Centessa Pharmaceuticals Announces Additions to Senior Leadership Team

BOSTON and LONDON, Oct. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: CNTA), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that aims to discover and develop medicines that are transformational for patients, today announced the appointment of April Dovholuk and Ellie Im, MD to Centessa’s executive team as Senior Vice President of Development Operations and Senior Vice President of Clinical Development, Oncology, respectively. In these newly created roles, Ms. Dovholuk will lead both Centessa’s global Clinical Trials and Development Operations teams, and Dr. Im will manage clinical development of the Company’s Oncology programs based on the LockBody technology platform.

“We are thrilled to welcome two new accomplished and experienced leaders to the Centessa executive team at this exciting juncture when we have SerpinPC in global registrational studies for the treatment of hemophilia B; LB101, our first LockBody candidate in a Phase 1/2a first-in-human trial for the treatment of solid tumors; and, ORX750, our development candidate for narcolepsy and other sleep/wake disorders in IND-enabling studies,” said Saurabh Saha MD PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Centessa. “April has an impressive track record in global clinical trial strategy and execution across all stages of drug development. Ellie is a physician scientist and recognized leader in oncology clinical development and medical affairs. April and Ellie further strengthen the clinical and operational teams across our company and position us well as we look to advance current and future clinical programs across our portfolio.”

Ms. Dovholuk is an experienced global operational leader. Prior to joining Centessa, Ms. Dovholuk was Senior Vice President, Clinical Development Operations at Replimune where she led teams in clinical operations, data management, process improvement and CRO management. Ms. Dovholuk also spent 10 years with Takeda Oncology in various clinical operations roles supporting development operations and managing multiple assets throughout the drug development process. Ms. Dovholuk holds a BS from Cornell University.

Dr. Im is an experienced drug developer and leader. She most recently served as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Operations at Mersana Therapeutics Inc. Previously, Dr. Im was Clinical Development Lead and Senior Medical Director at Tesaro Inc., an oncology-focused company that was later acquired by GlaxoSmithKline plc. She also served as Medical Director for Merck & Co, Oncology Clinical Development where she was medical lead for the KEYNOTE-010 and –021 studies. Dr. Im is a medical oncologist and holds an MD from Catholic University College of Medicine, South Korea. She is Board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology and a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and Hematology.