RegCell Appoints Experienced Life Science Executive and Entrepreneur Michael McCullar, Ph.D., MBA, as its New Chief Executive Officer

2023-10-19

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OSAKA, Japan, Oct. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- RegCell, a biotechnology company developing novel therapies for autoimmune diseases by leveraging the natural biology of regulatory T cells (Tregs) with its next-generation cell reprogramming platform, today announced the appointment of Michael V. McCullar, Ph.D., MBA as its new President, Chief Executive Officer, and Representative Director.

"I am honored to join this remarkable team at an exciting time for RegCell as we prepare to enter the clinical stage and to support the company's mission to discover innovative treatments for autoimmune diseases," said Dr. Michael McCullar, Chief Executive Officer of RegCell. "In an era where the increasingly aging population is facing an escalating burden of autoimmune disorders, Treg-based cellular therapies are opening the doors to exciting new treatment possibilities. I look forward to contributing my expertise towards validating the promising potential of our regulatory T cell platform and expanding our U.S. footprint as we advance our programs towards the clinic in 2024."

Dr. McCullar has a wealth of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, spanning more than two decades. Throughout his career, he has been involved in various aspects of drug development and played pivotal roles in the success of several pharmaceutical companies. Dr. McCullar formerly served as the CEO of OnQuality Pharmaceuticals, where he provided executive leadership to this targeted oncology supportive therapy company focused on developing pioneering medications tailored to address the intricacies of cancer treatment-related toxicities. Before that, he was Chief Operating Officer at Tolero Pharmaceuticals, where he had a prominent role in the company's acquisition by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma and has also served as the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Astex Pharmaceuticals, which was eventually acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. Dr. McCullar has held several high-level executive positions at SuperGen, showcasing his commitment and upward career path within the company. His journey at SuperGen culminated in the role of Senior Vice President of Strategy and Operations, where his expertise paved the way for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Dacogen as a treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes.

RegCell was co-founded by Prof. Shimon Sakaguchi, a distinguished Professor at Osaka University and Kyoto University, who is world-renowned for his discovery of Tregs in 1995. The company has developed a proprietary regulatory T cell platform that has demonstrated strong preclinical validation as a potential transformational therapeutic product to restore immune tolerance in autoimmune disorders, which are typically characterized by the depletion or the presence of dysfunctional Tregs.

Prof. Shimon Sakaguchi, Founder and Technical Advisor of RegCell added, "Dr. McCullar's extensive experience in leading all phases of research and development, as well as his collaborative leadership style, will be an invaluable addition to RegCell as the company advances towards the first in human validation trials. Our S/F-Epigen-Treg technology for autologous cell therapy has the potential to target a large number of autoimmune diseases without suppressing the overall immune system, and we are confident that Dr. McCullar's leadership will ensure we reach the ultimate goal of reversing autoimmune disorders in patients."

About RegCell

RegCell is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company located in Japan with investment from leading Japanese institutional investors, including The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners. RegCell has developed a best-in-class proprietary platform that allows the generation of epigenetically reprogrammed antigen-specific regulatory T-cells (Tregs) that are stable in vivo and maintain a high degree of functionality (S/F-Epigen-Tregs) to restore immune tolerance and ultimately reverse autoimmune disorders as well as the limitations with transplantation.

For more information visit: https://regcell.jp/en/

Media Contact:

Ignacio Guerrero-Ros, Ph.D.

Russo Partners LLC

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SOURCE RegCell