16 January 2019 - - UK-based T Cell Receptor biotechnology company Immunocore Ltd has named David Berman as its new head of research and development, the company said.

David joined Immunocore in September 2018 to advance the company's lead candidate, IMCgp100, towards commercialisation and progress Immunocore's growing pipeline of TCR candidates through clinical development.

Over his career, Berman has worked on immuno-oncology programmes at all stages of development including leadership roles in developing four approved biologics.

Most recently, Berman was senior vice president and Head of the AstraZeneca Immuno-oncology Franchise, where he was responsible for the strategy and execution of the company's late stage I-O programme.

Prior to that, he was head of the early stage oncology programme at MedImmune. David has also held senior development roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb including Head of the Immuno-oncology exploratory development team and global clinical lead for the first approved IO checkpoint inhibitor and one of the first monoclonal antibodies approved for myeloma.

In addition to the development of CTLA4 and PD1/L1 checkpoint inhibitors, Berman's experience includes developing a wide range of novel IO targets and combinations as well as translational medicine focused on their mechanisms of action.

Berman completed his MD at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and his PhD in the Laboratory of Dr. Alfred G. Gilman, the 1994 Nobel laureate for his discovery of G-proteins. He completed a residency in Anatomic Pathology at the National Cancer Institute and a Fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Immunocore, a leading T Cell Receptor biotechnology company, is focused on delivering first-in-class biological therapies that have the potential to transform the lives of people with serious diseases.

The company's primary therapeutic focus is oncology and it also has programmes in infectious and autoimmune diseases. Immunocore has a pipeline of proprietary and partnered programs in development and the lead programme, IMCgp100, has entered pivotal clinical studies as a treatment for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.

Collaboration partners include Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Lilly, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Immunocore is headquartered at Milton Park, Oxfordshire, UK, with an office outside Philadelphia, USA. The company is privately held by a broad international investor base.