Imvax Appoints Iphigenia Leonidou Koumenis as Head of Clinical Operations

June 1, 2020
Hiring signifies continued strategic growth as firm expands its operations in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES - Jun 1, 2020 - PHILADELPHIA, PA (June 1, 2020)  - Imvax, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, today announced that Iphigenia (“Effie”) Leonidou Koumenis has been appointed as Head of Clinical Operations. Effie was previously Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at Orsenix, where she led the clinical development as well as strategic investment outreach on ORH-2014, an oral arsenic drug for acute promyelocytic leukemia. Reporting to Dr. David Andrews, Imvax Chief Medical Officer and founder, Effie joins the company as it is developing Imvax’s lead product candidate, IGV-001, for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). 

The hiring is the second significant expansion to Imvax’s leadership team this spring and comes on the heels of the firm’s move to new office space in Old City, Philadelphia.

“As we continue to expand our footprint in both Philadelphia and the industry, it’s vital that we have the right team in place,” said John Furey, Imvax Chief Executive Officer. “Effie’s vast experience in clinical development and operations comes at a crucial time in our work with IGV-001.” 

Effie started her career in research working in neuroscience at Stanford University and then in formulations development at Genentech, where she transitioned to clinical development on antibodies (anti-IL18) and protein drugs (apo-2-ligand) for solid tumors.  For the past 20 years, she has worked for companies including Novartis, Incyte and NovoNordisk and has experience in CNS, oncology and inflammation. Effie has two chemistry degrees, a BSc from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece and a MSc degree from the University of Houston.

“This is a pivotal time to be joining the Imvax team,” said Effie. “I’m thrilled to join a team that is making significant strides to positively impact the lives of cancer patients in GBM, an unmet medical need, and other cancers, through an autologous cell immunotherapy.” 

About IGV-001

IGV-001 is an autologous tumor cell vaccine that delivers a multi-pronged response against tumor cells by leveraging the patient’s immune system as a defense mechanism. Imvax, Inc. has an exclusive license agreement with Thomas Jefferson University granting it the right to develop and market this medical technology. 

About Imvax, Inc.

Imvax™ is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of patient-specific vaccines and immunomodulatory strategies (therapies that utilize the body’s immune system) for the treatment of malignant gliomas (a specific type of brain tumor) and other cancers with unmet medical needs.

Imvax is based in Philadelphia, PA. 

For additional information, please visit www.Imvax.com.