Dynavax Names Martin E. Sanders, M.D. Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer
BERKELEY, Calif., Feb 25, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Dynavax Technologies (Nasdaq:DVAX) today announced that Dr. Martin E. Sanders has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer. Sanders will direct Dynavax's product development programs, including pre-clinical, process development, clinical, and regulatory activities.
Dr. Sanders joins Dynavax from Palingen, Inc., an early clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 2004 to 2007. From 2004 to 2007, he also was a Venture Partner and Partner at Charter Life Sciences, a healthcare venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, CA. For the last 15 years, Dr. Sanders has consulted for approximately 50 leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Genentech, Amgen, BiogenIDEC, Elan, and Centocor, on many key programs, nine of which have led to product approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He received a BA in microbiology from the University of Missouri and an MD from the University of Chicago. He served as an intern and resident in Internal Medicine at Barnes Hospital, Washington University Medical Center. Dr. Sanders was a Medical Staff Fellow at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and at the National Cancer Institute where he made major basic research contributions in elucidating the mechanisms of leukocyte adhesion, and immunologic memory. He also was a rheumatology fellow at the Johns Hopkins Medical School. He holds American Board Certifications in Internal Medicine, Allergy & Clinical Immunology, and Rheumatology.
"Marty brings to Dynavax key product development expertise. As the company focuses on transitioning clinical candidates to commercial products, his experience is particularly relevant. Marty has worked on products across a broad range of therapeutic categories, including rheumatology, allergy, immunology, dermatology, oncology and infectious disease. We believe his contributions will be broadly applicable to Dynavax's TLR9-based technologies, both in managing the development of our advanced product candidates and other areas where this powerful technology has the potential to reprogram the immune system and change the way diseases are treated," said Dino Dina, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer.
About Dynavax
Dynavax Technologies Corporation discovers, develops, and intends to commercialize innovative TLR9 agonist-based products to treat and prevent infectious diseases, allergies, cancer, and chronic inflammatory diseases using versatile, proprietary approaches that alter immune system responses in highly specific ways. Our TLR9 agonists are based on immunostimulatory sequences, or ISS, which are short DNA sequences that enhance the ability of the immune system to fight disease and control chronic inflammation. Our product candidates include: HEPLISAV(TM), a hepatitis B vaccine in Phase 3 partnered with Merck & Co., Inc.; TOLAMBA(TM), a ragweed allergy immunotherapy in Phase 2; a therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer in Phase 1; and a therapy for hepatitis B in Phase 1. Our preclinical asthma and COPD program is partnered with AstraZeneca. The NIH partially funds our preclinical work on a vaccine for influenza. SDI funds our colorectal cancer and hepatitis C therapeutic programs, and Deerfield Management has committed funding for our allergy programs. While Deerfield, NIH and SDI provide program support, Dynavax has retained rights to seek strategic partners for future development and commercialization. For more information, please visit http://www.dynavax.com.
SOURCE: Dynavax Technologies
Dynavax Technologies Shari Annes, 650-888-0902 Corporate Communications sannes@dynavax.com
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