KaliVir Immunotherapeutics Appoints Viral Immunotherapy Researcher Grant McFadden, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors

PITTSBURGH, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KaliVir Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a biotech company developing cutting-edge, multi-mechanistic oncolytic viral immunotherapy programs, today announced the appointment of Grant McFadden, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. McFadden joins the Board as an independent director.

McFadden is the director of the Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy and a Professor at Arizona State University. McFadden's lab pioneered the field of viral immune subversion (also called "anti-immunology") and is credited with the discovery of a wide spectrum of virus-derived inhibitors of the immune system. He was co-founder and Board member of OncoMyx Therapeutics and has served on advisory boards for numerous companies including Jennerex, DNAtrix and IMV. A recognized international expert, McFadden is a former President of the American Society of Virology, a member of the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses, advisor to the World Health Organization Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and the American Academy of Microbiology. He received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from McGill University. 

"KaliVir has exciting technology and a stellar team and I am honored to join its Board of Directors as the company progresses its first candidate into the clinic," said McFadden. "KaliVir's approach to immunotherapy combines the natural ability of certain viruses to kill cancer cells with novel mechanisms to stimulate anti-tumor immunity, notably, with the ability to do so intravenously. This is a critical advantage and I look forward to being part of the team to advance this important science."

"With extensive knowledge about viral immunology, Dr. McFadden is a highly respected leader in the field and the ideal addition to our Board of Directors at this exciting stage of growth," said Helena Chaye, PhD, JD, Chief Executive Officer of KaliVir. "His counsel and expertise will be invaluable as we advance our lead candidate, VET3-TGI, toward the clinic and continue to collaborate with our partners."

About KaliVir Immunotherapeutics, Inc.

KaliVir Immunotherapeutics is a privately held biotech company developing cutting-edge, multi-mechanistic oncolytic viral immunotherapy programs. The company has developed a unique vaccinia virus-based platform, Vaccinia Enhanced Template "VET" Platform, that can generate potent novel oncolytic vaccinia viruses with modifications to maximize viral replication and to enhance intravenous delivery and spread. VET™ platform utilizes the large transgene capacity of the vaccinia virus to deliver therapeutics matched to tumor immunophenotypes to stimulate patients' immune systems and modify the tumor microenvironment. KaliVir's oncolytic virus candidates are designed to be safe, potent and systemically deliverable to treat cancer patients across multiple tumor types. KaliVir has separate collaborations with Roche and Astellas Pharma to design and generate novel oncolytic vaccinia viruses derived from the VET™ platform. In addition, Astellas entered into a world-wide exclusive license to develop and commercialize KaliVir's initial lead clinical candidate VET2-L2 oncolytic vaccinia virus. KaliVir is currently advancing multiple therapeutic candidates toward the clinic. For more information, please visit www.kalivir.com.

Media Contact:
Michael Falcone
MacDougall Advisors
[email protected]
781-591-3448

SOURCE KaliVir Immunotherapeutics