GPCR Therapeutics Expands Scientific Advisory Board

Seoul, South Korea, 29 April 2022 – GPCR therapeutics, Inc., a venture-backed clinical stage international biopharmaceutical company with an innovative approach to drug discovery based on targeting G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCR) pairs, today announced four appointments to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Michel Bouvier, Dr. Luisa Salter-Cid, Dr. Omar Nadeem and Dr. Jon Wigginton will provide scientific expertise to support the company’s research and clinical development. GPCR just had a very successful first meeting including all the Scientific Advisory Board.

GPCR’s CEO, DongSeung Seen, said, “We are delighted to welcome our four distinguished new SAB members. They bring a wealth of scientific knowledge which will be of great help in progressing our lead small molecule asset, GPC-100/Burixafor, and advancing our therapies for multiple solid tumours and haematological malignancies. I look forward to working with them all as we discover and develop innovative therapeutics targeting cancer based on the novel science of GPCR heteromers.”

Dr. Michel Bouvier is a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and principal investigator at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal, and has been CEO of IRIC since 2014, and was CEO of IRICoR, a non-profit centre of excellence for commercialization and research for 5 years. He is a world-renowned expert in the field of GPCRs. He obtained his B.Sc. in biochemistry and his Ph.D in Neurological Sciences from the Université de Montréal. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Duke University in the laboratory of the Nobel Laureate, Robert J. Lefkowitz.

Dr. Luisa Salter-Cid is a strategic R&D leader with extensive experience managing drug discovery teams. She has significant experience in drug discovery and development. Currently, she is the CSO of Pioneering Medicines at Flagship Pioneering, a life sciences venture capital company that invests in biotechnology, life sciences, and sustainability companies with successful portfolio companies including Moderna. She previously served as CSO for Gossamer Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, acquiring, developing and commercialising therapeutics in various disease areas. She was also the Vice President for Bristol-Myers Squibb leading the Immuno-oncology and Genomics teams. She obtained her B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Lisbon and her Ph.D in Immunology from the University of Miami.

Dr. Omar Nadeem is a Physician in Medical Oncology and specialises in clinical care and investigation in the field of Multiple Myeloma and plasma cell disorders. He is the Clinical Director for Myeloma Cellular Therapies Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He obtained his B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Massachusetts and his MD in Medicine from Ross University, Dominica, West Indies.

Dr. Jon Wigginton is a physician-scientist with over 25 years expertise in cancer immunotherapy and oncology drug development, with leadership experience in both academia and industry. He currently serves as Senior Advisor and Chairman of the SAB at Cullinan Oncology, Inc., as well as on the Board of Directors of Sutro Biopharma and Checkmate Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Wigginton previously served as Chief Medical Officer of Cullinan Oncology, Inc., and as Chief Medical Officer at MacroGenics Inc., where he led the company’s clinical development programs. He has also held leadership positions at Bristol Myers Squibb and at Merck & Co. Early in his career, Dr. Wigginton worked at the National Cancer Institute for over 14 years and served as Head of the Investigational Biologics Section in the Center for Cancer Research. He earned his M.D. from the University of Michigan.

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About GPCR Therapeutics

GPCR Therapeutics, Inc. is a venture-backed, clinical stage international biopharmaceutical company with an innovative approach to developing therapeutics built on its proprietary GPCR data. The company’s proprietary data driven approach has identified over 1,000 GPCR pairs upon which drug screening campaigns can be pursued. Identification of the best GPCR pair to target for specific disease indications and patient subpopulations creates a personalized approach to combination therapy. By targeting the unique pharmacology of GPCR pairs, the company aims to develop life changing treatments for cancer and other diseases.

GPCR Therapeutics has multiple programs in pre-clinical development with the aim of advancing therapies for multiple solid tumors as well as hematological malignancies. The company’s lead small molecule asset, GPC-100/Burixafor, targets CXCR4, one of the most prevalent chemokine GPCRs overexpressed in various cancers. The company has identified that CXCR4 interacts with the beta-2 adrenergic receptor (B2AR), and this GPCR pair presents an alternate signaling pathway that is synergistically dependent on CXCR4 and B2AR activation.  

GPCR Therapeutics has its HQ in Seoul, Korea with additional R&D facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. For more information, please visit gpcr.co.kr or follow us on LinkedIn.