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Agensys names Christopher J. Morl as Vice President, Business Development
Santa Monica, Calif., August 12, 2002 - Agensys, Inc. announced today the appointment of Christopher J. Morl as Vice President, Business Development. Mr. Morl joins Agensys from GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Mr. Morl has served most recently as a Director of Integration China/Hong Kong at GlaxoSmithKline after serving as General Manager at SmithKline Beecham (Tianjiin). Prior to that, he served 20 years in positions of increasing responsibility in research, marketing, licensing, and business development with SmithKline Beecham. He will lead Agensys' activities in identifying and evaluating corporate partnering opportunities and negotiating related licensing agreements and contracts, reporting to Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Technology and Corporate Development. "We are very pleased to have such an accomplished pharmaceutical executive join our management team" said Donald B. Rice, Chairman, President and CEO. "Chris Morl's broad base of experience in both strategic and operational assignments will be valuable to Agensys in structuring and implementing successful collaborations with other companies." Mr. Morl holds a BS in Applied Biology with Honors in Pharmacology from the University of London (1982) and an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management in England (1992). About Agensys, Inc. Agensys, Inc. exploits multiple product opportunities to develop fully human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to treat solid tumor cancers based on its own discoveries of therapeutic targets. The Company discovered and validated a rich portfolio of novel, clinically relevant cancer targets that have been carefully selected to enable development of new therapeutics that will provide more effective treatment with fewer and less severe side effects. The Company has assembled internal capabilities to both develop and manufacture human MAbs. The Company's portfolio also contains multiple targets for small molecule and vaccine products that it intends to develop through partnerships and collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Agensys' cancer target portfolio is protected by 13 issued patents and more than 160 pending patent applications. The Company has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Abgenix that provides for the generation of human MAbs to 25 Agensys targets using Abgenix' antibody technologies. In July 2000, Agensys signed a $33 million agreement with Genentech for the development of MAb therapy to Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA), one of its targets. The Company's laboratories and offices are located in Santa Monica, CA. For more information see www.agensys.com. Contacts Donald B. Rice Chairman, President and CEO drice@agensys.com Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Technology and Corporate Development, Chief Scientific Officer ajakobovits@agensys.com Paul G. Kanan Vice President, Operations and CFO pkanan@agensys.com << Back to Press Releases |