21 May 2018 - - Gaithersburg, Maryland-based biopharmaceutical company Sensei Biotherapeutics, Inc. has appointed John Celebi, M.B.A., as president and chief executive officer; he also joins its board of directors, the company said.
Celebi brings more than two decades of leadership experience with biotechnology companies, most recently in the field of cancer immunotherapies.
Previously, Celebi served as the chief operating officer of X4 Pharmaceuticals where he established and oversaw the company's oncology business strategy.
He also served as chief business officer of Igenica Biotherapeutics, Inc., and as vice president of business development, new product planning and alliance management at ArQule, Inc.,
Celebi was one of the early employees at Tularik, Inc., where he conducted drug discovery and basic research for an anti-viral drug program. He received an M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.S. in Biophysics from the University of California, San Diego.
Privately-held Sensei is emerging with a focused immuno-oncology strategy, promising clinical data from the Phase I trial of its lead drug candidate SNS-301, and the proprietary SPIRIT drug development platform that is generating a pipeline of innovative immuno-oncology therapies.