ImmPACT Bio Appoints Han Lee, Ph.D., MBA, as President and Chief Financial Officer
LOS ANGELES, Calif., October 31, 2023 – ImmPACT Bio USA, Inc. (“ImmPACT Bio”), a clinical-stage company developing transformative logic-gate-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointment of Han Lee, Ph.D., MBA, as president and chief financial officer (CFO). An accomplished biotechnology executive, Dr. Lee joins ImmPACT Bio with more than 10 years of corporate finance, strategy, business development, and company building experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Dr. Lee succeeds Vikram Lamba, MBA, who will support the transition to Dr. Lee in the near term.
“We are thrilled to welcome Han, a seasoned CFO to ImmPACT Bio’s executive leadership. His experience and track record in raising capital, preparing companies to go public, scaling companies, and executing partnership and M&A deals, will be instrumental to ImmPACT Bio’s next phase of growth,” said Sumant Ramachandra, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer of ImmPACT Bio. “We look forward to having Han drive corporate strategy and lead the company’s business development and financial activities as we further scale our organization and rapidly advance clinical development of our next-generation CAR T-cell therapies.”
Dr. Ramachandra continued, “On behalf of the team, I would like to thank Vikram for his leadership and many contributions to ImmPACT Bio over his tenure. We wish him the very best on his future endeavors.”
“As a scientist by training, I have always had a passion for cell therapy. ImmPACT Bio is pioneering the development of the first-and-only CD19/CD20 CAR T-cell therapy for the treatment of both B-cell driven malignancies and autoimmune diseases,” said Dr. Lee. “ImmPACT Bio’s tandem bispecific CAR technology and dual-targeted approach, combined with its unique manufacturing process, is designed for safer, deeper, and more durable outcomes across several indications. This is a pivotal time for ImmPACT Bio with compelling clinical data expected within the next 12 months. I am excited to join the executive team and build on the foundation that Vikram has laid to help execute across our near-term corporate and clinical milestones.”
Prior to joining ImmPACT Bio, Dr. Lee was CFO of Neogene where he led the financial operations and investor relations activities for the company and played an instrumental role in the acquisition by AstraZeneca. Previously, Dr. Lee served as CFO of Arcellx, Inc., where he was an integral leader in the company’s clinical stage transition, successfully raised more than $200 million in financings, and helped lay the foundation for its successful initial public offering. Earlier in his career, he worked in the Corporate Development and Ventures group at AstraZeneca, where he focused on M&A, corporate strategy, and management of the company’s portfolio of public and private investments. Dr. Lee has led multiple billion-dollar business development deals, financings, and equity investments across more than 75 transactions. He has also served as a pivotal member of two cell therapy biotechnology start-ups with successful exits and served as a corporate board member for multiple companies.
Dr. Lee earned a Ph.D. in genetics and an MBA from Yale University.
About ImmPACT Bio
ImmPACT Bio USA, Inc., is a clinical-stage company dedicated to the discovery of transformative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies that address key biological challenges in treating cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company’s logic-gate-based CAR T-cell platforms, licensed from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Technology Development Group, are specifically designed to deplete B cells, prevent antigen escape, and overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The company’s technology is based on the work of pioneering scientists Yvonne Chen, Ph.D., and Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., both from UCLA. For more information, visit http://www.immpact-bio.com.
Contacts for inquiries or additional information:
For investors:
InvestorRelations@immpact-bio.com
John Mullaly
LifeSci Advisors
jmullaly@lifesciadvisors.com
For media:
Kathy Vincent
Greig Communications
kathy@greigcommunications.com
