XNK Therapeutics AB (“XNK”) today announced its appointment of Johan Liwing as CEO of the company and prepares for the next phase of development of its technology platform and leading drug candidate.
Liwing, has over 15 years’ experience from leading positions within the life science industry in Sweden as well as internationally. During his 13 years at Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, he held various positions in health economics, sales & marketing as well as observational research with increased responsibilities. In his last position at Janssen, as global senior director, he was responsible for developing the use of observational data.
After eight years as CEO of XNK, Karin Mellström will step down and remain as Senior Adviser.
“I am very happy to be part of XNK Therapeutics and I look forward to realizing the great potential within the company,” said Johan Liwing, CEO of XNK Therapeutics. I strongly believe that XNK Therapeutics technology platform and the leading investigational drug candidate have the ideal properties for being a critical component in tomorrow’s cancer strategies.”
“We are fortunate to have Johan step in and lead XNK Therapeutics at this critical phase in the development of our autologous NK cell therapy,” said Lena Degling Wikingsson, Chairman of XNK Therapeutics. “Johan’s strategic, clinical and marketing experiences from global pharma positions and significant network will bring important knowledge and strength to the company. At the same time, I would like to give my sincere appreciation to Karin for her great efforts to lead the company to this phase.”
During Mellström’s years as CEO the company achieved several key milestones. The company secured critical patents for its technology platform and developed its first investigational drug candidate. A First-in-Human phase I/II clinical study was conducted for the leading indication, a consolidation treatment after high dose autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma. The leading drug candidate was also granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for the treatment of multiple myeloma in Europe and XNK is planning to advance the clinical development and reach the market via accelerated/conditional approval. An ODD application was also submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
For more information, please contact:
Johan Liwing, CEO, XNK Therapeutics
Tel: +46 706 70 36 75
E-mail: johan.liwing@xnktherapeutics.com
About XNK Therapeutics AB
XNK Therapeutics is a clinical stage, immunotherapy company focusing its efforts on preventing and treating cancer by developing novel NK cell-based therapies. The company has established a leadership position in the clinical development and manufacture of autologous NK cell-based products using its proprietary technology platform. The company’s platform technology and leading investigational drug candidate have ideal properties for targeting cancers, including settings where allogeneic cell products are not readily applicable. It is foreseen that the product will bring a critical component to tomorrow’s cancer treatment strategies. XNK Therapeutics is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. For more info, please visit xnktherapeutics.com.
About XNK Therapeutics’s technology platform
The platform has ideal properties to produce autologous NK cell-based drug candidates for targeting malignant diseases across a wide range of indications in mono- and combination therapy. It encompasses a unique closed manufacturing system for development of the NK cell-based products. The process includes a selective expansion and activation of NK cells from peripheral blood of patients with cancer. The product is produced in less than three weeks. It is delivered to the clinic upon need, where the product is thawed and infused into the patient without any further processing. The product has demonstrated an up to 10-year stability in liquid nitrogen. The assets of XNK Therapeutics are protected by patents in the US, Europe and certain other jurisdictions. Additional patent applications have been filed.
