MAIA Biotechnology Appoints Leading Immuno-Oncology Scientist Dr. Remus Vezan as Scientific Advisor

• New Scientific Advisory Board member played instrumental role in FDA approval and commercialization of multiple blockbuster products
  

CHICAGO, IL, Feb. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MAIA Biotechnology, Inc., (NYSE American: MAIA) (“MAIA”, the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing targeted immunotherapies for cancer, today announced the appointment of immuno-oncology leader Remus Vezan, M.D., Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

With over 20 years of academic and biopharmaceutical industry experience, Dr. Vezan is a highly regarded leader in drug development of novel therapeutic modalities, including cell and gene therapies, and played a pivotal role in the development and approval of CAR-T cell products TECARTUS and YESCARTA (Gilead), and kinase inhibitor IMBRUVICA (AbbVie). Dr. Vezan currently serves as Vice President, Global Clinical Development at BeiGene.

“Dr. Vezan holds vast experience in guiding oncology assets through all stages of development, from research to clinical strategies and registration. His extensive engagement with the regulatory agencies to maximize clinical and commercial opportunities has been instrumental in garnering multiple FDA and global approvals for novel therapies including biologics and CAR-T cell products,” said Vlad Vitoc, M.D., MAIA’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “It is a pleasure to welcome Remus to the MAIA franchise, where he will provide valued guidance along our pathway to approval and commercialization of our lead candidate THIO.”

Previously, as executive director of clinical development at Kite Pharma (Gilead Sciences), Dr. Vezan was primarily responsible for managing and overseeing the clinical development of CART-cell products, including axi-cell/YESCARTA, the first CART-cell therapy approved for relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma, and brexu-cell/TECARTUS, the first CART-cell therapy approved for mantle cell lymphoma and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Earlier, Remus served as Medical Director at Pharmacyclics, an AbbVie Company, where he was the clinical lead for IMBRUVICA in lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas.

Dr. Vezan’s therapeutic expertise includes both hematology and oncology, with various treatment modalities including next generation small molecules and adaptive cellular therapies (CAR-T, NK, autologous, allogeneic).

Dr. Remus Vezan commented, “It is my pleasure and privilege to join MAIA as scientific advisor and support the efforts of the MAIA team in advancing the clinical development of its first-in-class telomere targeting agent. THIO is a next generation asset with the potential to provide meaningful clinical benefit to many patients with malignancies.”