DURHAM, N.C., May 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Precision BioSciences (Nasdaq: DTIL), a genome editing company dedicated to improving life through the application of its proprietary ARCUS® genome editing platform, announced today that Christopher R. Heery, M.D. has joined Precision BioSciences as its Chief Medical Officer.
“We are thrilled to welcome Chris Heery as our Chief Medical Officer. Chris has exceptional experience in the rapidly evolving field of cell therapies and has led many first-in-human clinical trials during his time at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). We believe his skill set and experience are a perfect fit to guide our off-the-shelf immunotherapy and in vivo gene correction programs through human clinical trials,” said Matt Kane, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Precision BioSciences.
Chief Development Officer, David Thomson, commented, “Chris brings a highly unique and sought-after skill set to Precision BioSciences. He has been a translational clinical trialist at one of the world’s preeminent research institutions, NCI, where his first-in-human immunotherapy clinical trials included a Phase 1 study of an anti-PD-L1 treatment (avelumab) that is now approved for use in the United States. Chris’s most recent experience as Chief Medical Officer at Bavarian Nordic has given him a strong understanding of regulatory requirements, clinical trial oversight, and leadership that will allow him to play a key role in helping Precision BioSciences build a successful clinical organization. We look forward to advancing our clinical pipeline under Chris’s leadership.”
Prior to joining Precision BioSciences, Dr. Heery most recently served as Chief Medical Officer of Bavarian Nordic, where he oversaw clinical development programs for its immune-oncology and infectious diseases portfolios. Prior to this, he was Head of the Clinical Trials Group of the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology at NCI. He joined the NCI Medical Oncology Branch as a Medical Oncology Fellow in 2009 and also served as an Adjunct Appointment in the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch. He was part of the larger effort of the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology to create new immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Dr. Heery is board certified in Medical Oncology and Internal Medicine and received his M.D. from East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Heery completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University, where he received a BA in English Literature.
About Precision BioSciences
Precision BioSciences is dedicated to improving life (DTIL) through its proprietary genome editing platform, “ARCUS.” Precision BioSciences leverages ARCUS in the development of its product candidates, which are designed to treat human diseases and create healthy and sustainable food and agriculture solutions. Precision BioSciences is actively developing product candidates in three innovative areas: allogeneic CAR T immunotherapy, in vivo gene correction, and food. For more information regarding Precision BioSciences, please visit www.precisionbiosciences.com.
