Solid Tumor Oncology Division, and he served as Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In those positions, Dr. Kantoff oversaw robust programs of clinical care and research as well as laboratory research. His lab focused on the genetics and genetic epidemiology of prostate cancer, mechanisms of resistance to therapies, and the role of noncoding RNAs in prostate cancer as well as the discovery of biomarkers that may be useful prognostic tools and/or therapeutic targets. During this time, he served as a clinical researcher and principal investigator in significant trials devoted to the development of new therapeutic targets for men with advanced prostate cancer and, throughout his tenure at Dana-Farber, he helped to set broad clinical research priorities.

Dr. Kantoff is a member of numerous professional societies and editorial boards, has written more than 500 articles and books and has lectured throughout the world.

Among his significant accomplishments, Dr. Kantoff was honored with the Baruj Benacerraf Clinical Investigator Award from 1994 to 1997 and the Harvard Medical School Kantoff-Sang Lectureship Award from 2011 through the present time.  He was also recognized with the first Prostate Cancer Foundation Mentor of Excellence Award and has been named to the second-year class of "Giants in Cancer Care."

Dr. Kantoff is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. He earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees from Brown University, after which he was chief resident at New York University-Bellevue Hospital. He completed his research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and his medical oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

About Convergent Therapeutics

Convergent Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing next generation radiopharmaceutical therapies for prostate and other cancers. The company's proprietary technology involves dual-targeted radionuclide therapy (RNT) developed by Dr. Neil Bander, Professor of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine and licensed to Convergent by Cornell University. CONV 01-α, a monoclonal antibody conjugated with 225Ac, a radioactive alpha particle emitter, was specifically designed to bind to the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). A key functional feature of CONV 01-α is that, once bound to PSMA, it becomes internalized, thereby delivering its powerful radioactive payload directly into the prostate cancer cells. CONV 01-α is covered by multiple issued U.S. and foreign patents. If FDA-approved, CONV 01-α would be the first antibody approved to direct a radioisotope to prostate cancer, and the first drug approved for the use of 225Ac in a cancer treatment.

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SOURCE Convergent Therapeutics