Chris Takimoto, MD, PhD, Physician-Scientist and Oncology Drug Developer, Joins Thetis Pharmaceuticals Scientific Advisory Board (12/2/2021)
RIDGEFIELD, CT – (December 2, 2021) – Thetis Pharmaceuticals LLC (“Thetis”), a biopharmaceutical company developing immunoresolving myeloid agonists to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases, announced today that Dr. Chris Takimoto has joined its Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Takimoto is a physician scientist with expertise in cancer drug development.
Gary Mathias, Chief Executive Officer of Thetis, commented, “Dr. Takimoto brings unique oncology experience spanning large pharmaceutical and biotech companies, academia and public service. Chris previously led the clinical development of Magrolimab, which blocks the “don’t eat me” signal that enables cancer cells to evade immune surveillance. His experience is directly relevant to development of our first-in-class Resolvin drug, TP-317, which reprograms immune cells in the tumor microenvironment to inhibit tumor growth, metastasis and resistance.”
Dr. Takimoto added, “TP-317 offers a highly differentiated strategy to activate innate immunity, which is an exciting new target in cancer research. Emerging data also suggest that Resolvins prime T-cells to promote adaptive anti-tumor immunity. Based on this novel biology, Resolvins offer a potentially transformative approach as adjuvant therapy to checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy, with therapeutic potential across a range of solid tumor cancers.”
Dr. Takimoto joins the Thetis SAB with 30 years of experience in cancer research and development. He currently is the Chief Medical Officer of IGM Biosciences and previously served as Senior Vice President, Oncology for Gilead Sciences following Gilead’s acquisition of Forty Seven, the biotechnology company that developed Magrolimab, where he served as Chief Medical Officer. Prior to his role at Forty Seven, Dr. Takimoto held senior positions in early drug development in cancer at Janssen Research and Development and Ortho Biotech Oncology Research and Development. Dr. Takimoto received a B.S. in Chemistry from Stanford University, a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Yale University, an M.D. from Yale School of Medicine, and completed an oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute.
About TP-317
TP-317 is a patent-protected small molecule drug that delivers Resolvin E1 (RvE1), a lipid mediator that actively coordinates the return to immune homeostasis. Unlike anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-cancer agents that are immuno-suppressive, TP-317 modulates innate and adaptive immune pathways to treat disease without compromising host-protective immunity.
Cancer Program: In cancer, TP-317 is being developed as an adjunct to immune checkpoint inhibitors in refractory metastatic melanoma and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and as adjunct to second line chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer. Subcutaneous TP-317 has demonstrated potent single agent activity in melanoma, lung and pancreatic cancer tumor models, and enhanced efficacy when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors or chemotherapy in “immune cold” and immune-responsive tumors. In the same studies, TP-317 has been shown to promote myeloid cell antigen presentation functions and increased expression of an IFN-y gene signature in the TME, which may contribute to TP-317’s robust anti-tumoral effects.
IBD Program: In inflammatory bowel disease, TP-317 is being developed as a first-line oral therapy for mild-to-moderate Crohn’s disease and as second-line oral therapy for mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis patients who are not well controlled on 5-ASA or corticosteroids. In colitis models, oral TP-317 dosed once daily has shown efficacy in DSS, TNBS, TNFΔARE and T-cell transfer colitis models. In DSS-induced colitis, TP-317 has shown comparable efficacy to 5-ASA and the JAK inhibitor filgotinib and enhanced efficacy when combined with 5-ASA. Mechanistically, RvE1 has demonstrated the unique ability to shift the inflamed mucosa towards immune homeostasis and promotes intestinal barrier repair, a key driver and measure of efficacy in human IBD.
About Thetis Pharmaceuticals
Thetis is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from cancer and autoimmune diseases. Thetis’ proprietary HEALER™ technology platform enables the pharmaceutical development of Resolvins, a class of endogenous lipid mediators that regulate immune homeostasis and inflammation resolution. Application of our HEALER technology to Resolvins unlocks their robust pharmacology for development as first-in-class small molecule drugs.
Disclaimer
TP-317 is an investigational drug product that has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Contact Information
Gary Mathias, CEO
gmathias@thetispharma.com