AffyImmune Therapeutics Appoints Dr. Deyaa Adib As Chief Medical Officer

AffyImmune Therapeutics, a biotechnology company specializing in ICAM-1 targeting (CAR) T cell therapy for solid tumors, has announced the appointment of Dr. Deyaa Adib as Chief Medical Officer. With over 28 years of oncology-focused pharmaceutical research and development experience, Dr. Adib will oversee all clinical operations, including the strategic planning and execution of clinical programs, regulatory engagement, pharmacovigilance, biometrics, and medical affairs.

Dr. Adib has a robust track record in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors, having contributed to seven successful drug registrations for solid tumors and hematologic cancers. Most recently, he served as CMO at FibroGen, where he advanced a CD46 ADC program for prostate cancer and evaluated major trials in pancreatic cancer. Before that, as CMO at Triumvira Immunologics, he led the clinical development of two innovative T-cell therapies. He also played a pivotal role as acting CMO at Rain Therapeutics, guiding the oncology portfolio through a successful IPO, and as VP of late-stage development at Blueprint Medicines, where he drove the approval of avapritinib for gastrointestinal stromal tumors and systemic mastocytosis.

Dr. Daniel Janse, President and Chief Executive Officer of AffyImmune, said in a statement, “We are pleased to have Dr. Adib join us on our mission to address the unmet needs for patients with advanced thyroid cancers and non-small cell lung cancer. Dr Adib brings extensive experience in late-stage clinical development and regulatory engagement for AffyImmune to bring our therapeutic to patients. We look forward to Deyaa’s contributions as a proven drug developer, business leader and researcher in our continued evolution toward becoming a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a maturing clinical pipeline.” 

Earlier in his career, Dr. Adib held leadership positions at Baxalta, where he was instrumental in advancing nanoliposomal irinotecan, now a global second-line therapy for pancreatic cancer, and in forging critical partnerships for oncology programs targeting CD19, PD1, LAG3, and TIM3. His tenure at ARIAD Pharmaceuticals included overseeing global clinical programs for ponatinib in chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Dr. Adib holds a medical degree from Cairo University and completed oncology training at the Anglo-American Cancer Institute and Tufts University. He also pursued a cancer immunology research fellowship and held roles at major pharmaceutical companies such as Aventis, Sanofi, and Astellas Pharma, where he contributed to clinical development in oncology.

“I am excited to join a highly talented group of drug developers to lead the clinical development organization during this important time at AffyImmune, as the company is rapidly advancing the clinical development of its autologous ICAM-1 targeted (CAR) T cell therapy, AIC100, for advanced thyroid cancers and non-small cell lung cancers. I look forward to progressing the current clinical studies through an accelerated registration path and launch to bring valuable medicines to patients with maladies of significant unmet medical need,” stated Deyaa Adib.