CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – June 28th, 2023 – HiFiBiO Therapeutics, a multinational clinical-stage biotherapeutics company, today announced the appointment of Robert Andtbacka, MD, CM, as the Chief Medical Officer to oversee the company’s clinical activities, reporting to HiFiBiO’s Founder, Chairperson, and CEO, Dr. Liang Schweizer.
“I’m very excited to have such an experienced and well-recognized clinical leader joining us,” commented Dr. Schweizer. “Robert brings over 20 years of experience in surgical oncology, clinical development, and pipeline strategy. His extensive track record of successfully developing multiple assets and his deep expertise of immunotherapies will strengthen the advancement of our innovative pipeline,” Dr. Schweizer emphasized.
“I am deeply impressed by HiFiBiO’s innovative approach to developing novel immune therapies, fueled by their pioneering DIS® platform. It is with great honor that I join HiFiBiO’s exceptionally talented and passionate global team, as we work together to advance a robust pipeline of groundbreaking therapies, united by a shared goal of providing improved disease treatments and renewed hope for patients,” remarked Dr. Andtbacka.
Previously, Dr. Andtbacka served as Chief Medical Officer for Seven and Eight Biopharmaceuticals, where he led the clinical development of innovative dual agonists for Toll-like Receptor 7 and 8 (TLR 7/8), TLR 7/8-antibody drug conjugates, later acquired by Eikon Therapeutics, and oncolytic viruses. Before Seven and Eight Biopharma, Dr. Andtbacka served as Co-Director of the Melanoma and Cutaneous Oncology Program and Director of the Melanoma Clinical Research Program at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. During his 12-year tenure, he established an internationally recognized comprehensive surgical and clinical research program in intratumoral immuno-oncology and conducted over 50 clinical studies evaluating the activity of 20 novel IO therapies during Phase 1 to Phase 3 trials. Dr. Andtbacka was the lead investigator on the OPTiM Phase III trial leading to the FDA and EMA approval of talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), the first oncolytic virus in its class. While at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, he served as Chief Medical Officer for Vestan Medical Imaging, where he led preclinical and clinical development.
Dr. Andtbacka holds an MD, CM from McGill University, where he also completed a residency in General Surgery, followed by a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is a board-certified surgeon, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCSC).
About HiFiBiO Therapeutics
HiFiBiO Therapeutics is a clinical stage global biotech pioneering a unique high-resolution translational solution (DIS®, Drug Intelligence Science) to enhance the probability of success for immunotherapies. DIS® combines unique single cell capabilities with AI/ML approaches using patient samples to discover novel targets, effective antibody drugs, and predictive biomarkers. With DIS®, HiFiBiO gains an unprecedented understanding of immune modulation in human diseases driving a robust clinical pipeline of transformative immunotherapies. Additionally, HiFiBiO has partnered with major multinational pharmaceutical and biotech companies applying its innovative DIS® approach. Additional information can be found at Hifibio.com.
HiFiBiO® and DIS® are trademarks of HiFiBiO and its affiliates.