Mar 21

Artiva Biotherapeutics Appoints Laura Bessen, M.D., to Its Board of Directors

SAN DIEGO, March 3, 2022 — Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc., an oncology company with a mission to deliver highly effective, off-the-shelf, allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell-based therapies that are safe and accessible to cancer patients, today announced the appointment of Laura Bessen, M.D., as an independent member of the Company’s board of directors. Dr. Bessen brings to Artiva two decades of global pharmaceutical industry experience in medical leadership roles spanning clinical development, medical affairs, and product launches. She was most recently Vice President, Head of US Medical from 2012 to 2016 at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she was responsible for all US Medical Affairs, including phase IV clinical trials.

“Laura has an impressive track record, with extensive experience in late-stage clinical development, product launches, and patient access,” said Fred Aslan, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Artiva.

Dr. Bessen retired in 2016 from Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) after 15 years in leadership positions, most recently as Vice President, Head of US Medical. Previously at BMS, she was Vice President, Head of US Medical Immunoscience and Neuroscience; and before that, Head of Immunoscience and Oncology Global Medical Affairs. Prior to BMS, Dr. Bessen was at DuPont Pharmaceuticals in medical affairs leadership roles. She currently provides strategic and board level advice as managing partner of Maxsam Advisors LLC. Dr. Bessen received her M.D. degree from New York University School of Medicine and B.S. in biochemistry from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She trained in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center, NY, and infectious diseases at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

About Artiva Biotherapeutics

Artiva’s mission is to deliver highly effective, off-the-shelf, allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell-based therapies, utilizing our Manufacturing-First approach, that are safe and accessible to cancer patients. Artiva’s pipeline includes AB-101, an ADCC enhancer NK-cell therapy candidate for use in combination with monoclonal antibodies or innate-cell engagers. The company is currently advancing a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of AB-101 in combination with rituximab for the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphomas. Artiva’s pipeline also includes AB-201, an anti-HER2 CAR-NK cell therapy candidate for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing tumors, such as breast, gastric, and bladder cancers, and AB-202, a CD19-specific CAR-NK cell therapy candidate for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. The company has entered into therapeutic NK cell collaborations with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. and with Affimed GmbH. Artiva’s AlloNK™ platform incorporates cell expansion, activation, and engineering technology developed by the Company’s strategic partner, GC Cell Corporation, a member of the GC family of companies, a leading healthcare company in Korea. Artiva is headquartered in San Diego.

Contacts

Media: Jessica Yingling, Ph.D., Little Dog Communications, Inc., jessica@litldog.com, +1.858.344.8091

Investors: Michael E. Faerm, Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc., ir@artivabio.com

Recent Posts

See All

Artiva Biotherapeutics Presents Initial Data from First-in-Human Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial of AB-101 at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

Initial activity observed in combination therapy of one billion cells per dose with rituximab; majority of responses were observed in patients who had previously failed autologous CAR-T cell therapy AB-101 was well tolerated at up to four billion cells per dose as a monotherapy; up to 16 doses of AB-101 at one billion cells per...

Artiva Biotherapeutics Announces Presentation of Data from First-in-Human Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial of AB-101 at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

SAN DIEGO, April 26, 2023 — Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage company whose mission is to deliver highly effective, off-the-shelf, allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell-based therapies, announced today that a poster describing initial data from the Phase 1/2 trial of AB-101 will be presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual...

Artiva Biotherapeutics Receives FDA Fast Track Designation for AB-101

AB-101 is a cord blood-derived, allogeneic, cryopreserved, ADCC-enhancing NK cell therapy candidate for use in combination with monoclonal antibodies or innate-cell engagers Granted Fast Track designation by U.S. FDA for the treatment of relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma of B cell origin, in combination with rituximab SAN DIEGO, January 31, 2023 – Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical...