BOSTON and LONDON, Oct. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: CNTA), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that aims to discover and develop medicines that are transformational for patients, today announced the appointment of April Dovholuk and Ellie Im, MD to Centessa’s executive team as Senior Vice President of Development Operations and Senior Vice President of Clinical Development, Oncology, respectively. In these newly created roles, Ms. Dovholuk will lead both Centessa’s global Clinical Trials and Development Operations teams, and Dr. Im will manage clinical development of the Company’s Oncology programs based on the LockBody® technology platform.

“We are thrilled to welcome two new accomplished and experienced leaders to the Centessa executive team at this exciting juncture when we have SerpinPC in global registrational studies for the treatment of hemophilia B; LB101, our first LockBody candidate in a Phase 1/2a first-in-human trial for the treatment of solid tumors; and, ORX750, our development candidate for narcolepsy and other sleep/wake disorders in IND-enabling studies,” said Saurabh Saha MD PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Centessa. “April has an impressive track record in global clinical trial strategy and execution across all stages of drug development. Ellie is a physician scientist and recognized leader in oncology clinical development and medical affairs. April and Ellie further strengthen the clinical and operational teams across our company and position us well as we look to advance current and future clinical programs across our portfolio.”

Ms. Dovholuk is an experienced global operational leader. Prior to joining Centessa, Ms. Dovholuk was Senior Vice President, Clinical Development Operations at Replimune where she led teams in clinical operations, data management, process improvement and CRO management. Ms. Dovholuk also spent 10 years with Takeda Oncology in various clinical operations roles supporting development operations and managing multiple assets throughout the drug development process. Ms. Dovholuk holds a BS from Cornell University.

Dr. Im is an experienced drug developer and leader. She most recently served as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Operations at Mersana Therapeutics Inc. Previously, Dr. Im was Clinical Development Lead and Senior Medical Director at Tesaro Inc., an oncology-focused company that was later acquired by GlaxoSmithKline plc. She also served as Medical Director for Merck & Co, Oncology Clinical Development where she was medical lead for the KEYNOTE-010 and –021 studies. Dr. Im is a medical oncologist and holds an MD from Catholic University College of Medicine, South Korea. She is Board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology and a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and Hematology.

About Centessa Pharmaceuticals  
Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that aims to discover and develop medicines that are transformational for patients. Our programs span discovery-stage to late-stage development and cover a range of high-value indications. We operate with the conviction that each one of our programs has the potential to change the current treatment paradigm and establish a new standard of care. For more information, visit http://www.centessa.com/, which does not form part of this release.  

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “objective,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “aim,” “seek,” and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including statements related to the Company’s ability to deliver impactful medicines to patients; the ability of our management team and board to drive execution of the Company’s portfolio of programs; our asset-centric business model and the intended advantages and benefits thereof; research and clinical development plans and the timing thereof; the scope, progress, results and costs of developing our product candidates or any other future product candidates; our current expectations concerning, amongst other things, the development and therapeutic potential and benefits of our product candidates, including SerpinPC, LB101, LB206, ORX750 and other OX2R agonists; strategy; regulatory matters, including the timing and likelihood of initiating clinical trials, reporting clinical trial results, submitting an IND and the success of obtaining authorizations to initiate or continue clinical trials or market any products; and the market size and opportunity for our product candidates. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the safety and tolerability profile of our product candidates; our ability to protect and maintain our intellectual property position; business (including commercial viability), regulatory, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties, contingencies and assumptions about the Company; risks inherent in developing product candidates and technologies; future results from our ongoing and planned clinical trials; our ability to obtain adequate financing, including through our financing facility with Oberland, to fund our planned clinical trials and other expenses; trends in the industry; the legal and regulatory framework for the industry, including the receipt and maintenance of clearances to conduct or continue clinical testing; future expenditures risks related to our asset-centric corporate model; the risk that any one or more of our product candidates will not be successfully developed and/or commercialized; the risk that the results of non-clinical studies or clinical studies will not be predictive of future results in connection with future studies; and geo-political risks such as the Russia-Ukraine war. These and other risks concerning our programs and operations are described in additional detail in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and our other reports, which are on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We explicitly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by law.

Contact:
Kristen K. Sheppard, Esq.
SVP of Investor Relations
investors@centessa.com