Cytovia Therapeutics Mourns the Passing of Cancer Immunotherapy Industry Leader and COO Dr. Olivier Jean-Marie Gouédard

AVENTURA, Fla. and NATICK, Mass., Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cytovia Therapeutics, Inc. today released the following statement on the passing of Olivier Gouédard, PharmD, MBA, who served as its Chief Operating Officer for the past year.

We are profoundly saddened by the news of our dear friend Olivier's passing. Dr. Gouédard was an industry leader specialized in the development of novel biologics and cell therapy and the training of the next wave of industry leaders poised to transform clinical care paradigms for cancer patients.

"We want to recognize Dr. Gouédard's immense contributions to cross-functional development of transformative cell therapies," commented Dr. Daniel Teper, CEO of Cytovia Therapeutics. "Olivier was deeply passionate about his work and dedicated to bringing results to patients. He was an outstanding leader, balancing drive, discipline, and efficiency with warmth, inclusiveness, and a larger-than-life presence felt by everybody who was lucky enough to work with him. He was a mentor to many, always generous with his time. In his short tenure at Cytovia, he was able to build and drive his development team to achieve ambitious goals, implementing processes to structure program management and helping advance novel discovery towards regulatory approval to initiate clinical trials."

Gouédard received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) from the University of Rennes I (France), an advanced degree in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology from the Paris-Saclay University, and an MBA in Finance/Accounting from the Stern School of Business, New York University. Early in his career, he played a key role in the successful launch of Tricor®, a cholesterol-lowering drug which ultimately became a $1B franchise, by managing the alliance between Fournier Pharma and Abbvie. He then joined AMGEN, where he advanced through positions in Finance, Project Management, Sales, and Marketing, before moving on to Celgene (and Bristol Myers Squibb following its acquisition), where he led the successful development of and obtained early FDA approval for ABECMA™, the first BCMA CAR T cell therapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, the crowning accomplishment of his career.

Excited by the promise of NK cell therapy and the pressing, unmet medical needs it aims to address, Dr. Gouédard joined Cytovia as Chief Operating Officer in June of 2021, where he made significant contributions as a part of the leadership team and played a critical role in accelerating the development of Cytovia's pipeline towards clinical development.

Dr. Gouédard's passion and curiosity extended beyond the sciences. He was an avid fan of the arts, real estate, swimming, cycling, and horse polo – often referring to himself as a forever student of the sport - and maintained a deep bond to his home region of Brittany, France and its culture and community. He is survived by his husband Scott, who has set up the following page in his honor.

We send our deepest condolences to Olivier's colleagues, friends, and family. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on through his work and the many lives he touched. 

SOURCE Cytovia Therapeutics