WALTHAM, Mass., Dec. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Zenas BioPharma, a global biopharmaceutical company committed to becoming a leader in the development and commercialization of inflammation and immunology (I&I) directed therapies, today announced the appointment of Jennifer Fox as its Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer and Tanya Fischer, M.D., Ph. D as Head of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tanya and Jen to our executive team,” said Lonnie Moulder, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zenas BioPharma. “Tanya is a deeply experienced physician-scientist leader and Jen is a seasoned healthcare finance and corporate development leader. With their decades of industry leadership experience, they will each be an invaluable addition to Zenas as we head into our next phase of growth, advancing multiple global programs in late-stage clinical development with a goal to deliver differentiated I&I directed therapies to patients in need around the world.”

Ms. Fox is an experienced finance and corporate development executive with an extensive track record in corporate finance and healthcare investment banking, advising numerous private and public companies with respect to strategy, financings and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining Zenas, Ms. Fox served as Chief Financial Officer at Nuvation Bio, a publicly traded biotechnology company. She previously served as a Managing Director and Co-Head of North America Healthcare Corporate and Investment Banking Group at CitiGroup. Prior to CitiGroup, Ms. Fox held senior positions in investment banking at Deutsche Bank, Bear Stearns, Bank of America and Prudential Securities. She holds B.S. degrees in finance and marketing from Manhattan College.

Dr. Fischer is a physician-scientist with deep experience in academia and at both pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, leading early and late-stage research and development programs across multiple therapeutic areas, including neurology and rare diseases. Prior to joining Zenas, she served as Chief Development Officer and Head of Translational Medicine at Biohaven, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company. Dr. Fischer began her industry career at Bristol Myers Squibb and held R&D leadership roles of increasing responsibility at EMD-Serono, Sanofi-Genzyme and Alnylam. She is a neurologist and held appointments at Yale University School of Medicine following the completion of her Neurology residency at Yale New Haven Hospital. She obtained MD and PhD degrees from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University, respectively, and was awarded the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

About Zenas BioPharma

Zenas BioPharma is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to becoming a leader in the development and commercialization of inflammation and immunology (I&I) directed therapies for patients in need around the world. With clinical development capabilities and operations globally, Zenas is advancing a portfolio of potentially differentiated autoimmune therapeutics in areas of high unmet medical need. Our experienced leadership team and network of business partners drive operational excellence to deliver potentially transformative therapies to improve the lives of those facing autoimmune and rare diseases. For more information about Zenas BioPharma, please visit www.zenasbio.com and follow us on Twitter at @ZenasBioPharma and LinkedIn.

About Obexelimab

Obexelimab is an investigational Phase 3-stage, bifunctional, non-cytolytic, humanized monoclonal antibody that mimics the action of antigen-antibody complexes by binding CD19 and FcγRIIb to inhibit B-lineage cell activity. In several early-stage clinical studies, including in various autoimmune diseases, 198 subjects were treated with obexelimab. In these clinical studies, obexelimab demonstrated inhibition of B cell function without depleting the cells, resulting in encouraging treatment effect in patients with various autoimmune diseases. Zenas acquired exclusive worldwide rights to obexelimab from Xencor, Inc. Obexelimab is currently being studied in a global Phase 3 clinical study in patients with IgG4 Related Disease and a global Phase2/3 study in patients with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA). Clinical development of obexelimab for Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is under evaluation.

More information on the Phase 3 (INDIGO) study for the treatment of IgG4 Related Disease is available at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT05662241. More information on the Phase 3 (SApHiAre) study for the treatment of wAIHA is available at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT05786573.