SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Aug. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allogene Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALLO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of allogeneic CAR T (AlloCAR T™) therapies for cancer, today announced the appointment of Elizabeth (Liz) Barrett and Vicki Sato, Ph.D. to the company’s Board of Directors. Ms. Barrett, an executive with deep experience in the commercialization of novel oncology therapies, is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UroGen Pharma (Nasdaq: URGN). Dr. Sato, former faculty member at Harvard University and Harvard Business School, has an exceptional track record of execution as an executive at several leading biotechnology companies.

“We are very fortunate to welcome Liz and Vicki to our Board of Directors,” said David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., President, CEO and Co-Founder of Allogene Therapeutics. “These talented executives will provide critical guidance as we plan to initiate our first pivotal study later this year and position Allogene to potentially become the first company to commercialize an allogeneic CAR T therapy. Liz is a CAR T veteran whose deep knowledge of the oncology marketplace will be invaluable as Allogene seeks to commercialize off-the-shelf therapies for cancer patients. Vicki is a skillful and strategic thinker whose scientific and business acumen will help steer us as we enter the next phase of growth in the field of allogeneic cell therapy.”

Ms. Barrett is currently the President and CEO of UroGen Pharma, a biotechnology company that develops and commercializes treatments for urologic and uro-oncological conditions. At UroGen, Liz spearheaded the 2020 approval of Jelmyto^® for the treatment of low-grade upper tract urothelial carcinoma. She previously served as CEO of Novartis Oncology, where she managed the development and launch of the autologous CAR T therapy Kymriah^® (tisagenlecleucel). Prior to her tenure at Novartis, she held several leadership positions at Pfizer, including Global President and General Manager of Oncology, and led the rollout of Ibrance^®. She has also held leadership roles at Cephalon and Johnson & Johnson. Ms. Barrett currently serves on the Board of Directors of Sage Therapeutics.

“I am excited to join Allogene’s Board of Directors and resume participation in one of the most promising therapeutic modalities within oncology,” said Ms. Barrett. “I believe allogeneic cell therapy is the future of CAR T, and I am eager to play a role in bringing this potentially revolutionary therapy to many more patients with hematologic and solid tumor malignancies.”

Dr. Sato served as President of Vertex Pharmaceuticals where she was responsible for research and development, business and corporate management, and commercial, legal and financial operations. Before joining Vertex, Dr. Sato was Vice President of Research at Biogen, Inc., where she led programs in inflammation, thrombosis, and HIV and contributed to the executive management of the company. She also served as a member of the Biogen Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Sato began her career as a Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at Harvard University and then returned to academia from 2006-2017 to serve as a Professor of the Practice in Molecular and Cell Biology at Harvard University and a Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School. Dr. Sato is currently on the Board of Directors at Denali Therapeutics, Vir Biotechnology and Akouos.

“I am honored to join Allogene’s Board of Directors,” said Dr. Sato. “Allogene has produced exciting clinical data showcasing the potential for allogeneic CAR T therapy to offer distinct advantages over autologous cell therapy. I believe it is still early days in terms of our ability to unlock the full potential of cell therapy and look forward to supporting Allogene’s leadership position in this field.”

About Allogene Therapeutics
Allogene Therapeutics, with headquarters in South San Francisco, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T cell (AlloCAR T™) therapies for cancer. Led by a management team with significant experience in cell therapy, Allogene is developing a pipeline of “off-the-shelf” CAR T cell therapy candidates with the goal of delivering readily available cell therapy on-demand, more reliably, and at greater scale to more patients. For more information, please visit www.allogene.com, and follow @AllogeneTx on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The press release may, in some cases, use terms such as "predicts," "believes," "potential," "proposed," "continue," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "plans," "intends," "may," "could," "might," "will," "should" or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things: timing and ability to advance to a pivotal trial of an AlloCAR T™ therapy; ability to generate positive data, obtain regulatory approval and commercialize any AlloCAR T™ therapy; and the potential benefits of AlloCAR T™ therapy. Various factors may cause differences between Allogene’s expectations and actual results as discussed in greater detail in Allogene’s filings with the SEC, including without limitation in its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. Any forward-looking statements that are made in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Allogene assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.

AlloCAR T™ is a trademark of Allogene Therapeutics, Inc.

Allogene Media/Investor Contact:
Christine Cassiano
Chief Communications Officer
(714) 552-0326
Christine.Cassiano@allogene.com

Source: Allogene Therapeutics, Inc.