MONTREAL–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Antibodies–Ability Biotherapeutics, a next-generation biotherapeutics company developing logic-gated antibodies for safer and more effective immunotherapies, announces the appointment of Dr. John Burke and Dr. Alan Korman to its Scientific Advisory Board.
Dr. Alan Korman, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at BlueSphere Bio, is a recognized world pioneer in immunology and cancer immunology with over 30 years of experience in the industry. Prior to joining BlueSphere, he served as the Senior Vice-President of Human Immunology at Vir Biotechnology. Before that, Dr. Korman was the Vice-President of Immuno-Oncology Discovery at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS). Earlier, he worked at Medarex in various roles including Vice-President of Discovery Research. While at BMS and Medarex, Dr. Korman led the discovery of the immune checkpoint approaches for cancer immune therapy, including the world’s first inhibitor ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4 Yervoy®), the world’s first PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (anti-PD-1 Opdivo®) and its combination with ipilimumab, as well as the world’s first LAG-3 inhibitor relatlimab (anti-LAG-3) in combination with nivolumab. His work has meaningfully advanced the field of cancer therapy and greatly impacted the life of countless cancer patients. Furthermore, Alan’s experience in developing pH-based biotherapeutics will be critical as Ability expands its portfolio of best-in-class logic-gated T cell engagers.
Dr. John Burke, Ph.D., is an entrepreneur, pioneer, and leader in the biotech and systems pharmacology industries. He is currently the Chief Pharmacology Officer at Reverb Therapeutics. Prior to that, he was the Chief Executive Officer and cofounder of Applied BioMath, which after 10 years became the world’s largest systems pharmacology tech-backed service provider and global leader in systems pharmacology software development. Applied BioMath was acquired by Certara in Dec 2023, and subsequently John became Vice-President of Quantitative Systems Pharmacology Consultancy. Prior to Applied BioMath, he led the Systems Modeling group at Boehringer Ingelheim. John is a member of the Drug Discovery Advisory Council for the Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI), is on several SABs at small start-up biotechs, and periodically teaches courses geared towards upper-level undergraduate and graduate students at local universities. John’s work with Ability will be critical to the rapid progression of programs to the clinic.
Alan and John join a distinguished group of advisors that provides the critical scientific foundation guiding Ability’s pipeline.
“We are thrilled to welcome two global leaders in their fields to our Scientific Advisory Board,” said Giles Day, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Ability Biotherapeutics. “Drs. Korman and Burke’s expertise in their respective fields is unsurpassed and will be invaluable as we advance toward the clinic, ensuring our programs are built on the strongest scientific insights to deliver transformative therapies for patients.”
As Ability Biotherapeutics moves toward clinical development, the company will continue to leverage the guidance of its Scientific Advisory Board to advance its mission of developing safer, more effective immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. To learn more about Ability Biotherapeutics and its AbiLeap™ platform, please visit www.ability.bio
About Ability Biotherapeutics
Ability Biotherapeutics is the next-generation biotherapeutics company developing logic-gated antibodies with exceptional contextual selectivity and stability, driving safer, more effective immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. Its proprietary platform, AbiLeap™, uses generative AI powered by one of the largest and exclusively held, therapeutically relevant human antibody databases, providing distinct insights for sequence space exploration. Combining AI with in vitro display and screening technologies, AbiLeap™ generates fully human antibodies that are conditionally activated and multi-specific, directing therapeutic targeting to specific cells and disease sites. This approach enables solutions for indications with high unmet clinical needs by reducing toxicity and significantly broadening the therapeutic window, maximizing treatment benefits. Ability’s experienced team is committed to revolutionizing targeted therapeutics to transform patient outcomes and redefine industry standards. www.ability.bio
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Stéphanie Bilodeau
Communication Advisor
Ability Biotherapeutics
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