- SUDA Pharmaceuticals (SUD) appoints Reuben Benjamin to its scientific advisory board for the invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cell therapy platform
- Dr Benjamin is an internationally recognised expert in the field of cellular immunotherapies that are used to treat blood cancer
- He joins SUD as the company develops its iNKT cell therapy platform, which has been shown to offer protection against graft versus host disease
- Shares are up 6.67 per cent to 4.8 cents apiece at 3:27 pm AEST
SUDA Pharmaceuticals (SUD) has appointed Reuben Benjamin to its scientific advisory board for the invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cell therapy platform.
The biotechnology company is focussed on developing therapies to treat cancer and conditions that affect the central nervous system.
According to SUD, Dr Benjamin is internationally regarded as an expert in the field of cellular immunotherapies used to treat blood cancer.
Notably, Dr Benjamin leads the plasma cell disorder service and CAR-T cell program at King’s College London in the United Kingdom.
He is also a consultant haematologist and honorary senior lecturer with an interest in multiple myeloma, stem cell transplantation and cell therapy.
The expert joins SUD as the company develops its iNKT cell therapy platform for initial use in treating blood cancers.
A key advantage of iNKT cells is their potential to be used off-the-shelf, having been shown to offer protection against graft versus host disease (GVHD) — a side effect that limits the production of conventional cell therapy treatments from a healthy donor.
SUDA’s CEO and managing director Michael Baker said the company sought leaders in the field to strengthen development of its iNKT cell therapy platform.
“Dr Benjamin has tremendous experience developing cell therapies and having input from the chief investigator of the first off-the-shelf clinical trial for B-ALL will provide invaluable expertise to SUDA as we continue to develop our iNKT cell therapy platform,” Dr Baker said.
Shares in SUDA were up 6.67 per cent to 4.8 cents apiece at 3:27 pm AEST.