HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 2015--
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:BLCM), a clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel
cellular immunotherapies, today announced the appointment of Alan K.
Smith, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President of Manufacturing.
“We are pleased to welcome an executive with Alan’s level of expertise
in the cellular immunotherapy field,” said Tom Farrell, Bellicum’s
President and Chief Executive Officer. “His experience in clinical
process and systems development, and cGMP manufacturing and quality,
will be instrumental in helping us to advance our pipeline of cellular
immunotherapies for cancers and orphan inherited blood disorders.”
Dr. Smith joins the Company with over 30 years of experience in cellular
therapeutics, during which time he served in various leadership roles in
Research and Development, Manufacturing and Quality. Most recently, he
was Vice President of Research & Development and Cellular Therapeutics
at LifeNet Health, an organ procurement organization and tissue bank,
and its wholly owned subsidiary, The Institute of Regenerative Medicine,
a global research center focused on innovations in cellular therapies
and tissue engineering.
Previously, Dr. Smith served as a consultant to the cell therapy
industry, contributing to over 25 successful FDA regulatory submissions
for cell therapy products and devices. He also served as President and
Chief Executive Officer of Cognate BioServices, Inc., a contract service
provider performing R&D and contract manufacturing for clients
developing cellular therapies in regenerative medicine for cancer,
immunotherapy, cardiovascular and neurological applications. Previously,
he was the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Research
& Development at Osiris Therapeutics, where he created clinical
processes and systems to deliver cell and gene therapies for
hematopoietic, cardiovascular, immunotherapy and orthopedic
applications. Earlier in his career, Dr. Smith led R&D functions for
Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (now Vericel Corporation), Geneic Sciences,
Inc. and Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Immunotherapy Division.
Dr. Smith is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biology and
Molecular Cell Biology at Eastern Virginia Medical School and has
previously held adjunct professorships at California State University
Long Beach and Utah State University. Dr. Smith earned his Bachelor of
Science in Chemistry at Southern Utah State College and his doctorate in
Biochemistry at Utah State University.
About Bellicum Pharmaceuticals
Bellicum is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on
discovering and developing novel cellular immunotherapies for various
forms of cancer, including hematological cancers and solid tumors, as
well as orphan inherited blood disorders. The Company is using its
proprietary Chemical Induction of Dimerization, or CID, technology
platform to engineer and control components of the immune system in real
time. Bellicum is developing next-generation product candidates in some
of the most important areas of cellular immunotherapy, including
hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and CAR T and TCR cell
therapies. More information can be found at www.bellicum.com.
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Source: Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Investors:
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals
Alan Musso,
832-384-1116
CFO
amusso@bellicum.com
or
Media:
BMC
Communications
Brad Miles, 646-513-3125
bmiles@bmccommunications.com
