16 October 2018 - - UK-based biopharmaceutical company F-star has appointed Dr Eliot Forster as chief executive officer, the company said.

Dr Forster succeeds former CEO Dr John Haurum.

Eliot brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies.

Most recently, he served as CEO of Immunocore where he successfully steered the company's strategy in immuno-oncology, raising a USD 320m series A and establishing clinical collaborations with global pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca, GSK and Roche.

Prior to Immunocore, Eliot held senior leadership positions at Pfizer (including Head of EU Development and Operations) and GSK.

During his pharma tenure, he played a leadership role in the clinical development of Celebrex (celecoxib) and Relpax (eletriptan).

F-star's Modular Antibody Technology is leading a paradigm shift in IO, with the potential to leapfrog current combination approaches.

The platform, based on superior and clinically-relevant novel biology, introduces an additional antigen-binding site in the Fc region of an antibody that allows for a 'plug-and-play' insertion into any monoclonal antibody.

The resulting novel, bivalent binding bispecific antibodies (mAb2 TM) preserve the simplicity and manufacturability of the IgG format at the same time as creating extensive bispecific treatment opportunities.

F-star's pipeline targets patients who have either limited or partial response to existing IO treatment regimens and aims to stimulate the immune response through a tumour-directed activation while reducing systemic toxicity. 

FS118, F-star's lead Phase I candidate, is partnered with Merck KGaA and the company is rapidly moving the next wave of its proprietary bispecific IO products towards clinical development.

During his leadership as CEO, John led the transformation of F-star from a drug discovery platform into a successful, clinical-stage IO company.

Under his leadership, F-star launched new innovative cancer drug development capabilities and established a substantial pipeline of candidates with the potential to benefit patients, especially those who are not well served by existing cancer therapies.

F-star is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, committed to delivering life-changing treatments to cancer patients.

Through the highly efficient Modular Antibody Technology platform, a deep immuno-oncology pipeline of mAb² is being developed.

This is a novel class of disruptive bispecific antibodies, designed to unlock new biology which cannot be achieved by combining monospecific drugs. F-star's technological expertise and scientific approach have been validated through strategic partnerships with leaders in the pharma and biotech industries.