Release Details

Experts in cancer drug development to advise on corporate strategy and product development

Cambridge, Mass., April 4, 2016 – X4 Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel CXCR4 inhibitor drugs to improve immune cell trafficking and increase the ability for T-cells to track and destroy cancer, today announced the formation of a Corporate Advisory Board to provide expert insight and contribute to the Company’s corporate strategy and product development plans.  The formation of the Corporate Advisory Board comes at a time when X4 is initiating clinical development of X4P-001, its lead drug candidate in refractory clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). X4 expects to initiate a second clinical study for X4P-001 in another solid tumor indication later this year.

“We are delighted to have brought together these accomplished individuals to form our Corporate Advisory Board, as they will guide our strategic path and decision making, beginning with our first product candidate, X4P-001, and continuing with X4P-002 and our broader pipeline,” said Paula Ragan, PhD, President and CEO of X4.

The Company has appointed four experts with deep experience in cancer drug development to the Corporate Advisory Board:

• Keith Flaherty, MD. Flaherty is Director of the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies at the Cancer Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.  He is also co-founder of X4.
• Alison Lawton. Lawton is consulting Chief Operating Officer for X4.  She also serves as Chief Operating Officer of Aura Biosciences and on the Board of Directors of Verastem.  She worked for more than 20 years at Genzyme where she led the regulatory team for the approval of plerixafor, a CXCR4 inhibitor.
• Howard Pien. Pien is currently the Chairman of the Board of Juno Therapeutics and a Board member of Indivior PLC, Immunogen, Inc., Sage Therapeutics, Inc., and Vanda Pharmaceuticals.  He previously served as the CEO of Medarex, Inc. and Chiron Corporation.
• Mike Vasconcelles, MD. Vasconcelles is currently the Chief Medical Officer at Unum Therapeutics.  He was previously Senior Vice President and Global Head for Oncology at Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

“X4 has developed a compelling clinical stage drug pipeline based on an innovative mechanism for restoring immune system surveillance against cancer and is a company with an exciting future,” said Mr. Pien.  “I look forward to working with Dr. Ragan and the talented X4 team to develop important new cancer therapies.”

About X4 Pharmaceuticals

X4 Pharmaceuticals is developing novel therapeutics designed to improve immune cell trafficking and increase the ability for T-cells to track and destroy cancer cells.   The company’s oral small molecule drug candidates inhibit the CXCR4 receptor, a pathway which plays a central role in promoting the immunosuppressive and pro-angiogenic microenvironment of many cancers. X4P-001, the company’s lead program, is expected to enter Phase 1/2 testing in refractory clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and other solid tumor indications, and its second program, X4P-002, is in pre-clinical development for oncology applications. X4 was founded and is led by a team with deep product development and commercialization expertise, including several former members of the Genzyme leadership team, and is located in Cambridge, MA.