On November 30, 2020 Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRSN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing a pipeline of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting cancers in areas of high unmet medical need, reported the appointment of Arvin Yang, M.D., Ph.D., as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer effective immediately (Press release, Mersana Therapeutics, NOV 30, 2020, View Source [SID1234571968]). Dr. Yang succeeds Dirk Huebner, M.D., who has stepped down as Chief Medical Officer but will remain with the Company until January 15, 2021, to assist with a smooth transition.
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"We are excited to welcome Arvin to our leadership team as we enter this next crucial and exciting stage for Mersana," said Anna Protopapas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mersana Therapeutics. "Arvin’s deep experience in leading late-stage global registration trials combined with his early stage and immuno-oncology experience will be instrumental in guiding the advancement of XMT-1536 into the planned fast-to-market registration-enabling study as well as driving the rest of Mersana’s first-in-class innovative pipeline."
Dr. Yang spent over a decade at Bristol Myers Squibb in various roles with increasing responsibility for the clinical development of oncology and immuno-oncology therapies. Most recently, he was Vice President and Head of Clinical Hematology, where he was responsible for the clinical development of the late stage hematology pipeline. Before that, he was Vice President and Development Lead for Melanoma and GU cancers, and played a critical role in the global approval of nivolumab and nivolumab plus ipilimumab combinations in a number of indications. Earlier, he was responsible for the nivolumab and ipilimumab life-cycle clinical development plans including those in gynecological cancers. Finally, he has held leadership roles overseeing a pipeline of early clinical programs as well as roles in medical affairs. Dr. Yang received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed training in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess, Harvard Medical School and in oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
"Mersana’s XMT-1536 is poised to make a meaningful difference for people living with ovarian cancer. I am excited about the opportunity to work with the talented Mersana team to bring this important medicine to patients," said Dr. Yang. "I am equally excited about the potential of the NaPi2b target in non-small cell lung cancer adenocarcinoma, Mersana’s robust pipeline of early-stage candidates developed using innovative and differentiated ADC platforms, and the potential of these candidates to make a significant impact in the lives of people living with cancer."
"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dirk for his many contributions at Mersana. Over the past two years, Dirk has played a significant role in bringing XMT-1536 to proof of concept in ovarian cancer and in building a strong clinical development team. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors," added Anna Protopapas.