Immune Design Corp. Appoints Wayne R. Gombotz, Ph.D. as Chief Development Officer

SEATTLE, Dec. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Immune Design Corp. announced today that Wayne R. Gombotz, Ph.D. has joined the company as its new Chief Development Officer.  Dr. Gombotz brings a significant amount of product development experience to this key leadership position at Immune Design.  He will oversee product development and manufacturing for Immune Design's therapeutic vaccine product candidates.

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Wayne R. Gombotz, Ph.D., most recently served as Vice President of Pharmaceutical Operations at Omeros Corporation from 2005 to 2011. He was responsible for product development and manufacturing for Omeros' pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical technology platforms.  Prior to this, from 2002 to 2005, Dr. Gombotz was Vice President of Process Science and Pharmaceutical Development at Corixa Corporation.  During the three years he spent at Corixa, he built and led a team that championed immunotherapeutic products.  Corixa was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline plc in 2005.  Prior to joining Corixa, Dr. Gombotz served as a Senior Director of Analytical Chemistry and Formulation at Amgen (formerly Immunex) from 1995 to 2002 where he played a major role in the development and launch of ENBREL®.  He has 25 years of experience providing technical and administrative direction of clinical and commercial manufacturing operations, process development, and process validation functions.  Dr. Gombotz received Ph.D. and M.S. in bioengineering from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, and received his B.A. in biology from Colby College, Waterville, ME.

"Wayne brings an exceptional and seasoned skill set to Immune Design with very unique capabilities," stated Carlos V. Paya, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. "As we looked to expand our leadership team, we sought someone who we believed would bring a unique viewpoint to our research team and be capable of applying that vision to the multidimensional challenge of vaccine discovery and development.  Wayne is exactly that kind of leader."

Dr. Gombotz commented, "I am excited about the opportunity to join Immune Design.  The company has several key technology platforms that provide it with the potential to become a major player in the development of novel vaccines."

About Immune Design Corp.

Immune Design is a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Seattle, Washington, and formed in 2008 to bring together some of the world's leaders in the field of molecular immunology to develop vaccines for the treatment and prevention of infectious and malignant disease.  The company employs advanced and leading edge methods to precisely control the activation and context of antigen presentation by dendritic cells in order to shape the desired adaptive immune response.  This goal is accomplished through the application of two proprietary technology platforms that activate the immune system by distinct mechanisms.

Additional information can be found on the company's website at www.immunedesign.com.

Contact Media:

Cassie Ostrander 206-826-7901 or [email protected]

SOURCE Immune Design Corp.