CAMBRIDGE, MA – January 7, 2020 – Aura Biosciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of tumor targeted therapies for initial application in primary tumors such as ocular and bladder cancers, today announced the appointment of George Golumbeski, Ph.D., as Chairman of its Board of Directors. Dr. Golumbeski is a biopharmaceutical business leader with over 25 years of experience in the biotechnology industry.
“George’s extensive experience will be invaluable to Aura as we prepare for upcoming corporate milestones,” said Elisabet de los Pinos, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Aura Biosciences. “In his prior global leadership roles at Celgene and Novartis, George has overseen successful development, growth and collaboration initiatives that have created significant value and have made a profound impact in many patients’ lives. We welcome George to our team and look forward to working together to bring this new class of innovative therapies to patients with cancer.”
Dr. Golumbeski commented: “As an emerging leader in ocular oncology, in late stage development with a new class of targeted therapies, Aura is an exciting growth story, focused on meeting unmet medical needs in oncology. Therefore, I am delighted to be joining the team. I look forward to working with the Aura Board and management team to use our collective experience to build the Company and to further accelerate the Company’s growth.”
In addition to Aura’s Board, Dr. Golumbeski serves on the Board of Directors of several biotechnology companies including: Carrick Therapeutics, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, MorphoSys AG, Verseau Therapeutics, and Sage Therapeutics. Dr. Golumbeski was most recently Executive Vice President of Business Development for Celgene, where he was responsible for forging collaborations with biotechnology companies seeking to bring breakthrough medications to people suffering from cancer and chronic inflammation. Before Celgene, Dr. Golumbeski served as Vice President of Business Development, Licensing and Strategy for Novartis and also held similar senior level business development roles at Elan Pharmaceuticals and at Schwarz Pharma. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He conducted his post-doctoral research in molecular biology at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
About Aura Biosciences
Aura Biosciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of oncology therapies based on a novel tumor targeting technology for initial application in primary tumors such as ocular and bladder cancers with the potential to treat other cancers. The Company’s proprietary technology platform utilizes viral-like particle bioconjugates (VPBs) that have a dual selectivity mechanism with targeted binding to cancer cells, followed by activation using a common laser. These potent cytotoxic therapies result in acute tumor cell necrosis, while sparing surrounding healthy tissue and activating the immune system to generate an anti-tumor response. Aura’s lead product candidate belzupacap serotalocan (AU-011) is currently in Phase 2 development for the treatment of choroidal melanoma, a vision and life-threatening form of eye cancer for which there are currently no approved therapies. In a Phase 1b/2 study, AU-011 demonstrated compelling efficacy, including high rates of tumor control and vision preservation, along with a favorable safety profile, in patients with choroidal melanoma. The development of AU-011 is partially supported by funding awarded under a CRADA from the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute. Future pipeline applications for Aura’s technology include choroidal metastases and primary bladder carcinoma. Aura is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. For more information, visit www.aurabiosciences.com or follow us on Twitter.
Investor and Media Contact:
Joseph Rayne
Argot Partners
617.340.6075 | joseph@argotpartners.com