Epsilogen Appoints Ashley Nagle as Chief Business Officer and Peter Finan as Non-Executive Chairman as Part of Broader Company Expansion
01 May 2024 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
Ashley brings over 25 years’ experience in
business and strategy development within the biopharmaceutical
industry
Will spearhead partnering discussions as the
company enters the next phase of its growth
Appointment is part of a broader expansion of
Epsilogen’s team, facilities and core competencies
Dr David Chiswell is stepping down for personal
reasons and will be replaced by current board member Dr Peter
Finan
Epsilogen, a global leader in the development of immunoglobulin
E (IgE) antibodies to treat cancer, today announces the
appointments of Ashley Nagle as Chief Business Officer (CBO) and
Peter Finan, currently a Non-Executive Director, as Non-Executive
Chairman. The changes are made with immediate effect as part of a
broader company expansion.
Ashley brings over 25 years of experience leading business and
strategy development, licensing and deal-making within the
biopharmaceutical industry. Most recently, Ashley served as VP of
Business Development at RemedyBio, a discovery and development
precision immunotherapy company. During his career Mr Nagle has
worked with both small and large organisations, including Lonza
Biologics, Almac Sciences, Fulcrum Pharma, OncoSynergy, NexGenix
and SeaGull Therapeutics, where he was Chief Executive Officer.
Ashley holds a BSc in Chemistry from University College Cork, an
MSc in Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Sciences from the
University of Aberdeen and an MBA from the University of
Lincoln.
Ashley’s appointment comes amidst a broader company expansion
that will enable Epsilogen to unlock the potential of both IgE
antibodies and their engineered derivatives as an entirely new
treatment modality for patients with cancer. Since the start of
2023, the company has expanded its management team with the
appointments of Nick Robbins-Cherry as CFO, Andrew Calam as VP of
Clinical Operations and Elizabeth Hardaker as VP of Biology. Over
this period, Epsilogen has also built a world class scientific team
based in state-of-the-art laboratories in West London. This
investment has added internal core competencies in antibody
discovery, evaluation, engineering, production and pharmacological
assessment, all complementing its existing expertise within the IgE
field.
Pete replaces Dave Chiswell as Non-Executive Chairman, who is
stepping down for personal reasons after five years in the role.
Pete has more than 30 years’ experience in drug discovery within
the biopharmaceutical industry and is a Partner at Epidarex
Capital. During his career Pete has also served as Global Head of
the Respiratory Disease Area and Site Head for the Novartis
Institute of BioMedical Research in the UK and as Executive
Director of the Novartis Developmental and Molecular Pathways
Platform based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Pete holds a BSc and
Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of
Leeds.
Dr Tim Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Epsilogen,
commented: “I am delighted to welcome Ashley to the Epsilogen
team. He has an excellent track record in business development
within the biopharmaceutical industry and we expect his experience
and insights to have an immediate impact. Epsilogen has made
substantial progress over the last 12 months on all fronts and
Ashley will spearhead our partnering discussions going forward.
I would like to thank Dave for all his passion and hard work in
guiding Epsilogen as Non-Executive Chair over the last five years.
His wealth of experience has been invaluable to the progress we
have made so far, and we wish him the very best for the future. At
the same time, I would like to welcome Pete on stepping up into the
role. Pete has been a key member of the Epsilogen team for many
years and was pivotal in its formation.”
Ashley Nagle, Chief Business Officer of Epsilogen, added:
“I am excited to be joining a company with such a potentially
disruptive therapeutic approach and one that has already generated
encouraging early clinical and preclinical data. I look forward to
working closely with Tim and the rest of the team to fully unlock
the value of this class of antibodies and leverage my strategy and
business development expertise to drive Epsilogen forward.”
Dr Dave Chiswell, outgoing Non-Executive Chairman of
Epsilogen, said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all of
the Epsilogen team and am proud of what we have achieved together.
The company is in excellent hands and is in a good position to
execute the next phase of its development, as it pursues its
ambition to revolutionise cancer treatment with IgE
antibodies.”
About Epsilogen Ltd
Epsilogen is a global leader in the development of
immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to treat cancer. IgE’s natural
function is to provide immunological defence against certain
parasites. This functionality makes it an ideal treatment of solid
tumours due to its strong potency, enhanced tumour access and long
tissue half-life.
Epsilogen’s lead product candidate, MOv18 IgE, is the first
therapeutic IgE antibody to enter the clinic and encouraging data
from a completed Phase I trial demonstrated MOv18 IgE to be safe
and well tolerated with early signs of clinical activity. Epsilogen
has recently successfully completed large scale GMP manufacture of
MOv18 IgE (the first time this has been achieved for an IgE
antibody) and will initiate a Phase Ib trial in Platinum Resistant
Ovarian Cancer Patients later this year. The company is also
developing a proprietary IgEG antibody platform combining elements
from both IgE and IgG antibodies into novel and proprietary
antibody molecules with enhanced functionality.
Epsilogen began operations in 2017 as a spin-out of King’s
College London and has attracted venture capital financing from
Epidarex Capital, Novartis Venture Fund, 3B Future Health, British
Patient Capital, ALSA Ventures and Schroders Capital amongst
others. Find out more at epsilogen.com.
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Communications advisor to Epsilogen Ltd: Simon Conway Senior
Managing Director FTI Consulting epsilogen@fticonsulting.com +44
(0)20 3727 1000