PRESS RELEASE
Bastion Therapeutics announces Board appointments including leading experts in cellular immunotherapy, biotech investment, and immunology to work together in bringing innovative Treg cell therapies to the clinic
London, 26 September 2023 - Bastion Therapeutics (“Bastion”), a new leader in Treg technology for the treatment of immune disorders, proudly announces the appointment of its Board of Directors. This distinguished group of accomplished leaders bring a wealth of experience in biopharmaceutical and life sciences industries, venture investment, and product development.
"Our Board of Directors reflect the depth and breadth of expertise required to advance our Treg technology”, stated Nuno Madeira do Ó, Co-Founder and CEO at Bastion Therapeutics. “At Bastion, we are dedicated to enhancing the potential of Tregs to transform the lives of patients suffering from inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases."
Bastion is poised to revolutionise the field of immunology with its cutting-edge GRIT™ platform technology, designed to engineer regulatory T cells (Tregs) for the treatment of chronic inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases. The formation of the Company's Board marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of groundbreaking Treg cell therapies.
Gregg Sando, Chair of the Board at Bastion Therapeutics, expressed his enthusiasm for the endeavour: “Bastion have developed an innovative Treg targeting platform which is highly differentiated from earlier products in this space. It will be very exciting to move this technology to the clinic and we hope to repeat the success which engineered T cells have achieved in recent cancer applications.”
With these eminent leaders at the helm, Bastion is well-positioned to achieve its vision of providing curative treatments for patients suffering from inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases.
The members of the Bastion Therapeutics' Board of Directors are as follows:
Gregg Sando, Chair of the Board: Founder and former CEO at Cell Medica and an influential figure in the field of T cell immunotherapy for cancer. Mr. Sando's extensive expertise in early-stage healthcare companies and paradigm-shifting therapies positions him as a key figure behind Bastion Therapeutics' mission.
Mohammad Khobreh, Investor Director: As Managing Partner and co-founder of NG Bio, Mr. Khobreh is a life sciences entrepreneur and investor specialising in immunology and inflammatory diseases. His biotech investment portfolio spans both therapeutics and bioprocessing, aligning perfectly with Bastion Therapeutics' vision of engineering human immune cells for the treatment of neurodegenerative, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases.
Gemma Sturt, Investor Director: Investment Manager at Pioneer Group, renowned for its mission to empower life sciences and high-tech businesses in addressing both human and planetary health challenges. Ms. Sturt's strategic acumen and experience in venture building and investment complement Bastion Therapeutics' mission to deliver life-changing therapies.
Rajat Malhotra, Investor Observer: Partner at Wren Capital, which specialises in early-stage investing in science, software, and engineering, making Mr. Malhotra's expertise in biopharma business development a valuable addition to the Board.
Nuno Madeira do Ó, Founder Director: also serves as CEO and Co-Founder of Bastion Therapeutics, brings over a decade of experience in life sciences to the Board. Dr. Madeira do Ó’s comprehensive background encompasses scientific expertise, business development, and operations, making him a driving force behind the Company's vision.
Nia Emami, Founder Director: also serves as CEO and Co-Founder of Bastion Therapeutics. Dr. Emami's impressive track record in the field of cell therapy, especially CAR/TCR therapies, positions him as a key player in the development of innovative Treg cell therapies.
“I am delighted to join the Board of Directors, where I will leverage my expertise in immunology and inflammatory diseases. I bring with me NG Bio's deep understanding of these critical areas, aiming to make the company not just successful, but also one step closer to curing diseases that currently have no cures. I've worked closely with scientific and academic founders to de-risk promising technologies from an early stage and look forward to contributing this experience to our collective vision and growth.”, stated Mohammad Khobreh, Co-Founder at NG Bio.
Gemma Sturt, Investor Director at Pioneer Group, shared her perspective: “It’s an honour to be joining Bastion Therapeutics’ Board of Directors. Pioneer Group are delighted to partner with Bastion in their ambition to develop unique advanced therapies that can potentially transform the lives of patients suffering from inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We look forward to bringing our expertise to the Bastion team and supporting the Company in navigating the next phase of its exciting growth.”
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Notes for Editors
About Bastion Therapeutics
Bastion Therapeutics is a preclinical stage biotechnology company leveraging proprietary platform technology to restore the function of Tregs in patients with a dysregulated immune condition. Bastion’s technology has been conceived and developed to overcome challenges associated with previous generations of Treg therapies. The company's vision is to provide life-changing, curative therapies for patients suffering from inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases.
Tregs can deliver a range of therapeutic benefits in a single treatment, effectively addressing the intricate and multifaceted nature of inflammatory disorders. Bastion Therapeutics' proprietary GRIT™ (Genetically Reconfigured & Improved Treg) platform technology unlocks the full potential of Tregs by addressing the fundamental challenges that have limited previous generations of Treg cell therapies. Engineered with GRIT™ technology, Tregs can sense and target inflammation at tissues of interest with high specificity, suppress dysregulated immune responses, reinforce Treg phenotype stability within inflammatory microenvironments, and promote tissue repair and regeneration.
Bastion Therapeutics is focused on developing pioneering, best-in-class Treg cell therapies, which can target the root causes of inflammatory disorders and provide long-term relief for patients. The Company is committed to addressing a wide range of inflammatory disorders, encompassing both neuroinflammatory and peripheral conditions, through their innovative Treg cell therapies. Bastion’s pipeline strategy includes both autologous and allogeneic Treg cell therapies designed to restore immune balance with remarkable precision.
For more information about Bastion Therapeutics, visit www.bastion-tx.com. Follow Bastion Therapeutics: LinkedIn
About NG Bio
NG Bio is an early-stage investor and venture builder specialising in immunology and inflammatory diseases. The company invests in therapeutics from spin-out through to seed rounds, working with scientific and academic founders, and universities to de-risk any potential technologies.
For more information about NG Bio, visit www.ngbio.co.uk. Follow NG Bio: LinkedIn
About Pioneer Group
Pioneer Group’s mission is to help life sciences and high-tech businesses to thrive in tackling challenges in both human and planetary health. Across the UK and Ireland, Pioneer leads the way in integrating the provision of mission critical real estate, venture building and venture investment.
Since 2003 its connected cluster model has provided powerful sector-specific, business-focused ecosystems in which businesses are more likely to succeed.
Pioneer Group delivers the most comprehensive suite of accelerator and venture building activity across the UK and Ireland, helping founders to transfer cutting-edge discovery into visionary ventures that scale. Pioneer’s in-house team supports start-ups and scale-ups and works in partnership with organisations such as Innovate UK, AbbVie, Astellas, Academic Health Science Networks and many of the UK's strongest universities.
Pioneer also backs game-changing, early-stage life science companies with investment from its venture capital funds, alongside ongoing mentoring and assistance. The focus is on funding the most promising companies graduating from Pioneer’s venture building programmes and/or based at its campuses. Since 2015, Pioneer has supported over eighty early-stage ventures which have raised in excess of £200m.
For more information about Pioneer Group, visit www.thepioneergroup.com. Follow Pioneer Group: LinkedIn | YouTube
About Wren Capital
Wren Capital, whose managing partner is Rajat Malhotra (UK Business Angels Association’s Angel Investor of the Year for 2013), specialises in early stage investing in science, software and engineering. Wren has particular experience in investing in early-stage life sciences across different therapeutic areas as well as in medical devices and diagnostics. Wren is well known in the early-stage investment community and co-invests with a wide range of both angel and institutional investors.
For more information about Wren Capital, visit www.wrencapital.co.uk. Follow Wren Capital: LinkedIn
Contacts
Nuno Madeira do Ó, Co-Founder and CEO
Bastion Therapeutics
Mohammad Khobreh, Co-Founder
Jason Goldstein, Co-Founder
NG Bio
Gemma Sturt, Investment Manager
Miranda Knaggs, Corporate Development Director
Pioneer Group
Rajat Malhotra, Partner
Wren Capital
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